Whidbey Island Critters

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

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Deception Pass, September 2nd dive.
All these fishermen - not interested in these fishies :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Deception Pass, September 2nd dive.
Compound tunicates.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Langley Harbor, September 5th dive.
It was asad sight with so many Mottled stars wasting away, did not feel like taking pictures of that. The few Sunflower stars I did find looked healthy, but I don't know if the many I seen in the past moved away or turned into wasted goo. I hope they moved to deeper, colder water. THe Painted greenlings keep laying eggs all year around, at least it seems that way. As a good deed for the day, I released some Dungeness crabs from lost trap, left the door open to eliminate future kill...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Skyline, September 14th dive.
Finding Decorated Warbonnet during daytime is not an easy task. The dark, dreary, foggy early morning above the water probably helped to keep this one closer to the opening of the hiding crevice.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Skyline September 14 dive.
Crimson anemone, Sponge and shrimp.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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More from the Skyline dive. September 14th.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Keystone Jetty, September 15th dive.
Except for the Buffalo and the Plumose anemones, plenty of red color on these critters... :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Deception Pass, September 17th dive.
Lots of fishermen, only two of us diving. The currents were really
crazy today, slack short and eddy very strong.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Deception Pass, September 17th dive.
Rough Keyhole Limpet and Sea stars one can find at the Pass. Surprisingly, these days, not many.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Lagoon Point, September 20th dive.
You know there are many Stout shrimps living in the marine growth under the floating docks
when they don't mind to land on your hand holding camera :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Lagoon Point, September 20th dive.
The place doesn't have much of fish population, not close to the surface where the visibility is fair.
Less than 2 feet visibility below five feet all the way to the bottom, which is muck...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Langley Harbor, September 22nd dive.
The bad news is that Sea Star Wasting Disease is now in full swing here, out of 5 sea star species found here, only the Leather star is not affected. Yet. The large Pycnos either died off or moved to deeper water. Many Ochre, Mottled, Spiny Pink and few remaining juvenile Pycnos are showing signs of stress, wasting or total destruction. There are still many healthy ones, but overall, the numbers are way down from just month ago.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Langley Harbor, September 22nd dive.
Lion's Mane Jelly hunting among the mooring cables.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Langley Harbor September 22nd dive.
Some of the fish.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Langley Harbor, September 23rd dive.
Anemones. Not sure what are the white "veins" inside tentacles of some of the Painted anemones.
Any ideas ?
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Langley Harbor, September 28th dive.
Evening dive. Lot of gunnels with one Cockscomb.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Langley Harbor dive, September 28 dive.
It was not a dive just to talk to bunch of gunnels. :)
Sea star wasting continues unabated.
The search for the WHY answers continues.
I did not find Pycnos suitable for the project. The ones I did find were returned to the sea unharmed...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Skyline September 30th dive.
From the life of slugs. Meet, mate, eat and reproduce... :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Keystone Jetty, October 1st dive.
Meeting friends, old and new. Always a good thing.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Skyline September 30th dive continued:
This head lurks in the forest above the trail overlooking the part of Skyline wall we dive.
Underwater it is not so scary :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Holmes Harbor October 5th dive.
As I moved piece of Sugar Wrack kelp to get better view of the fish,
it swam up on my glove and kept on moving up my arm :)
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Holmes Harbor October 5th dive.
The Hooded nudibranchs returned. Unlike in the past, this season they congregate on the blades of Sugar wrack kelp instead on Eelgrass. At least at the area I dived. The visibility in the Eelgrass was dismal two feet so I could miss them. Also I came across couple of Burrowing sea cucumbers which I last found here out in the open back in 2013.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Deception Pass October 3rd dive.
Salmon fishermen still dominate the waters of Deception Pass.
Underwater ? Not so crowded.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Holmes Harbor October 5th dive.
Sea Star Wasting survey. One of the few places where I find some Sunflower stars.
But most of them very young, small ones.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Possession Point Fingers October 8th dive.
It was highly appropriate to find GPO on World Octopus Day on OCTOber 8. :)
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