Blue Heron Bridge Trolls

[Scuba_Jenny]

Should have been a good dive today. I saw some of the usual critters,(my tiger goby is gone...) a few that were new to me, but the most disturbing was the intentional STANDING on live rubble by students, obviously directed by the instructor.
bad divers.wmv - YouTube

I was fuming. Instructors, please, this is very live bottom. If you want to do these kinds of skills, do a beach dive and only use the bridge as a last resort. Animals almost got killed today.

Bobbitt worm.

Jim's new filefish buddy. This photo is probably a good example of size and shape compared to another filefish

and gotta love a seaweed blenny. Sometimes my camera works right, and I get great clarity!

Super macro sometimes works too

 

[bilsant]

Your photo work has gotten markedly better over the last couple of months...

 

[scubajim 1]

I had a wonderful 2 hour self reliant dive at the bridge today. The water was between 79.5 and 82.4 with a viz of 30 feet. The octopus were very playful and the eagle rays were drifting past unconcerned by my presence. I even managed to get close enough to a garden eel to take some pictures...but this fringe-backed nudibranch was my "find" of the day! It is smaller then my little finger nail and extremely beautiful.
What a joy today's dive was, even without buoyancy babes...



I know you folks will correct me if this isn't a Fringe-Back Nudibranch ...still learning my nudi ids lolol

 

[jet126]

ScubagirlJ and I had a beautiful dive this morning. It's that time of year: the octopuses are getting so plentiful that I stopped counting around ten. And didn't bother to take a photo because none were out of their holes, posing. See how fussy I get?

I had 77 for a temp and viz easily 30-40 ft. Wimpy me still in my 5mm w/ 3mm vest & comfy after two hours in the water.

The theme today was the octopuses and barracuda. Also saw a nice pipefish, the cutest little sharptail eel and the usual. Here is my one post-worthy shot of the day.



My marine biologist friends, KP and Lorri, were in town a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately the only day I could dive with them was Saturday and we did LBTS. But they spent two days up at BHB. (Thanks Jim for guiding them on Thursday) Here are two I just got from KP today.

 

[fisheyeview]

I had a wonderful 2 hour self reliant dive at the bridge today. The water was between 79.5 and 82.4 with a viz of 30 feet. The octopus were very playful and the eagle rays were drifting past unconcerned by my presence. I even managed to get close enough to a garden eel to take some pictures...but this fringe-backed nudibranch was my "find" of the day! It is smaller then my little finger nail and extremely beautiful.
What a joy today's dive was, even without buoyancy babes...

View attachment 126062

I know you folks will correct me if this isn't a Fring-Back Nudibranch ...still learning my nudi ids lolol

Looks like Flabellina cf bandeli

 

[mscott556]

Went out for the Force-E night dive last night and did 86min w/75deg & 20ft viz. I was hoping to see a frogfish or batfish but had no luck.

Edit: Side-gill Sea Slug



There were a lot of octopuses out but as stated earlier, they were mostly shy.

 

[djtimmy77]

Warty sidegill slug?

 

[mscott556]

It did seem slug-like

 

[TracyN]

I went here for the first time on Saturday. It's pretty neat. I was amazed by the abundance of life there. So different from what I"m used to seeing. Are there areas where there is more of a reef? We stayed primarily over the sandy areas and saw many rays and starfish. I also would like to know what these wormlike creatures are that come out of holes in the sand. When you come near they quickly retreat back into their holes. I've never seen anything like them. They are skinny and full of bristles.

 

[AnneDiver]

Hey Rat-man,
It is not a flounder. It is a side-gill sea slug.
A Pleurobranchus crossei.
You can read about it onpage 114 of Caribbean Sea Slugs.
If you don't have the book, you can get it from Amazon.