Northwest Dive Club

It would seem they are the sea equivalent of a porcupine.

Two days of Deception Pass diving provided just the right amount of variance from the recent 2000 mile car road trip. The large number of Cross jellies zooming by in the current was very noticeable, I don't remember seeing them here in such numbers before.

The Sea Star Wasting Syndrome now reached Penn Cove as well.
Interestingly, the stars on the wharf piling in the warmer water are healthy while the ones below 20 feet of depth away from the structure are sick. It might be because the oxygen levels there are really, really low according to data from the nearby Penn Cove Mussel Farm. Other sea critters which normally live under the surface of the mud are now on top, and showing sign of distress. As they did last two years in September and October.

I saw a lot of really sad Burrowing Brittle Stars at Sund Rock today. Also a lot of Plumose anemones & sea cucumbers didn't look very good. It was very depressing and super dark down there below the gross brown layer on top. I really hope all the critters can survive this low oxegyn and pollution issue :(

Some of the Keystone Jetty rockfish. Proof that underwater park, no fishing area,
is good for fish and for divers who like to take pictures of fish

Years ago, I read that the improved fisheries in areas adjacent to "no fishing" zones more than compensated for the loss of fishing due to the sanctuary.
-Curt

Another change in the taxonomy of slugs.
All the Leopard dorids in waters around Whidbey Island were covered with spots even if the ones in my guide book sported only few. The variations was attributed to "morphs". New paper in the Journal of Molluscan Studies describes that we are dealing with two different critters. Maybe because of climate change and the warmer water, this March I found one Leopard dorid with just few spots at Skyline on Fidalgo Island. It will be interesting to see if there will be more of them in the future munching on our sponges...

Keystone Jetty, some of the crabs and shrimp who find their home there ...

Sea star survey, Keystone and Langley...

Hi Jan,

Please forgive my poor memory but was Langley Harbor (and Coupeville) clear of the disease prior to this year or is this outbreak 'round two'?

Sickly yours,
Alex

Hi Alex, unfortunately, this is round three for Langley and Coupeville.
Coupeville was not as bad as Langley and so far again is affected less in spite of being only 17 miles away.

Fish heads

Saturday and Sunday at my favorite Whidbey Island dive site.
Good way to say goodbye to summer and hello to Autumn colors

I found this to be hilarious.

Yesterday's dive at the Possession Point Fingers illustrates how diverse the Whidbey Island underwater scenery is. The riot of colors at the Deception Pass on the northern end contrasting with somber, almost monochrome walls of the southern end. Where the Possession Fingers lack in color, they dazzle with textures and shapes...

These days I encounter jellyfish on every dive, small and large. Some of them carry other life forms and some provide food to others...

Another visit to neighboring Fidalgo Island and its major dive attraction - the Skyline Wall. Quite different scenery than found on Whidbey.

Another roundup of sea stars at Whidbey Island.

It looks like the White Glove Leather Tunicate doesn't make a good neighbor. The word INVASIVE comes to mind...

Although October 8th is the World Octopus Day, I did not find a single one. Deception Pass Little North Beach was a busy place today, lot of divers showed up in spite of heavy overcast and occasional rain showers. In spite of the gloomy weather above, there was plenty to see underwater. Lots of Cross jellies and the usual profusion of color. And thank you Jessica Alexanderson for being a willing model and adding another dimension to the scene.

Amazing pics Jan!! It was great seeing you today!

Actually the Henricia with the white "armpits" like the one shown here are an undescribed species- one of many in our area

Wikipedia description of Deception Pass. And few more pictures of the stuff we look for while there, braving the elements

Wikipedia dive planner:

Yelloweye going wide angle ...

sponges are almost impossible to ID ...

hot pants:

be careful where you sit down ...

need to see dermatologist:

I did not see the slug until I got to the computer ...

Amazing pictures Jan. Almost went but decided on Day Island to see the wolfies (8) and count GPO (2), plus a HUGE Stellar Sea Lion. Never seen one that large and never diving on that wall. Amazing encounter.