enchantmentdivi wrote: ↑Tue Jan 23, 2024 5:03 pm
Jan, thank you for continuing to post your photo documentation of your dives! I always enjoy looking at them!
Deception Pass, January 22, 2024 dive.
It drizzled when I drove up to the state park, and it drizzled when I came out of the water and drove home. But sun came out long enough before my dive to get glimpse of it and some blue sky as well. Another nice surprise was the slack water for the duration of my dive, thanks to the almost same height of low and high tides. Visibility wasn't great, hazy 10 to 15 feet. Interesting encounter with Striped sun star. I took picture of the star on my way towards the bridge, thirty seven minutes later, on my way back, she crawled15 feet and managed to get caught by Painted anemone. I don't think the small anemone will kill the star, so I did not pull them apart. Let the nature take its course...
This series of photos are from the pre-Facebook days. Back in "old days", there was so much more marine life present in Whidbey waters, and so interesting encounters were much more common.
Lewis' moon snails are know to be very fond of Cockle clams. In April 2006 I watched one moon snail hunt one of them. At first, the clam did escape maneuver the moment the large snail came close. Saved for the moment, but the moon snail had another tick in its arsenal. Instead of crawling after the clam, it extended its foot as not to create vibration to alarm the clam and grabbed it with what looked like an elephant trunk ! Never seen that before or since.
Enjoy.
Keystone Jetty, January 30, 2024 dive.
The weather wasn't all that great in January, the freeze kept me close to the wood stove. Visiting Keystone for the first time in the new year was nice. Calm waters, decent visibility. I found only one Lingcod egg mass, not that big one at that. Plenty of smaller males waiting for their chance to play father...
Keystone Jetty, January 30, 2024.
The Fred dynasty occupying the empty Giant barnacle shell on the Rock of Life continues with yet another male Scalyhead sculpin.
Introducing Fred the Sixth !.
Possession Point Fingers. February 2, 2024 dive.
Lingcod guarding eggs. They are sure lousy guardians. The might try to attack divers and chase fish away, but are completely oblivious to the fact, that crabs and shrimps are munching on the egg masses behind them...
Driftwood Pond #2, February 16, 2024 dive.
Quick survey of the large pond, except for few White Bubble Shell slugs and hard to identify seaweeds,
I was not overly impressed by the dive...
Driftwood Pond #1, February 16, 2024 dive.
At least, this pond has Moon jellies to entertain me.
And the seaweed scene is completely different in this pond too.
Deception Pass, February 18, 2024.
The yellow egg capsules laid by Leafy Hornmouth snails are very common in our waters.
For the first time, I found the tiny snails hatching out of these capsules.
Keystone Jetty, February 20, 2024 dive.
Seaweed edition . The currents floated in piece of Small Giant Kelp, resident of the outer reaches of Salish Sea.
Meanwhile, our own, Bull kelp is starting its annual growth in the jetty's shallows...
Possession Point Fingers, February 22, 2024.
Few Lingcods returning to the site, hopefully they will not be wiped out during the next Ling open season as it happened years ago...
Coupeville Wharf, February 24, 2024.
After almost a year I revised the wharf. There was lot of construction going on, new pilings driven and old ones removed, so I was curious to see how the sea stars managed through all that commotion. I am glad to report, that they are still around, maybe in less numbers, but they look healthy. Visibility under the wharf was only around 5 feet, so I could not get better pictures of the scene...
by Unknown
