Cucumber hunting!

[Samson]

Ok,... So I can stop pirating Daves thread,...

Has anybody got any pics of some cukes underwater?? I dont think I have ever seen one.....
Do they occur in the tropics or is it a cold water creature???

Samson-

[cardiver]

Here you go!

[Sounder]

This is a spin-off from THIS thread.

Once you've seen one or two, you'll be able to spot them everywhere. You'll have them hook, line, and sinker!

[OreCoastDiver]

Our NW sea cucumbers are sure a lot better looking than the ones in Hawaii. Ours have a nice brownish-red color and are spiky and cool; the ones in Hawaii are dark brown oblong blobs that look like you-know-what. All that to say, ya they live here and in the tropics, but ours are cooler.

[Samson]

Ok,.. I have been reading on line about them and it is describing them as a "asian" delicacy. Let me guess... they actually really taste like snot or something... right.... right up there with bear gal blatters, elk antlers, black rhino gonads,..etc...and every other far out thing the asians eat in the name of being an "aphrodesiac".....

You guys are putting me on right??......

Samson-

[spatman]

black rhino gonads are quite tasty with drawn butter and a sprinkling of truffle oil.

[no excuses]

Actually cukes are not bad to eat, I would recommend cooking them first but not to bad raw.

[Dusty2]

There actually is or was a comercial market for them. Here is a pic of adult Cukes playing. you won't have to look far. They are pretty much everywhere in the sound.

[Sounder]

You guys are putting me on right??......

Yeah dude - they're definitely an Asian thing, but some folks DO eat them.

Be sure to let me know how the pickling process goes...

Welcome to NWDC.

[nwscubamom]

There actually is or was a comercial market for them. Here is a pic of adult Cukes playing. you won't have to look far. They are pretty much everywhere in the sound.

3208net.jpg

Uh, Rich? When and where did you get that photo?

Those guys aren't playing - they're DYING.

:(

This is what they look like when the O2 levels are seriously low.

- Janna

[whatevah]

Ok,.. I have been reading on line about them and it is describing them as a "asian" delicacy. Let me guess... they actually really taste like snot or something... right.... right up there with bear gal blatters, elk antlers, black rhino gonads,..etc...and every other far out thing the asians eat in the name of being an "aphrodesiac".....

You guys are putting me on right??......

Samson-

I think that the long strips of muscle from the cucumbers is sold as a substitute for clam strips some places. If you like clams you'll probably like cucumbers. I haven't tried them myself - largely because it seems like a lot of work to clean them for such a small amount of protein.

[Dusty2]

There actually is or was a comercial market for them. Here is a pic of adult Cukes playing. you won't have to look far. They are pretty much everywhere in the sound.

3208net.jpg

Uh, Rich? When and where did you get that photo?

Those guys aren't playing - they're DYING.

:(

This is what they look like when the O2 levels are seriously low.

- Janna

No worries Janna, It is an old one from Sund Rock, Nov 2007

[nwscubamom]

Ah, OK! Thanks for clearing that up! Since you usually dive PT, I thought "oh great!" but had hoped you had picked up that shot from Sund Rock or nearby there.

I tell you, those cukes look distinctly different when they're stressed/dying.

Speaking of which, thanks to Tom Nicodemus' sharp eyes on the NWDC club dive, he saw similar looking cukes and posted a photo. That prompted the HCDOP folks to go get water samples and for Tom and I to go dive there to see if anything else was out of place or looking stressed. Our timing couldn't have been better, since as we were gearing up, their boat came in and took the samples.

FWIW, we only saw one cuke looking odd, and a Vermilion Rockfish was way up shallow (15-20ft) but other than that, everything seemed pretty good, so whatever low O2 event might have taken place, it seemed to be mild and certainly not at the same levels as previous years' fish kills.

Thanks Tom! It's really helpful to know what a stressed Sea Cucumber looks like since they seem to be excellent indicators of the low oxygen levels.

Their thorns get really long and very thin (instead of fat, short and chunky spikes), and they often turn upside down so their tube feet are exposed, and will extend all 20 of their white mouth tentacles (the tube feet and mouth tentacles are also part of their respiratory system)

- Janna

[Dusty2]

Thanks for posting that Janna so others will be aware of what to look for and help out by reporting any such siteings

And yes PT is my Dive base. In fact I'm there right now and will be diving in a few minutes.

[Kalatin]

I am not a fish person. I love them, but I am still just trying to get the basics down on PNW underwater life. With that disclaimer in place, during three dives today at Sund Rock and Octopus Hole, I saw quite a few cucumbers with long spiky thorns. I also saw two flipped over, showing their "feet." They also seemed to be moving significantly more than the ones I normally see. I am used to the chunkier ones at Redondo and it was a noticeable enough difference that I wondered if it was a different species. They certainly looked like the second picture, however. If possible, it would be great to get a small gallery of sea cucumbers (healthy and not healthy) posted so fish neophytes like me can help play spotter on these issues.
Also, what other triggers would indicate a low oxygen event developing?

[Tom Nic]

With that disclaimer in place, during three dives today at Sund Rock and Octopus Hole, I saw quite a few cucumbers with long spiky thorns. I also saw two flipped over, showing their "feet." They also seemed to be moving significantly more than the ones I normally see.

If they're "flipped over", showing their "feet" (do they have feet? Perhaps you mean mouth parts?) and were not knocked over they probably aren't doing well. A healthy California Sea Cuke is typically fat, not skinny and "drained looking. Aren't you taking pics yet? And, just where is your trip report and your viz report?! Hmmm?

[Tangfish]

Ok,.. I have been reading on line about them and it is describing them as a "asian" delicacy. Let me guess... they actually really taste like snot or something... right.... right up there with bear gal blatters, elk antlers, black rhino gonads,..etc...and every other far out thing the asians eat in the name of being an "aphrodesiac".....

You guys are putting me on right??......

Samson-

This asian eats hamburgers as aphrodisiac.