'Chica and the fish...

[scottfiji]

awesome photos. I'm so glad you guys got to hang out with that little guy for a while! yes, he was a youngster, as I'm sure many of you know, they loose their spots as they get older (and bigger).

I saw my first (3) Black Sea bass at Anacapa on sunday. A pair of youngters, who looked just like the one in your photos, they passed right next to Penny and I twice, and we also saw a large adult, on a different dive.

here is my photo of the adult (not anywhere close to the excellent quality of Ken's photo). This guy just made one close pass and then left, otherwise I could have tried to make some better camera/strobe settings.. even the youngters just made one close pass each time we saw them.

Scott

 

[PhotoTJ]

Ken, these are some of the best diver-interactions pix I've seen. Wonderful work, and a great moment captured.

 

[Mo2vation]

Ken, these are some of the best diver-interactions pix I've seen. Wonderful work, and a great moment captured.

High praise from you - an artist who's work I've admired (and envied) for years.

There are a lot of people around these parts who shoot and post snapshots - and that's OK, I guess. But your stuff isn't snapshots. What you coax out of a P&S is art, and your shots are consistently among my favorites. Composition, subject, color - your stuff is great.

Your words mean a lot to me. Thanks, Teej.

---
Ken

 

[aquaknott]

Hey those are great pics guys. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mo2vation]

I finally got around to processing the first shot I took of the encounter. I've added it to the top of the first post - the the story is now in order.

After we had done our Moon Dance, I slowly was taking the group back to the exit point. We found this huge pole, so we sort of followed it for a bit. When it ended, there was Kelp still growing along the bottom in a row - sort of like a short hedge or fence. It was on our right.

As we're diving back, I feel Claudette reach out and put a grip on my forearm.... OK, I'm thinking. She sees something (I'm thinking Mantis Shrimp, Bat Ray, etc - as she and I have seen them in this area before...)

I look at her, but her eyes are fixed on the Kelp hedge... and just then the GSB sort of emerges from the murk into full view.

Here is the original post - so you can get the story in full chronological order.

Enjoy.

---
Ken

 

[HBDiveGirl]

I love the pictures more each time I see them, Ken. Really wonderful camera work... and during an underwater event unlike any we had experienced before.

This fish stayed with us intentionally for over 20 minutes.

I remember that the encounter didn't end when the photographs ended.
We eventually swam upslope as my air got low, and I looked back to see the fish following right behind my fins. I stopped and hovered with it again as it lined up next to me... again.

Finally moving up and turning left along the 22fsw contour line, we headed toward the exit steps: Ken on my right, deeper water on my left. Ken looked at me and started to signal something, then his eyes snapped to look on the other side of me.
He gestured for me to turn and look.

There was the fish, paralleling us about 8 feet away in shallow, sunny water with kelp all around.
To be acknowledged by a wild thing and sought out... it was humbling, soul-stirring, and beautiful.

It was synchrony of the nicest kind. Gotta keep diving so things like this can happen. And you never know when they're coming... gotta love that, too.

Thank you again for the beautiful photographs.
Claudette

 

[sea nmf]

What a wonderful story. The pictures help us visualize.

 

[drbill]

It is no surprise to me that the sea bass preferred Claudette over Josh (no offense, Josh). I often find that the inquisitive solitaries are younger males and it is my experience that males sense human gender and prefer our ladies (and who would blame them!).

 

[Cacia]

I loooooved those pics!

What a soulful guy...makes you pass on the Sea Bass Special.. that's how I feel about Napoleopn Wrasse.

Anybody ever read Carlos Eryes? (I think)

he had quite the love affair with Giant Black Sea Bass and the Channel islands

 

[JDog]

Does it seem like there has been more Sea Bass sightings than usual this year? I don't remember seeing quite as many posts in years past as this year.