Whidbey Island Critters

Fish & Invertebrate sightings and descriptions, hosted by resident NWDC ID expert Janna Nichols (nwscubamom).
Tangfish
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Tangfish »

Wowza! That flatworm is spectacular, Jan!
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

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

Encrusting sponges beautifying Giant Honeycomb Oysters...
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oldsalt
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by 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 :snorkel:
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Sharkb8 »

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of or seen photos of tropical oysters. What a cool thing to see!
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

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

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Few critters encountered on walks around Wananavu Resort, Viti Levu Island, Fiji
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Diving into Neptune's Rhapsody, Fiji ...
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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No scuba diving on Saturday, so we snoop around the nearby mangroves...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Tangfish »

Love those split shots, Jan!
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Interrupting the coverage from the tropics with a dip in our cold Whidbey Island waters.
Sea star survey at Deception Pass, first day of March... :)
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Fiji has soft corals to color up the reefs, Whidbey Island has sponges ans anemones to help out to brighten up the underwater scene :)
However, some of the Tan Finger sponges are getting sick again. Like last year, but since they seem to recover then, maybe it is just a cyclical thing with them.
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Tom Nic
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Tom Nic »

It has been said many times before, but Jan you and your work are a treasure. Thank you so much for sharing that treasure with us. We are richer for it.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Gdog »

Wow the colors! Love your work Jan!
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Thank you Tom, Gdog,
happy to share scenes from our world underwater.

One of the reasons I enjoy diving is the possibility, that regardless how many times I dive in the same spot, there is always a chance to find something I never seen before. After nice dive on the northern end of Whidbey in the Deception Pass on Friday, on Sunday, I went to the most southern end of the island. Beautiful sunny day, calm seas. And I came across a very small, about 6mm slug, feeding on lonely hydroid. I would probably never found it if it was not contrasting with its bright yellowish attire of cerata against the grabby background of the Possession Point Fingers walls. I snapped few pictures and the surprise came later at home, when I realized, I never seen this kind of nudibranch before. Not in my guide books neither. So I contacted my friends and we came to the conclusion, that it MIGHT be the recently described Zelentia willowsi found by Karin Fletcher near her home at Rich Passage, Port Orchard !
Not 100% positive, but exciting, nevertheless.
So fellow divers, keep your eyes open ! :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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While snow flakes descend again on our weary heads on this seventh day of March, time to bring back little bit of tropical colors :)
Diving the Neptune's Rhapsody and Hakuna Matata reefs.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Gumboot chiton spawning, Keystone Jetty, March 4, 2019. Unlike in many spawning events of these large chitons, this time none of the dozen participants displayed the typical erected pose in which they release the gametes into the water. All of them did it remaining in their everyday position, clinging to the surface, mostly rocks. Also, contrary to the published material, the eggs the females release were not reddish in color, but green and yellowish. Also they were not released in long strings, but loosely from the start...
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Monday morning visit to the tropics.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Painted greenling, Possession Point Fingers, March 5, 2019.
Painted greenlings, Whitespotted greenlings, Buffalo sculpins, Red Irish Lords are just some of local fish where we see a male guarding multi-colored egg clusters . Here is one theory of why it is so ...

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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Follow up on the Painted greenling egg nests post. I can't find information how the female manages to color her eggs just to be different from the eggs already deposited in the nest by other female fish. All the studies dealing with spawning and reproduction mention the color separation, but nobody, as far as I was able to find, deals with the process itself. So far, Whitespotted greenling holds the record, I found nest with 16 different egg clusters guarded by one male.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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March Slugfest at Possession Point Fingers ...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Langley Harbor Sea Star survey. Some wasting, most stars healthy.
And the good news, Sunflower stars, even if only small ones, sighted :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Walking on low tide beach pays off with great views, in Sand dollars and mother ghost shrimp.
That sounds like a good reward to be the nature's friend. :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Time to wrap up the Fiji tropical dive trip with some of the fishy encounters. Last dive with Vanunavu divers.
Thank you Semi and the team ... Bula and Vinaka
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Scubie Doo »

Awesome write-up on Fiji. I went many years ago and had a blast.

Did you partake in the Kava ceremony?


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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Scubie Doo, I don't think you can visit Fiji and not to partake in the Kava ceremony. The friendliest people on the Earth= Fijians. However, I think the Kava is an acquired taste thing, for the time being, I stick with coffee :)

Possession Point Fingers dive. Spring arrived few days ahead of schedule, blue skies above and warm weather.
Spawning Blood star spawning - harbinger of season of rebirth ...
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