Northwest Dive Club

Yesterday my buddy Mark Nayer and I got up early to hit the slack at Fox Island East Wall. We don't dive this spot very often as the currents have to be favorable and there's always the 'climb of death' getting back to the parking lot at the end.

The walls here are a crumbly gravel much like those along Day Island but with a bit less clay. We began with a cruise along the main wall at about 40 feet, then when we hit the end we dropped down to the ledges below at about 65-70 feet.

To our surprise we spotted a huge Lumpsucker (bigger than a golf ball) clinging to the side of the ledges at about 65 feet. I'm used to seeing these guys in the eel grass at Redondo and other places, so finding one here was quite a surprise. Clearly this fellow was pretty adept at holding on to that wall, as the the currents really cook along here.





You never know what you'll find!

Dan

Super picture. I've seen them occasionally at Day Is. but never heard of one on Fox Is. E.

Awesome! Ive never seen lumpies there either

Great find. I saw a huge yellow one there about 6 years ago




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Wow Dan! That is a great find and a large one!!!
Great pics and thanks for sharing!
Kirsten

Dan,

I’m curious. Was yours at the top of the wall?

SD


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That's so cool! I found a nice huge red one at 66 feet at Fox Island West Wall last year. It's always so exciting to see Lumpies in unexpected locations.

Scubie Doo wrote:Dan,

I’m curious. Was yours at the top of the wall?

SD


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No, it was down at the lower shelves, at 65 feet.

Scubie Doo wrote:Great find. I saw a huge yellow one there about 6 years ago




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I wonder why they live down there? doesn't seem to be much in the way of food, but clearly they are doing well.

Jealous of your pictures. Every one of my lumpsucker encounters involve uncooperative fish in murky and partially obscured locations.

How do you get them to pose and face the camera so nicely? Are there special lumpsucker treats I'm not aware of? :-)

Cmjstealth wrote:Jealous of your pictures. Every one of my lumpsucker encounters involve uncooperative fish in murky and partially obscured locations.

How do you get them to pose and face the camera so nicely? Are there special lumpsucker treats I'm not aware of? :-)

Thanks. One word “patience”. Okay two words... “luck”.

I believe the bigger the lumpy the more cooperative they are as well.


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dphershman wrote:

Scubie Doo wrote:Great find. I saw a huge yellow one there about 6 years ago




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I wonder why they live down there? doesn't seem to be much in the way of food, but clearly they are doing well.

“Can you help me find my home? I let go of my house one day when the tide overcame me, and this is the first place I found to grip onto something solid... The wife and kids must be going crazy with worry!”

Or not...