svs
Contributor
Well, I thought it is a different species which prefers anemones for decoration but since I learned that it is true for indo-pacific crab. I am also not sure if things on top of it are anemones or not.
Blue Heron Bridge Trolls III
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Sometimes you will see hermit crabs with anemones on their shell.
It is not an anemone crab. There are 22 species of anemones found in Florida. This is called the Hitchhiker Anemone. They can be found on rocks and sometimes on the empty mollusk shell a hermit crab has occupied. They are usually associated with Stareye Hermit Crabs. Stareye Hermit Crabs are uncommon at Blue Heron Bridge. At the bridge they are probably associating with Bareye Hermit Crabs a close cousin to the Stareye Hermit Crab. The Hermit Crab finds the anemone on a rock removes it, and places it upon its shell. The anemone gets better access to food moving around, and the hermit crab gets protection from the anemones stinging cells. I have seen the particular specimen you have pictured here. It is quite large, almost to big for the shell it is attached to. Maybe it has grown at a faster rate than the hermit crab in the shell?
Went to the bridge for diving Monday-Friday of last week. Sea temps ranged from 84f early in the week to 86f later in the week. Visibility was about 30ft Mon-Weds, with excellent visibility on Thursday and Friday, +50ft range.
The park was not particularly crowded on Monday and Tuesday. It was crowded with a lot boats trailers and cars Wednesday for mini-season. But not crowded on Thursday for mini-season. During the week the sheriffs do not ticket or prevent cars from parking in the overflow boat trailer lanes in the middle of the park. So on a day like Friday, there will be more people in the park than on a weekend when the sheriffs do not allow parking in those spaces. So on Friday it was an absolute zoo. Arrived at 1100 for 1307 high tide. The parking lot was filling fast, and I purposely parked in northern most spot just behind the work shed to avoid the chaos. I usually use aluminum 63cuft, or 50cuft at the bridge, so I really don't care about having to walk across the parking lot.
Did the west side Mon-Thurs, and the east side on Friday. Did REEF surveys on snorkel and scuba everyday except Friday. Only did a REEF survey on scuba Friday, of 82 species in 100 minutes. Of interest were two species of nudibranch I had not observed before, Sargassum Spurilla, and Hydoid Lomanotus. I think the Hydroid Lomanotus might be common just not commonly observed. They are so perfectly camouflaged on Feather Hydroids they are almost impossible to see. The one I observed was large and moving around, so it made it easier to spot. Fish of note were, Juvenile Permits, hanging out in 4 inch deep water, Spot a type drum fish, Snook hanging out near the boat on the east span, a large Black Grouper hanging with the Snook. Respectively, Fringed Filefish (I think), Juvenile Permits, Spot, Spotted Moray, Hydroid Lomanotus, Spotted Eagle Ray Video, Juvenile Rainbow Runner Video, Hydroid Lomanotus Video, Sargassum Spurilla Video
svs
Contributor
Thank you Pipehorse. Very informative
I saw this posted the other day by a diver who shoots a lot of nudis. She noted it as a Lomanotus vermiformus.
Catito
Contributor
Dove the Bridge Aug 3. 2 hours. Murky visability. GROUPS of student divers stirring up the bottom even more. One diver with pink cat hood was practically dragging on the bottom and far from her group. I was concerned for her safety and tried to signal to her to put air in her BCD. A group of 6 divers with underwater propulsion units were cruising around (what?). Seems to me, if you cannot dive BHB without a loud machine to pull you around, you should go to the gym. Pretty obnoxious.
Dead nurse shark scattered under the bridge.
Big snook under the bridge near the boat, mantis shrimp, female Pike Blenny, Banded Jawfish. High point: Zebra Flounder in the sand just as we were getting out (6 ft of water) west of the lifeguard stand.
I know that beginner divers need to start somewhere but, wow. Large groups make the dive unpleasant.
Dead nurse shark scattered under the bridge.
Big snook under the bridge near the boat, mantis shrimp, female Pike Blenny, Banded Jawfish. High point: Zebra Flounder in the sand just as we were getting out (6 ft of water) west of the lifeguard stand.
I know that beginner divers need to start somewhere but, wow. Large groups make the dive unpleasant.
You must of gone east, buddy and I went west and the only diver we saw was @Pipehorse .. I didn't recognize him at first, till he passed and I saw the fish count slate! LOL. Was nice n quiet over there. Couple nudis, but otherwise we just poked around, laziliy enjoying the dive without much purpose other than being neutrally buoyant. Stayed way past the tide turn, and got 3 hours underwater.
I dove the bridge as well yesterday morning and agree with your assessment. I also noticed more than a few DPVs.
Pretty much every dive boat in South Florida was canceled yesterday, which left all of these classes scrambling for a place to play. It was not ideal, but we managed to stay away from the craziness for the most part.
Catito
Contributor
Yup. Went East. It was a pool party.
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