Whidbey Island Critters

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, February 18, 2023
In spite of drizzle, many arrived here on Saturday morning, filling the parking lot with cars three rows deep, plus some had to park on boat-trailer area, not used now because of construction work on the boat launch. It always pleasure to meet some of my diver friends.
I had nice session with resident Giant Pacific Octopus which came out from its den deep under the jetty rocks.

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, February 18, 2023.
I did not see the Lingcod guarding eggs, others did. And so it goes...

[Jan K]

Langley Harbor, February 20, 2023
Winged sea slugs and their eggs - thousands of them, not one slug using their wings. All grounded.
Hermit crab trying to hatch some of the eggs, not much success.

[Jan K]

Langley Harbor, February 20, 2023.
Sea star wasting survey.
I found juvenile Sunflower stars, Pink spiny star with six arm and no wasting stars .
All good news.

[Jan K]

Possession Point Fingers, February 23,2023
Another visit to the southern point of Whidbey. Not much new to report from the dive. Very cold above and very cold below. I found the two Ling still guarding eggs, but because of bad visibility, did not find the other two I found couple weeks ago in shallower water ..

[Jan K]

Possession Point Fingers. February 23, 2023
Many Northern Kelp crabs took up residence on Zoanidths.
Not sure why...

[Jan K]

Skyline, March 1, 2023.
First dive of March. It is cold and mostly gray, the world above seems to carry this color lately. The rising sun soon disappeared in clouds. Skyline wall usually provides reprieve from that even if the visibility there is never great. But ten to fifteen feet for this site is good.

[Jan K]

Skyline, March 1, 2023
And the rest of the pixels from the dive ...

[Jan K]

Deception Pass, March 4, 2023
I did not find Lingcod eggs, but I managed to add a new specie to my list. Zade's Ear Shell. What is interesting about this critter, the new, undescribed specie was collected in Port Townsend by no other than diver I know, (and some of you do as well), Richard Zade aka Dusty (on NW Dive Club site), and described by my friend Dave Behrens. So here is proof that you never know what you will find on dive, regardless how many times you visit the place...

[Jan K]

Deception Pass, March 4, 2023 dive.
The rest of the pixels...

[Jan K]

Some pictures from the days when there was so much more to find on every dive, before the diversity took this terrible downturn I witness now at every location around Whidbey Island. This set is from Langley Harbor when stars and sea slugs were plentiful. Interaction between species was common. Here the nudibranch successfully repealed Sunflower star trying to eat its eggs...
March 2007.

[Jan K]

Another Pycnopodia story from the Time Long Past when Sunflower stars ruled

[Jan K]

Langley Harbor. March 14, 2023
Sea star wasting survey. The good news - no wasting observed in any of the 5 species of sea stars making Langley their home. And found 19 small Sunflower stars. On last visit I found Spiny Pink star with 6 arms. This time it was a Leather star with one extra arm.

[Jan K]

Langley Harbor, March 14th, 2023
Sausage and cucumber, slug encounter

[Jan K]

Lagoon Point March 18, 2023
One reason I have access to private area diving - check on friend's boat, change zincs. This time I enjoyed help from Maya. After we finished, neighbor asked if I could check a sailboat in the other canal. The owner of that boat died years ago and his wife now would like to have it taken to boatyard off the island and sell it. Her neighbor offered to help, got the engine started, but boat would not move. So he asked me if I could take a look underwater and see what the problem is...

[Jan K]

Deception Pass, March 17, 2023
Beautiful sunny day. Reminiscing with my friend about the days where there was so much more marine diversity and color here...

[Jan K]

Lagoon Point, March 18, 2023
The shallow dive was not only work, I took camera to see marine life on other boats and their surrounding.

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, March 19, 2023
Bull kelp is struggling, it looks like we will not have kelp forest this year at all. Few struggling ones are fighting the Japanese wireweed where the bull kelp canopy used to be. Also looks like the Green sea urchins are more numerous in the deeper portions of the jetty ...
Maya was taking the closeup pictures and modeling for my wide angle shots.

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, March 19, 2023
And the rest of pixels..

[Jan K]

Possession Point Fingers, March 22, 2023

[Jan K]

Possession Point Fingers, March 22, 2023
Anemones, the flowers of the sea...
And here we look down at the stars

[Jan K]

Coupeville Wharf, March 24, 2023
After ten months I revisit the site and to my surprise, I find the population of Mottled stars recovered beautifully, not so the Ochre stars, only few found there now. And so far, not one star wasting.

[Jan K]

Skyline, March 27, 2023
Meet the Puget Sound King Crab. Still only a juvenile, so not the real King of Skyline, yet.

[Jan K]

Skyline March 27, 2023
The rest of the pixels.

[Jan K]

Holmes Harbor, Freeland. March 28, 2023
Proof that even seemingly empty sandy bottom hosts some beauty.