Kelpscape

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.

Kelp Perch Under the Kelp Canopy

Kelp perch are usually common and usually shy.  They hang out high in the kelp, a few feet below the surface. 

Kelp Lift Bladders

I used to wonder what gas filled these bladders that kelp use to lift themselves toward the surface.  Now I am convinced that it is oxygen, which these algae, like all plants, produce as a waste product. "Your Inner Fish" says that it was the increase in oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere that allowed multicelled organisms to develop.  Like any answer to "why" questions, this seems slightly incomplete: why was there suddenly enough oxygen around?  Why weren't there lots of plants earlier?

Ling Cod at Rat Rock

This was (and still is) the biggest ling cod I've ever seen.  At first I thought it was a leopard shark. It was in the marine reserve on the north side of Anacapa, at Rat Rock, relaxing on the bottom under a sea palm.  Despite its protected status in the reserve, it took off after I'd taken only a couple of snaps.

Air Bubbles

Physics must set the shape of air bubbles speeding upward from below. These bubbles were from a scuba diver 30 feet below, who was photographing some macro scene. The bubble shapes aren't stable: big bubbles break up (and rejoin) repeatedly on the way to the surface.  The big bubbles look like the north-polar cap of of a sphere, with a flat bottom and vortices trailing behind. Calculations anyone?

Blacksmith at Goldfish Point

Goldfish point is next to the Goldfish Bowl on the north side of Anacapa, and is named for the orange garibaldi that congregate there. These were not garibaldi, but their cousin damselfish, blacksmith. They often congregate in big schools. The young ones have the remarkable coloring of their smaller tropical cousins, which gives them their Latin name: chromis.

Opaleye

Opaleye usually have greenish bodies with one or two white spots near the top middle of their backs.  A close look reveals their striking blue eyes.  They are sea chubs and so are related to halfmoons.  Their large upper lips and overbite makes them look slightly like Liberace.  They are fairly common at the Channel Islands, but less common off the mainland coast.  They often travel in schools.  They like to eat young kelp, and the small creatures that live on kelp fronds.  This one was at Garden Spot off Anacapa.

Frenchy's Cove, Anacapa

Frenchy's Cove on Anacapa looks inviting on this calm day. I've had good snorkeling to the right (West) and pretty poor snorkeling to the right (East).  The beach is narrow and mostly pebbles. It's hard to imagine that Frenchy lived for years on this beach, surviving by the generosity of passing boats. Just to the right of the cove is the Pelican Reserve, where the islands is off-limits and most of the year so is the ocean.