Blue Heron Bridge Trolls III

[Pipehorse]

hello @Pipehorse . Where you wearing a black wetsuit, carrying a two light camera setup, and you are tall, white, and blonde ? Mid 50’s and taking picture of macro on the side of the channel wall?I

I did have a Bare black wetsuit on, I haven't used my two light camera setups for a while now, just use the Sealife Sport Diver. I was hovering under the pier near the rubble pile for 30 or so minutes. Also had REEF slate with ID sheet in my hand.

 

[Jake 10]

I did have a Bare black wetsuit on, I haven't used my two light camera setups for a while now, just use the Sealife Sport Diver. I was hovering under the pier near the rubble pile for 30 or so minutes. Also had REEF slate with ID sheet in my hand.

Yes we saw you on our way back southbound by the boat channel wall. It was three of us, Jenny had light pink long skins, son has orange pink trunk and blue yellow shirt, I had the blue and white trunk and blue shirt

We were counting bat fish and found six (6). Also looking for jawfish but could not find one

 

[PBcatfish]

...Found a live Sand Dollar today, most of the time I only find the test of dead Sand Dollars, they generally like to remain buried in the sand, so live one's aren't observed that often. ...

I've only seen a large number of live sand dollars once. It was off the coast of Cape Cod, back in the 1980's, probably in about 80' of water, under the second thermocline. The water temperature was in the 30's. I saw hundreds of them in a pretty evenly spaced formation. They were mostly about 6-8" apart. They were mostly around 3" in diameter. That variety was very flat. They were brown. The tests that I would sometimes find on the beaches near there were the same shape & white. The shape was a little different from the picture you just posted. These had much thinner edges & they were more flat.

I was sort of curious if the large number visible in one place might have been some sort of migration.

I tried to collect a few of them in the pocket of my BC, but they proved to be quite fragile. None made it to the surface in one piece.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Nice images are you sure about the black and white cardinal fish in the middle,? That is an indo- pacific species, that does not belong at BHB. Where exactly was it located. If you are sure you might want to go the REEF website,Report an Exotic or Invasive Sighting | Reef Environmental Education Foundation . A whole lot of people would be very interested in removing that fish.

My guess is a mis id as juvie high hats. There were a bunch in that location

Would love to see one of those bumble bee shrimps.
I learned in Curacao from our guide that you can also find a similar little one on the urchins:

Urchin Bumblebee Shrimp Gnathophyllides mineri | Liquidguru's Underwater Video Site

www.liquidguru.com

Makes me want to remove all those leaves and other things stuck to them when I see them just to peek around.

If you know how to find them, they are pretty easy to find.
The one we found on Monday was crawling on top of a cushion sea star!

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

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.

View attachment 733303View attachment 733304View attachment 733305

I often get a laugh out of these when I see them. Yesterday we also saw one with a horseshoe crab shell.

Introducing the most feared... Lobster urchin!!!!

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.View attachment 733412View attachment 733413

View attachment 733416View attachment 733417View attachment 733418

Interesting on the pygmy sea bass.. I do see them rarely enough to photograph them, but didn't think they were that uncommon.. Believe the trunkfish is a Buffalo Trunkfish

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Coral Shrimp? Is that what those are? I've always called them sea spiders because I didn't know the correct name. Thanks for that & thanks for the ID help on the different types of Grouper.

Ha ha. When I first started diving I was told those are candy cane shrimp. To this day, I still will misidentify them..

Today at BHB, 2hr 18 min dive in one tank with 500psi left . Wow !

View attachment 733895

View attachment 733896

View attachment 733897
View attachment 733898

View attachment 733899

View attachment 733900

Ok Ok! I get the hint! I'll get those photos done..

 

[BrewingDiver]

Introducing the most feared... Lobster urchin!!!

Wow,it even used separate, multiple parts!

 

[Jake 10]

My guess is a mis id as juvie high hats. There were a bunch in that location

I concur, it was a miss Id of a fish, @Pipehorse no need to worry about invasive species

 

[Jake 10]

Ha ha. When I first started diving I was told those are candy cane shrimp. To this day, I still will misidentify them..

Ok Ok! I get the hint! I'll get those photos done..

yes, thank you. When can I expect to see the photos?

 

[Catito]

Nice images are you sure about the black and white cardinal fish in the middle,? That is an indo- pacific species, that does not belong at BHB. Where exactly was it located. If you are sure you might want to go the REEF website,Report an Exotic or Invasive Sighting | Reef Environmental Education Foundation . A whole lot of people would be very interested in removing that fish.

Yup