Northwest Dive Club

Skyline, Fidalgo Island. Enjoyable above and below the water.
Forest trail follows the shore where we dive.

I am Hedgpeth's Sapsucker and I do live underwater

False Jingles. Very common, but often overlooked by underwater photographers in favor of other bivalves such as scallops, mussels and clams.
(At least I don't see many photos of them posted).

Deception Pass. First dive in 2017. It is still my favorite site

Hi Jan,

That 'colorizing' panel was very neat!

Question - In the areas you survey, are you seeing the number of stars (especially juveniles) growing?

Appreciatively yours,
Alex

I don't see Pycnapodia among the seastars in your shots of Deception Pass. Are they there?
-Curt

oldsalt wrote:I don't see Pycnapodia among the seastars in your shots of Deception Pass. Are they there?
-Curt

No, Pycnopodia is the one sea star which has the hardest time to recover. I see few juveniles at Langley, but not at Deception Pass or Possession Fingers. I found four adults at Keystone.

If you ever wondered. Yes, slugs poop too

Keystone Lingcod diaries:
January 15. Only gravid females laying along the base and on jetty rocks.
January 26. Males attacking divers, sure sign of egg nest in the vicinity.
Notice how the shape of Lingcod's head changes in the last seconds of the attack. I call it the "Cobra" mode

Keystone Diaries, January 28,2017
The waters around the jetty filled with divers.
I spotted the wide open mouth which usually means that Lingcod is either asking to be cleaned or actually being cleaned by Scalyhead sculpin. I swim for closer look and to my surprise, the cleaner is not a fish, but Grainyhand hermit crab. First for me. Unfortunately the crab did not like me to look over its shoulder and started to leave the job site.
Then I came across another Lingcod who is obviously neglecting his duty as the guardian of eggs...

Jan,
Your pictures and pages are absolutely wonderful.
Time for another book...
Kirsten

Thanks,

Scallops. This what they look like before chefs get their hands on them.

Smoothead sculpin at Keystone.

No problem finding these eggs, Wrinkled dogwinkle snails laying eggs all over the area, shallow and deep, from south to north.

Few winter sea slugs from around the island.

Few critters from Skyline which don't move too fast. just like the traffic in Seattle on this snowy Monday...

More crabs in our future. Red rock crabs mother releasing hers babies at Langley Harbor
while the Northern kelp crab mama still hanging onto hers at Skyline.



and one adult which didn't get away
and one that did

Yes, it is still winter...
Another visit to Skyline and its critters. The life goes on there too.
It is a nice break from all that what is going on topside

And the Wrinkled dogwinkle snails moved on, leaving behind their eggs.
Lots of eggs...

It could give the Painted anemone indigestion ...

Longfin sculpin male whispering "sweet nothings" to a starry-eyed female at Keystone Jetty.
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY !

White dendronotus in the currents of Keystone Jetty.

More from February dives at Keystone Jetty .

Couple slugs from Langley Harbor.

For those who cannot dive to see the slugs underwater: