Whidbey Island Critters

[Jan K]

Liking whales, seabirds, tropical oysters, well, why not ?
If that means weird, count me in
What about Blue lobsters and Carnation corals ?

[Sharkb8]

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of or seen photos of tropical oysters. What a cool thing to see!

[oldsalt]

Jan: When I think about it, I must laugh at myself. If I were to tell someone how eagerly I await your posts, and they asked "What is in them?" "Oh, pictures of oysters, sponges, flatworms, and slugs." Add my near obsession with whales and seabirds, no wonder I am considered weird. Thanks again for your post. - Curt

[Jan K]

Thanks Tangfish, tropics do show off their colors even in worms. Flatworms that is

Encrusting sponges beautifying Giant Honeycomb Oysters...

[Tangfish]

Wowza! That flatworm is spectacular, Jan!

[Jan K]

Flatworm and slug to brighten up your Sunday

[Jan K]

It is nothing but water ...
The leisure stroll on Main Street continued ...

[oldsalt]

When I look at the wonders you depict, I think of an exchange I had with a cousin years ago. He asked why I didn't return to my birth state of Missouri. "It doesn't have an ocean for one thing" I replied. He answered, "What's the big deal about the ocean? It is nothing but water." Nothing but water indeed.
-Curt

[Jan K]

Fiji - dive # 8, Main Street. So many questions about the new sights presented in this new to me underwater tropical world. For example, when I saw some of the soft coral releasing what to me looked like string of eggs, similar to the spawn of Plumose anemones here in our cold water, I assumed that I am witnessing coral spawning. Not so. After long search on the internet, I found out that the coral was shedding skin, something which the Toadstool Leather coral does regularly. So now you know too

[Jan K]

Golden Dream reef provided many more memorable encounters, and the camera kept on clicking ...

[Jan K]

Thanks Curt, there is so much to see around us, and so much we miss to see...

And back to warm waters of Fiji. Golden Dream, dive #7.

[oldsalt]

Jan: You show us again and again the marvels one can see in what many consider sites not worth the effort: Langley, Coupeville, and Holmes Harbor. But you are an exceptionally gifted observer.
-Curt

[Jan K]

I don't know what earned this little slug its name, but I would certainly NOT name it Pacific Stomach Wing. I got the Pacific part, for it is found here, I could understand the wing part, but stomach ? Anyway, here are some pics of what it looks like when they make more of themselves. Even the hermit crab among them seems to be trying to figure the flying stomach thing...

[Jan K]

Enough of snow shoveling and longing for the warm, tropical waters. Time to return to the cold water reality of Whidbey Island diving. Valentine's Day good as any to dust off the drysuit, recharge the camera and strobe batteries and slosh through wet snow into the waters of Langley Harbor...

[Jan K]

Welcome back, Curt. Nothing lame about what you saw in your travels. The real thing pixels can not replace .

Fiji fish, corals, sponge and feather star parade continues ...

[oldsalt]

My access to internet has been limited while I was in the Galapagos. I just saw your trip photos. My goodness. My Fiji photos are so lame in comparison. Thank you,
Curt

[Jan K]

Thank you Sharkb8, I am glad you enjoy the pics. And no, the Great White Wall was not visited this time. Maybe next trip ?

From the cold island back to the tropics. More pics from dive #6 in the underwater Disneyland...

[Sharkb8]

Your Fiji content is absolutely incredible. Hopefully you got to dive the Great White Wall!!!

[Jan K]

Rain and snow = Slushy Mess...
Time for another Fiji memory dive. Number 6 - Disneyland.

[Jan K]

Interrupting the white world of snow surrounding us with some color of Fijian corals

[Jan K]

Whidbey Island winter snow, Round 2. With the world around me turning white, I dig for some color into the Fiji files from dive # 5. Swim through Heaven. My new friend Mike, whom I met there and who spends winters in Fiji, probably wonders why I returned the US so soon. I am wondering myself ...

[Jan K]

Whidbey Island. 21 degrees F outside my window while I process more of the photos I took underwater, which was 82 F.
Our fourth dive site called "Always Cool".
Flat worms pretend to be nudibranchs and more coral and colorful scenery for your (and mine) enjoyment...

[Tangfish]

Gorgeous colors and as always, such wonderful illustrations!

[Jan K]

While many of my fellow Washingtonians will now post pictures of this morning snow, I will throw in some more tropical colors from our dives in Fijian waters ... Amazing Maze is the name of section of Sailrock Reef, large area off the northeast end of island of Viti Levu, location of our third dive.

[Jan K]

Thank you Tom, travel is what nurtures my soul ...

Fiji Dive 2 - After one hour long surface interval, we move to another location - Bula Maker.
Less current and better visibility. I could linger on just one of the coral heads the entire hour allocated for the dive and find enough to keep me mesmerized...