barrel sponge spawning...

[iamrushman]

over the last two weeks i have noticed the barrel sponges in south Florida spawning.....at around the 80 to 90 fsw depth...i don't have a camera but perhaps someone can post a few photos for others to see this spectacular event?

 

[reefman]

over the last two weeks i have noticed the barrel sponges in south Florida spawning.....at around the 80 to 90 fsw depth...i don't have a camera but perhaps someone can post a few photos for others to see this spectacular event?

here you go,,,,,, 1st photo from a few weeks ago on deep French reef(60FT), the rest from the last 2 years on deep molasses reef(55-90FT). observed in late april to early may. previously posted pics from TIMG,,,,,,,,,,





reefman
key largo

 

[Johnoly]

I dove Thursday with SFDH in Pompano and all the sponges had huge white spawn stuff around them. Like you said, I was 85 - 90 deep. Sadly none were actively spawning like the excellent photos above!

 

[iamrushman]

thanks reefman for the photos....what awesome event...does this happen every year because i been diving south Florida for years and this is my first time with this experience.

 

[reefman]

thanks reefman for the photos....what awesome event...does this happen every year because i been diving south Florida for years and this is my first time with this experience.

I believe the giant barrel sponge spawning occurs every april/may(not sure about moon cycle). not routinely observed in the keys by most divers on commercial dive boats as this species is not overly common shallower than 35- 40FT and those individuals are generally much smaller than the on the deep reefs. another issue is the fact that mid april thru early may is typically breezy/windy so fewer divers(including us this year). 2 years ago we nearly had a whiteout on deep molasses as nearly every barrel sponge was spawning(they are prolific/huge on that site),,,,,,,,,


reefman
key largo

 

[scubadada]

I dived Catacombs in Delray with Loggerhead on Saturday, May 9. Every barrel sponge was in the process of spawning at 50-65 ft. Visibility was a few feet, it was an awesome experience. The sponges in Boynton Beach appeared to have spawned a little earlier, though there is still evidence

 

[iamrushman]

thanks for the info guys.......just goes to show you that no matter how many dives or how much experience we have we have never seen or done it all....that's what makes scuba diving my go to recreation and sport!