Whidbey Island Critters

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, May 27, 2023 dive.
Baby Puget Sound King crabs appeared in numbers. I found eleven juveniles!
I added little story about how the scientific name for this crab got recently changed... And I used photo I took at Keystone back in February 2015,
when we found three adults here, a rare sight indeed.

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, May 27, 2023 dive.
More crab encounters...

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, Memorial Day, May 29,2029 dive.
Plenty of divers today.
Painted anemone munching on Buffalo sculpin.
Many years ago, I contacted an expert on anemones, Daphne G. Fautin, Professor Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Kansas. She was kind enough to answer many of my question about anemones. One of my inquires was about anemone eating big critter as a fish. I included portion of her answer on this posting...

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, May 29, 2023 dive.
The rest of the pixels.

[Jan K]

Langley Harbor, May 31, 2023 dive.
Small Sunflower stars still OK, but seeing more wasting Ochre and Mottled stars. :(

[Jan K]

Today is the World Oceans Day. What would be without the oceans?
Lets start taking better care of them...

[Jan K]

Deception Pass, June 10, 2023.
Another cycle of favorable currents. Drizzly and gloomy morning on the Little North Beach, nobody else enjoying Saturday morning in this kind of weather. At least not yet. Underwater, it was quite nice...

[Jan K]

Deception Pass, June 10, 2023
Few fish encounters...

[Jan K]

Deception Pass, June 10, 2023 dive.
The rest of the pixels.

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, June 11, 2023.
There seems to be a change in the barnacle palace on Rock of Life. Guarding the eggs is now more colorful male. Unless Fred IV got a new tailor, I think we have Fred the Fifth to provide us with entertainment. Today I found a very interesting write up on sculpin reproduction. I always assumed that the females entered the barnacle, laid cluster of eggs, he fertilized them and he was the king of the hill. Well, the females are much trickier and it is no exactly so.

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, June 11, 2023
Great Plumose anemones spawning...

[Jan K]

Keystone jetty, June 11, 2023 dive.
The rest of the pixels.

[Jan K]

Langley Harbor, June 13, 2023.
The Painted greenlings like the rusty hardware to deposit their eggs on.

[Jan K]

Langley Harbor, June 13, 2023 dive.
Sea star wasting survey.
So far, the Sunflower stars are not showing signs of wasting...

[Jan K]

Langley Harbor, June 16, 2023
Because of extracted tooth, I could not participate in the planned sea star collection. All I could do was to look on while my friend Ken did the underwater work. I wish the ongoing research into the Sea Star Wasting Disease will shed more light onto the issue...

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, June 28, 2023.
Back in water, less one tooth...
It looks like there was another change in the Barnacle palace on Rock of Life. Fred the Fifth nowhere to be found, female occupying the spacious barnacle shell now. No eggs visible inside anymore. Can we assume that we have Queen Wilma the First in residence now?
Two other species of Sculpins present too.

[Jan K]

Keystone Jetty, June 28, 2023 dive.
The rest of the pixels.

[Jan K]

Langley Harbor, June 29, 2023 dive.
Painted greenlings guarding eggs. Some newer, some almost ready to hatch...

[Jan K]

Langley Harbor, June 29, 2023 dive.
Do California cucumbers find something tasty on old tires ?
Trio of Painted anemones not feeding and the Leather star just resting... Lazy day on the tire reef...

[Jan K]

Possession Point Fingers, July 1, 2023 dive.
Rockfish and Kelp greenling scenes.

[Jan K]

Possession Point Fingers, July 1, 2023.
The rest of the pixels.

[Jan K]

Skyline, July 8, 2023 dive.
Critters near the Striped sun stars.

[Jan K]

Skyline. July 8, 2023.
Oregon triton laying eggs.

[enchantmentdivi]

Jan, I just want to say that I have always enjoyed your posts!! Your creativity and talent is amazing! I appreciate your posts even more now that I moved across the country and no longer dive in the PNW. Thank you! I can dive vicariously through you.

[Jan K]

Jan, I just want to say that I have always enjoyed your posts!! Your creativity and talent is amazing! I appreciate your posts even more now that I moved across the country and no longer dive in the PNW. Thank you! I can dive vicariously through you.

Thank you for you kind words. I am glad I can help you to keep interest in what our water have to offer...

Skyline July 8, 2023
Buffalo sculpin camouflage .
Some are easy to see, some not so...