Northwest Dive Club

Trying to get some good footage of Hood Canal Low Oxygen event this year. I was hoping to get out when the most recent videos were posted but just didn't happen. If anyone is over there diving this weekend, I would be super grateful if you could report back with regards to gasping critters up in the shallows and/or laying out in the open. The researchers are waffling with regards to the current wind storm whether it will hurt or help. It could either drive more low oxygen water up into the shallows, or it could push in some oxygen rich water from the top.

A side note: if you go and the animals are in dire straits, please be cognizant of their situation. A gazillion fish up in the shallows looks really cool but keep in mind the are fighting for their lives at that point. Don't swim through and agitate them, we don't want anything using more O2 than necessary. Same with wolfies and octos... Great fun to see them out and about but not so fun for them if they are trying to survive.

It was so sad when I dove at Sund Rocks a few weeks ago. All those rock fish and wolf eels looked like they were suffering! :(
Also there were a ton of huge spot prawns in the shallows too! It was strange to see them!

On a side note the millions of baby squat lobsters looked healthy!

I hope this storm helps!

It was totally dismal at Sund Rock today. No life anywhere. This one poor struggling wolf eel out in the open in great distress.,

It was so sad I couldnt even handle doing another dive.

That sucks... :(

Octopus Hole today was pretty depressing.
The negatives: A dead rubescens octopus at the entry point as we put on our fins.
Scores of dead spot prawns- almost never see dead shrimp, as everyone likes to eat them- but almost no one there feels well enough to do so
At least six large dead sailfin sculpins, and one very close
100+ California cucumbers with long, slender 'spikes' and their mouthparts hanging out
Partner saw one large wolf eel out of den, lying on side gasping
School of 50 large coppers in 12' of water
The positives: Saw about a dozen Pycnopodia, most of which didn't look stressed, and no sign of wasting stars
One small wolfie in den appeared ok
A shallow grunt sculpin seemed pretty good- not gasping, seemed alert
Metridium showed no sign of stress
Gobies seemed mostly ok

Squat lobsters (not surprisingly, due to their low O2 tolerance) were fine

The usual summer thermocline wasn't there, so the fish that had moved up to shallow water didn't seem as stressed as they normally would be at that depth. I'm thinking that the storm 'may' have improved the situation for them in that regard. Except for the sailfins, most of the dead fish and shrimp were sufficiently moldy to suggest that they'd been dead for a while- quite a few of the shrimp were fairly perky looking, though many had the bryozoans growing on them that is indicative of low O2 stress. One could definitely get good footage as the viz is pretty good.

Greg,

Thank you so much... I owe you.

I saw this on the news today too! :(

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Low- ... 63191.html

Anyone check the radiation levels in the water? I wouldn't be surprised if this was Fukushima....

Jeremy wrote:Anyone check the radiation levels in the water? I wouldn't be surprised if this was Fukushima....

I'm sure you have great reasons for eliminating the "like" button, but sometimes I want it SO BAD!

The O2 levels are coming up. Low O2 is still stressing the critters at Sund Rock, but as of this morning the levels were no longer pegged at Zero and yesterday things were perking up a bit and moving back to their dens as opposed to laying around out in the open gasping.

thats welcome news!

That is great news!!! I really hope those critters can survive this!