Whidbey Island Critters

[Jan K]

Thank you Lynne. At first I hesitated, should I post this or not. I saw the wonderful shots Bob got of this event, there is even some great videos, recently Dave posted one from Monterey . But then, it is something else to watch it in person.. What a wonderful world we live, and dive in

[Jan K]

I sure hope this one doesn't becomes a Whidbey Island Critter.

[Jan K]

Opossum shrimp - not really a shrimp. They were like a live blanket contouring the bottom in the shallows.

[Jan K]

Once in a while, some of the Lion nudies will sport white spots. Nobody knows what they are, what is their purpose, why they appear on one and not on others..

[Sounder]

That's really interesting.

When one Lion nudi gets the white spots, do all the other Lion nudi mothers send their young Lion nudis over to play with them?

[nwscubamom]

Cool observation, Jan. And nice shots of the Invasive tunicate Didemnum. Yuck. I am glad to see that Sea Cukes are munching on them though!!!

- Janna

[spatman]

Opossum shrimp - not really a shrimp. They were like a live blanket contouring the bottom in the shallows.

i think opossum shrimp are what we saw in hood canal back in June. they were everywhere moving along the contours in large swarms.

[Sounder]

Opossum shrimp - not really a shrimp. They were like a live blanket contouring the bottom in the shallows.

i think opossum shrimp are what we saw in hood canal back in June. they were everywhere moving along the contours in large swarms.

CIMG0887.jpg

I'm not so sure - there were a LOT of ling egg-nests that had hatched and they definitely looked like fry to me as opposed to shrimp-like thingys. I still think they were baby-lings.

[Jan K]

It sure looks like them Spatman. According to Lamb/Hanby " Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest", there are more then 50 species of these tiny, shrimp-like creatures...

[spatman]

I'm not so sure - there were a LOT of ling egg-nests that had hatched and they definitely looked like fry to me as opposed to shrimp-like thingys. I still think they were baby-lings.

hm, could be. i'll take a closer look at some of my other pics later. maybe there's a better shot...

[Jan K]

Update on the Invasive tunicate Didemnum sp.



Today I received e-mail from tunicate expert Gretchen Lambert and she told me that after eight years of work on this species, she has a paper in press and this invader now has a name: Didemnum vexillum. You can say: " I saw it on NWDC first"

[GetWet]

as a total newby, please, please, don't stop posting, I learn so much. Not only from Jan's postings, but from the dialog that generally follows. I really get a lot from the diagrams however. Thank you so much.

Melissa

[Jan K]

Melissa, keep your eyes open, and soon you will tell us about the amazing things you'll see on your dives. We are all total newbies when it comes to life underwater. It is a continuous adventure in wonderland ...
Just the other day : With stomach extended, the much larger Sunflower star looked like trying to make a meal out of the smaller Sunflower. Not the first time I witness this more then antagonistic behavior. Although, the small star is still in one piece ..

[Jan K]

Now is the time to come to Whidbey and harvest some of the Sea Lettuce for your nutritional needs. The Langley sea floor is littered with this and I even added some recipes from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Bon appetite.

[Pez7378]

Excellent Idea Jan! Sea Lettuce Soup sounds pretty good!

[Jan K]

Visit the Realm of the Lagoon Point tunicates.





and the "bad" guys, which surprisingly enough, did not take over the floating dock, in one year, no increase in population...

[LCF]

Jan, this last series is FABULOUS! Not only do I get to enjoy your great photography, and get reminded to look for the small and the sessile, but I learn something about the habits of the critters you're recording. I keep saying, we need to get some of these put together in a "real" book and published!

[Jan K]

Two days ago I met a diver who told me that the harbor master yelled at him. He swam out to the tire reef on the wrong side of Langley marina, he swam to the south where the boats enter the slips. So I made up a little map showing the layout of the place, also I put in the 400' long floating dock which is for the time being secured to the seawall and will be moved into different position when the new marina will be constructed. Hope this will help divers who visit this site for the first time.

[GetWet]

Why are Transparent Ciona Tuncates 'bad guys' ?

[Dusty2]

Why are Transparent Ciona Tuncates 'bad guys' ?

Because they are an invasive species not native to this area and they are aggressive colonizers that spread quickly because they have no natural enemies in these waters. If you see these report them here at once and please don't touch them as it can cause them to spawn new ones.

[Dusty2]

Two days ago I met a diver who told me that the harbor master yelled at him. He swam out to the tire reef on the wrong side of Langley marina, he swam to the south where the boats enter the slips. So I made up a little map showing the layout of the place, also I put in the 400' long floating dock which is for the time being secured to the seawall and will be moved into different position when the new marina will be constructed. Hope this will help divers who visit this site for the first time.

Thanks for the info Jan. I have been interested in diving there but haven't had much info on the site. I love the side scan images. They sure make it easy to see what the bottom really looks like. Wish I could afford one of those for my boat.

[Jan K]

And some of the Whidbey fishies.. Eel-like and shy...

[Jan K]

Exploring new territory - lonely rocks along the shores of Whidbey Island, my dive buddy Todd utilizing the side scan sonar discovers them, marks their position and then pays a visit underwater. Interestingly, the marine life differs greatly from one to other. Coupeville Rock had dozens of Cockerell Dorids. Too bad the visibility was bad, about five feet, so I did not get a decent photos, Like to revisit this one in the future..

[Pez7378]

Yet another learning experience. I can imagine Boulders the size of houses taking a ride for miles and being deposited somewhere along the way. I had always wondered about large Rocks that didn't seem to belong! Thanks Jan!

[Dusty2]

Nice shots on the snake prickelbacks. Those little buggers are tough to get a good shot of. That side scan setup is so cool. I can see it opening all sorts of wonderful dive sites that people don't even know exist. I have a spot in discovery bay I'd love to use it on. Looks like an old tug on sonar but it's to deep for a casual dive.