Northwest Dive Club

I'm just shaking my head again -- the things you see!

And more from the spawning files :

Wow and awesome. Period.

Thank you for the last set of pictures. Thanks to Laurel's critter class, I recognize the spawning posture in sea stars when I see it, but I've never seen any gametes being released -- thanks to your photos, I now realize I just have to look more closely.

Just when you thought, finally he is finished with all that spawning stuff

Your getting to be quite the voyeur
No wonder the viz goes to heck this time of year! You sure seem to have a knack for being in the right place with camera in hand.
Nice work!

Last of the spawning

Wow. That is quite a correction, and elaboration, to a previous post. This substantiates one of my beliefs: despite their being commonplace and abundant, much is unknown about many of our invertebrates. A careful observer such as you adds much to the collected knowledge of the marine biome. I have shelves full of books, but I have learned more from your forum.
Thanks, Curt

Fascinating. I always wondered what sorts of things ate sunflower stars.

Cinco de Mayo with hydroid eating amigos

The subramosus nudis are really variable in color -- the first one I found was pure white with black spots!

Awesome Jan, really lucky to find them grouped together in so many different shades. They are a favorite of mine but unfortunately they just don't hang around very long. Usually when you see them together it's not long before you see them laying eggs.

The three lined loves those pink mouthed hydroids. It's one of their favorite nesting sites.

Thanks Dusty, the hydroids at Keystone are loaded with slugs right now.
The Creeping Pedal Cucumbers don't creep too far, most of the time their little feet are not visible at all.

GPO HUNTING :

Got somethin'

Love the visual interest of the octopus among the clam siphons. Beautiful artwork, as always, Jan!

Thanks Lynne.
Meet the friendly GRUNZGROPPE of Deception Pass

The Sunflower sea stars were spawning all over Deception Pass. Trying out the new wide angle port
I just bought from Grateful Diver for my G-10. Visibility wasn't that great for wide angle scenes.

Good WA photos Jan!

Another Gray whale died in waters off Whidbey Island last months. When I read that Smithsonian wants the
skeleton for the museum, and the bones were to be placed in local waters so underwater critters will clean
them off, it spiked my interest and II contacted the person in charge and obtained permission to dive to
check them out. I didn't know what to expect. Well, the small pieces are placed in plastic barrels, the ribs tied to plastic pallets and large bones hang by themselves. My first dive was a great disappointment, for the visibility at the docks in Crescent Harbor was terrible, maybe two feet, with water filled with particulates. Not exactly photographers dream...
The only critters so far I found were Green sea urchins and Mottled sea star. Hope to see more critters dining on the whale bones in the future. And better visibility, so I can see them

My dive buddy Pete, ex-Navy diver, is my entry ticket to the Navy Air Base...

Fascinating! I would have expected the sea stars, since they eat anything, but it's kind of surprising that the urchins get involved, too. And I'm also surprised at the lack of crabs.

Thanks Lynne, I was surprised too, for they are Dungeness crabs on the bottom. Maybe next time there
will be more action.
And back to Whidbey critters and their shenanigans

Grazing Flabellinas ...