Good Times on the Haggerty's Crane

[MaxBottomtime]

We headed out this morning with hopes of any visibility after a week of swells. Scott and Margaret Webb were on the crane, so we headed around the hill to Buchanan's Reef. We spotted a fried egg jelly at the surface, then anchored. As we were gearing up a set of large swells rolled by. We decided that the day probably would not get better, so we pulled anchor and limped back toward home. As we passed the Avalon we saw Frank O'Donnell's Boston Whaler anchored at the bow of the wreck. We called Margaret and she reported fifteen feet of vis at the crane, so we raced there.
As soon as we approached the bottom, Merry began snapping away at a small salp chain, Pegea confoederata. There were also a few solitary ones around.

The two moray eels were nowhere to be seen today so we looked at bryozoans, nudibranchs, garibaldis with nests and another fried egg jelly, Phacellophora camtschatica during our safety stop. It was getting windy so we settled for one dive. Frank came by to check out No Pressure. It was good to see him back out on the water.

Mexichromis porterae

Triopha catalinae

Bryozoan

Close-up

Bryozoan with tunicates

Corynactis covered tires

Fried egg jelly, Phacellophora camtschatica

 

[FrankPro1]

More Triopha catalinae and Salps!! I've never seen Clown Dorids on the peninsula and now their popping up everywhere. Also it seems August has been the month of the Salp. You, Military Bob, Iuhalt and I all have seen them within the last couple weeks. Love the 4th & 5th shot of the Fried Egg. How big was he?

 

[MaxBottomtime]

It was about the size of a soccer ball, but the tentacles stretched beyond the fifteen feet of vis. I've only seen four of them in over twenty years, and three have come this month!

 

[Codyjp]

We saw salps and more salps last week at Farsworth. That fried egg is really cool! Thanks for Sharing Phil.

 

[limeyx]

Nice Jellies!