Whidbey Island Critters

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

Post by Jan K »

When I entered the water there was just a whiff of the algae on the surface of the Langley marina waters. For a half hour I had superb visibility down at the Tire reef, 25 to 30 feet, then the water become murkier and becoming yellowish. It could be that the tide was changing and the muck was coming from the harbor area where people launch their boats. But visibility got rapidly worse, by the time I reached the seawall and headed back to the shore, the surface was almost solid with the algae. There was some odor to it once out of water, but no burning skin or any apparent effect on my gear... :vom:
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LCF
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by LCF »

Looks like it's time to stop eating shellfish for a while!
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Little more pleasant scene from the other side of Whidbey Island. Check out the video clip :
http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/m147 ... kfishS.flv
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LCF
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by LCF »

Oh, that reminds me of the best dive I've done yet at Keystone, where the black rockfish were just hanging in the kelp like that, and the whole scene was struck with sunlight. Gotta get back up there.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

It is after all, THE CRAB SEASON !
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Tom Nic
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Tom Nic »

=D> Great work Jan!! =D>

Man, this feels vaguely voyeuristic, kind of like, "should I be watching this?" :smt119 :evil4:
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Sunday we revisited Omanac Point off Camano Island. It sure did not feel like summer. Cold and drizzle. First twenty feet vith visibility maybe 5 feet, opened nicely below it, but quite dark due to the mess above. And I did not find one nudibranch . Last time here, Pink Tritonias were everywhere... But it is a nice place to visit nevertheless.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by LCF »

Jan, I think the absolute best pages you do are the ones that give the perspective from above, the drawing of the topography of the site, and the photographs of what's to be seen there. This one reminds me of the one you did of the Possession Point wall -- the same kind of rendering. These pages really begin to form a fabulous reference for people exploring Puget Sound dive sites!
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Thank you Lynne for encouraging words. As you see, it is evolving thing, way back I started with page filled with little squares, each one containing a critter I saw on that particular dive. Then I started to blend in other features, when you deal with basically the same waters, dive after dive, you are forced to look for different angle, I got enough pictures of certain critters to last me a life time. That is why sometimes I think I just should stop posting and give you guys rest. But then I return from dive with another card filled with images from the time underwater and I get the urge to keep working with them, why else take pictures, I keep telling myself.. After all, nobody is forced to open the Whidbey Critters, right ? :occasion5:
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Dusty2
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Dusty2 »

Hey don't even consider it! You are doing a valuable service for us all. We all love Whidbey critters and await every new post. As has been said many times it just keeps getting better. Just look at the numbers. There isn't a thread anywhere that gets those kind of numbers.
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Tom Nic
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Tom Nic »

Jan K wrote:That is why sometimes I think I just should stop posting and give you guys rest.
HEY! Don't you dare! [-X
Jan K wrote: But then I return from dive with another card filled with images from the time underwater and I get the urge to keep working with them, why else take pictures, I keep telling myself.. After all, nobody is forced to open the Whidbey Critters, right ? :occasion5:
As long as the urge is there, and you are passionate about your work, there are a TON of people that get muchjoy from your artwork. If you love what you're doing, so do we! :notworthy:
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by neoerik »

Please don't ever stop posting your wonderful artwork! I not only come to view your entries for fun, but they have helped me identify a lot of critters out there!
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Zen Diver »

Hey Jan

Remember the Jelly collages I bought from you? I've got 'em up in my office. I'll take a pic and add in here tomorrow. They look terrific, and everyone loves them.

Thanks for letting me have some underwater pleasure even when I'm at work! :smt038

-Valerie
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Thank you everybody for words of support and encouragement. So back to diving...
As I was exploring the murky depths of Holmes Harbor, I found number of Pink Tritonias cruising the sandy slopes. As I settled to take picture of mating pair, a gang of small flatfish, Speckled Sanddabs, moved in and started to harass the slugs, bumping and even nipping at them. I don't thing they were trying to eat them, it sure looked like they did it just to give the nudibranchs hard time. At first I thought that the flatfish were members of Morality Police, but then I saw them harass also single Tritonia as well. The Sanddabs sure stir lot of sand during their attacks..
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Nwbrewer
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Nwbrewer »

Spectacular Jan!

I've actually witnessed this behavior once on the south end of the Mukliteo lighthouse park, out in the sand flats. We came accross a single Tritronia, nothing else anywhere in sight. As soon as we started pointing our lights at it, it was like the signal for the sanddabs to come after it. Maybe 6 or 8 of them came out of nowhere and began attacking the Tritronia.

I think Kwbyron still has the really bad video he shot of the incident. One of the most bizarre things I've seen while diving, and not something I'll forget.

Jake
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Thanks Jake for your input. It is good to verify unusual behavior of marine critters. I too was surprised by the number of Sanddabs and how mean they seem to act. Especially when most of the nudibranchs manage to keep predators and potential trouble away by utilizing poisonous and obnoxious chemistry. They gave up shells to hide in because they mastered chemical warfare so well..
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

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Swimming out to the Langley Tire Reef, I pass by many traps placed along the causeway and the seawall by non-commercial harvesters. Interesting to see the different set ups - it looks like dead fish makes more attractive bait then turkey drumstick..
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

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Jan, I have to tell you something -- I did two dives up in the San Juans today, and neither was particularly exciting, but I kept looking at the wall in front of me and saying to myself, "Now, what would Jan find to talk about in what's in front of me?" I aspire to your eye and your perception . . . I don't have it yet, but you're setting a great example.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

For some reason, Vermilion stars are not found on Whidbey, at least not at the usual dive spots, but plenty of them across the water at Camano Island side of the Saratoga Passage.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Another day, another lost sole..
Not 100% sure about this one, when the source states that it could be a hybrid, and that Starry Flounder can be left or right eyed - when color is not much of help when dealing with fish which has a master degree in camouflage..
Maybe some of our experts can help out here...

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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by airsix »

:smt038 I always jump a little when I see "Jan K" as most recent poster. Thanks for the best running thread on this board, Jan. =D>

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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Thank you Ben, glad you like it. Here is another "jump" :)
There are some dives when I begin to feel like there is not much to take home as far as pictures are concerned. And then one little critter comes to the rescue. Certainly not a rare creature, but always fun to watch. Especially, when they parade a nice new hat ...
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by dwashbur »

That's a heckuva big anemone for that little blackeye to be carrying around! Obviously, he's stronger than he looks.

I echo what others have said: keep this thread going! I always learn something from your posts, and the pictures and drawings have salvaged many a dull day for me.
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Jan K
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by Jan K »

Back from a boat (not diving) trip to Canada, managed to sneak in couple of dives in anchorages, no prime dive spots, wetsuit and one tank sneaked aboard for the trip. Strobe battery pack decided to quit on my on the first day, so I had to depend on light filtered through the green water from the world above.. This was my first time I witnessed Dendronotus iris attacking the Tube Dwelling Anemone.
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Re: Whidbey Island Critters

Post by LCF »

What a delight, to open the "New Posts" and see your name as the most recent poster on your thread!

Bob got some beautiful photo sequences of this attack from our Jesse Island dive in Nanaimo a year ago January. I haven't been fortunate enough to see this behavior yet, but it would be amazing to watch a nudibranch move that fast.
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