Whidbey Island Critters

[LCF]

I love the fact that the genus name is Bougainvillia . . .

I think one of the light bulb moments for me in diving was when I realized that almost nothing I saw was a) a plant, or b) just debris. It's almost all alive, if you look closely enough. And thanks to these pages, we can ALL look closely enough!

[Jan K]

I think one of the light bulb moments for me in diving was when I realized that almost nothing I saw was a) a plant, or b) just debris. It's almost all alive, if you look closely enough.

Exactly, you nailed it. My last two tiny critters, the jelly and the hydroid are not even in Andy's "Marine Life of the PNW".
It is not that I discovered any new species, but I discovered it for myself. And who knows what discoveries are still
waiting ...
This one isn't rare or tiny, but I seldom found them out in the open around the sites I normally dive.
Joined friends this Sunday for a boat dive off Camano Island.

[LCF]

It's funny -- brittle stars are relatively uncommon here, but I've been on dive sites in Southern California where they were piled several deep.

[Jan K]

another boring post...

[Tom Nic]

Nope. Not boring.

[LCF]

Jan, you have NEVER put up a boring post. Every single one educates me about the things I see, and often disregard.

[GearHead]

I saw quite a few brittle stars along the north boundary line at Cove 2 today. They were around 65 ft deep and nestled in the bottom vegetation. After I spotted the first, I started seeing them all over.

[Jan K]

Flabellina showing off its hood ornament :

[Tom Nic]

Wow! Amazing capture! How many happy hours underwater looking close before one is privileged to see this!? Thanks for taking us on the journey.

[Jan K]

Thank you Tom, yes, you are right, the hours we spend underwater are happy hours indeed.
Divers are lucky, we can meet big AND little stars without going to Hollywood

[oldsalt]

Jan: I noticed the time you posted this. Wow, my friend, do you ever sleep?
-Curt

[Jan K]

Who wants to sleep when there is still so much to see ? So much to learn ?

[dwashbur]

It looks like an underwater wasp nest. Yikes!

[Tom Nic]

It looks like an underwater wasp nest. Yikes!

+1

Or something out of the movie Alien.

Perhaps it is the word 'flea' that makes those close ups vaguely creepy at a primal level.

Fascinating as always Jan!

[LCF]

Jan, that's mindblowing. I thought the colonial tubeworms my friend introduced me to in SoCal were weird, but these are far stranger.

[Jan K]

The beauty of diving. Never knowing what we find.
Now back to the more common critters encountered at my favorite dive site.
Got my color fix Wednesday and Thursday, sharing the water with army of fishermen...

[Jan K]

[LCF]

I am almost ridiculously excited about doing that dive later this month.

[Jan K]

I am almost ridiculously excited about doing that dive later this month.

I sure hope it works out for you. It is a special place, at least for me.
Here are some more from last two dives there...
The first day I took my macro and second day the fisheye for wide angle, for the visibility was still not that great
But better then all summer, when the Pass didn't warrant a second day dive.

[Jan K]

I had an interesting encounter with Lingcod trying to chomp down a rather large
Starry Flounder. As I was watching, from distance I saw a Sunflower Star homing
in fast. Amazing sight...

[LCF]

Jan, you simply see the most utterly amazing things . . . and get them on camera, which is even more astonishing!

[Jan K]

Since even the seagulls were not interested in the dead fish on the beach,
I decided that it might not be something I want to bring home as a trophy.
So I took the salmon in my left hand, clutching camera in right hand and off
I went to have fun with a dead fish especially when the visibility at Keystone
is still "craptic"

[Tom Nic]

[Desert Diver]

Shouldn't you loan your dive buddies a tank and mask?

[Scott G]

Jan, this is hilarious! I can see the smile on the other side if the camera. Thanks.