Kelpscape

A Palm Amidst the Strawberries

The fields of strawberry anemones are broken occasionally by other inhabitants who have made homes there.  Feather duster worms like this one aren't uncommon.  Usually these are shy and hard to photograph: they withdraw into their protective tubes at the slightest movement. Its stinging neighbors may have made this one bolder.  It looks like a palm tree in a garden of tropical-flavored lifesavers.

Strawberry Fields

I'm always happy to see corynactis, also called strawberry anemones.  They form a thick carpet on the big ledge at Refugio right now, after seasons of retreat.  They are moving onto the top of the ledge, but the thick growths are in crevices.

Sculpin at Refugio

Water was green and fish were few on the East side of Refugio today.  It's the season of kelp spawning and the water above the kelp looked completely cloudy. Kelp needs cold water to reproduce and today it was 51F. Clouds of tiny salps and jellfish fogged the scene elsewhere, and clouds of krill (well, probably mysid shrimp) gathered off the reef. Thick colonies of corynactis covered the Big Ledge.  To the south, in deeper water, sea apples are taking over the bottom, covering it with their lacy white tentacles.  At least two sculpins had found homes there. One was bld, the other very shy. I was glad to have brought the D700 on its first beach dive.

Corynactis -- or strawberry anemones -- are beautiful and common. In his book Ed Ricketts says they grow only under ledges, where light can't reach -- which is probably true, near the surface where he could look without scuba gear. Deeper they grow on rocky substrates with a good bit of current.

Red gorgonian at Coral Reef, just south of Anacapa. It's amazing that these tiny creatures can build such complicated apartment buildings for themselves.

Anacapa, with Landing Cove off to the left and Mount Vela at center. Santa Cruz is at right -- yikes, is that smog? Yes it is, mostly from ships.

I spotted 2 octopi in about 40 min at Underwater Island, just south of Anacapa. Both of them turned this brown-and-yellow checkerboard pattern as soon as they spotted me watching. This one emerged from its burrow to watch me photographing a nudibranch.

New Housing: Joining the Digital Age

I got a new Subal housing, for my Nikon D700, and hope to take it underwater soon!

The FX sensor on the D700 is counter-trend.  Senitments among serious underwater photographers seem to favor DX-format sensors. But, I've come to prefer to larger sensor, perhaps because of the many thousands of images I've shot using 35 mm film with the Nikon F5, and the Nikormat before. I hope that the GS-180 Magnifying Viewfinder may be as helpful as the action finder on the F5.  The newer housing isn't quite as bombproof: 20 vs 25 lbs, including the Sea & Sea YS-120 strobes.  We'll see how those work out: they won't get TTL with the D700. 

Gold-Nose Kelp Bass

Kelp bass turn their noses gold and then form schools, usually swimming to hold still behind kelp stipes. I'm sure this has to do with romance.

Juvenile Treefish

Juvenile Treefish are usually very wary: even more so than the adults.  This one, at Rat Rock at the West end of Anacapa Island, was curious.  After a few snaps he returned to his excellent digs nearby, but then peeked out again.  It was a game of peek-a-boo.  His lips show a little pink, the start of the full pink lips of an adult.