This kinda sucks, at least for all our beloved resident creatures. Pictures suggest work may be over the beach, hopefully not to much going on in the water.
Blue Heron Bridge Trolls III
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There is another bathroom on the east side, between the boat ramps & entrance driveway. The quality is no better than the one that is tented.
Ha! me too!!!@Pipehorse I read your post before I looked at the pictures like I typically do. And I saw your description and I said to myself “dollar fish? I’m not sure I know that species. Cool! I’m looking forward to learning a new species!” And then I saw the picture.
Yes I have used the bathroom on the east side, agreed it is the same as the westside. I usually park on the westside, I always find it interesting on a crowded day, while setting up my gear the steady flow of people parked to the east walking to the westside bathroom. Even though the eastside building is right in your face when pulling into the park, I think a lot of people are not clued into the fact that there is lavatory in that building.
When to the bridge for diving today, arrived at 0726 for a 0913 high tide. It was more crowded than at the same time yesterday. Tenting from around the westside building has been removed. Entered the westside at 0810, visibility holding at 50ft, sea temp holding at 85f. I am fascinated by the various bits and pieces of detritus that variegated sea urchins pick up and carry around with them. The first one of interest today had a mangrove tunicate attached, the second of interest had some sort of buckle or strap, and the third of interest had the skeleton of another sea urchin (known as a test) it was carrying around. For the third time now I found a collection of shells that are not indigenous to the Atlantic Ocean. I guess people throw them from the fishing pier, after buying them from the shell store? Maybe they know there is a housing shortage among the hermit crabs? I left the two shells to the right in the image in place I thought hermit crabs my use them, and took the other two shells with me. Gave the two shells I took to an individual in a youth camp group than was visiting the bridge. Respectively, Sea Urchin with Mangrove Tunicate, Sea Urchin with buckle/strap, Sea Urchin with Sea Urchin Test, Shell Collection, Tiger Goby, and Scaled Sardines.
An interesting dilemma, finding non-native objects in a no-take zone. This is on par with finding a reef-destroying lionfish in the same no-take zone. Apparently, some influence keeps such things at bay, because less than a mile away, I find lion fish frequently, but at the bridge, I almost never see them. A benevolent invisible hand seems to exist. The ecosystem at the bridge flourishes.
BrewingDiver
Contributor
I often get a laugh out of these when I see them. Yesterday we also saw one with a horseshoe crab shell.
Went to the bridge for diving today. Arrived at 0730 for a 1011 high tide. Parking was near empty when I arrived, but filled rapidly as 0830 approached. Entered the water on the westside at 0840. Visibility was 50ft, sea temp at 85f. Did a REEF fish count, 74 species in 60 minutes. The 2 standout species today were a Banded Blenny and a Pygmy Seabass. According to the REEF database Banded Blennies have been observed 55 times out of 180,000 surveys. It's sighting frequency is high at BHB, .5%, 1 out of every 200 surveys, about 11 times in total. Banded Blennies are distinguished by small flat cirri, unfortunately the image here will not show that. Pygmy Sea Bass sighting frequency at BHB is 2%, so 44 times in total out of 2174 surveys done at BHB. Respectively, Banded Blenny, Black Grouper, Hogfish with Puddingwife, Juvenile Blue Stipe Grunt, Trunkfish, Orangespot Goby, Pygmy Sea Bass, and Yellowjacks.
Please help me to understand how you identify this as a Black grouper, rather than a Gag. I'm fairly certain that your ability to correctly identify this fish is far better than mine. I'm trying to learn.
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