Ostracods - best place to see?

[tursiops]

Thank you so much. Lol I was looking at Bonaire, Georgia.

Big difference! Even if you got the timing right, I doubt the ostracods in Georgia are very impressive.

 

[Fat Daddy]

I'm having trouble finding a boat operator that wants to do a dive the 2nd of June to see Ostracods as they seem to be convinced the only time to see them is 4-5 days after a full moon. I realize that's going to be a pretty much hard date each month but only because there is barely any moon so it doesn't matter when the moon set time is at all. The reading I've been doing, including a biologists research paper on Ostracods (lol), make the point that it just has to be super dark. Which makes more sense them shrimps on a monthly mating cycle 4-5 days after a full moon.

So I guess I'll just get Dive Friends to do a shore dive for us the 2nd and convince them to have a shot at some Ostracods on one of the good spots to see them. I don't think that will be a problem to get them to agree. I'm just not comfortable our 2nd night there having me and the wife have a shot at it on our own.

Jason

 

[tursiops]

There is some speculation that the ostracods are quiet during the days before Full Moon, when their normal mating rituals are interrupted by all that light, and then they go crazy once it gets dark again, in the days following Full Moon. But they are there all the time, so if it's dark you have a chance. You don't need a boat dive. Shore is fine.
Where are you staying? Are you committed to Dive Friends for that evening?

Can you give the citation for the paper you read? thanks.

 

[homerdoc]

I am laughing at the bonaire ga comment, I have responsibility for a plant in south GA and was telling a couple folks I was going to Bonaire to dive.

One lady told me her parents lived there. I was like cool, I can get some inside info......until I figured out they meant Ga Bonaire.

If I have this figured out correctly, I should try and see ostracods on the new moon, so in my case, July 2nd?

Have my family with me so will do off of captain don's

 

[tursiops]

I am laughing at the bonaire ga comment, I have responsibility for a plant in south GA and was telling a couple folks I was going to Bonaire to dive.

One lady told me her parents lived there. I was like cool, I can get some inside info......until I figured out they meant Ga Bonaire.

If I have this figured out correctly, I should try and see ostracods on the new moon, so in my case, July 2nd?

Have my family with me so will do off of captain don's

You have a chance approximately June 18 through Jul 2, maybe Jul 3. If they are not tired, as some speculate. Your best shot would be to swim north from Capt Don's, to get away from the shore lights of Don's and Buddy Dive.

 

[Fat Daddy]

There is some speculation that the ostracods are quiet during the days before Full Moon, when their normal mating rituals are interrupted by all that light, and then they go crazy once it gets dark again, in the days following Full Moon. But they are there all the time, so if it's dark you have a chance. You don't need a boat dive. Shore is fine.
Where are you staying? Are you committed to Dive Friends for that evening?

Can you give the citation for the paper you read? thanks.

Complex sexual courtship displays by luminescent male marine ostracods

That's the paper I was checking out. Search for moon, as it is quite long.

Here's the meaty part -

The courtship displays of V. annecohenae are trains of vertically placed short pulses of light that are easily quantifiable in space and time. The display periods are synchronized with the darkness, with the activity occurring either when the moon is not present or is low in the sky; no courtship activity occurs only during the two nights around full moon (Gerrish et al., 2008). At a precise `dark threshold', approximately 1 h after sunset or moonset, whichever occurs later (Gerrish et al., 2008), males participate in mating displays above the grassbeds of Belize for approximately an hour.

Granted it's in Belize but don't think that matters.

I spoke directly with VIP Diving on the island yesterday. She basically agreed to take us on the 2nd if we wanted but said our chances of seeing them are very low. Again, they seemed convinced the only good nights are 4-5 days after a full moon. Anyway, I do want to use a guide and am not commited to VIP or Dive Friends.

My wife thinks I overthink things lol. I just don't want to go to Bonaire and have 2 good nights of the moon setting before the sun and miss out on the show because the locals don't like to do the trips if conditions aren't optimal.

Jason

 

[tursiops]

Complex sexual courtship displays by luminescent male marine ostracods

That's the paper I was checking out. Search for moon, as it is quite long.

Here's the meaty part -

The courtship displays of V. annecohenae are trains of vertically placed short pulses of light that are easily quantifiable in space and time. The display periods are synchronized with the darkness, with the activity occurring either when the moon is not present or is low in the sky; no courtship activity occurs only during the two nights around full moon (Gerrish et al., 2008). At a precise `dark threshold', approximately 1 h after sunset or moonset, whichever occurs later (Gerrish et al., 2008), males participate in mating displays above the grassbeds of Belize for approximately an hour.

Granted it's in Belize but don't think that matters.

I spoke directly with VIP Diving on the island yesterday. She basically agreed to take us on the 2nd if we wanted but said our chances of seeing them are very low. Again, they seemed convinced the only good nights are 4-5 days after a full moon. Anyway, I do want to use a guide and am not commited to VIP or Dive Friends.

My wife thinks I overthink things lol. I just don't want to go to Bonaire and have 2 good nights of the moon setting before the sun and miss out on the show because the locals don't like to do the trips if conditions aren't optimal.

Jason

Thanks for the citation; that is the classic paper on the little guys. You might also be interested in:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/49667852_Bioluminescence_in_the_Sea

Search for Ostracod in the above...you'll find repeated references to Morin and co-workers.

At Buddy Dive, talk to Dani and Lars, two of the Instructors. Lars has looked for Ostracods on multiple nights, and also thinks the "4-5 days after Full Moon" is hogwash.

 

[Jersey]

I'm having trouble finding a boat operator that wants to do a dive the 2nd of June to see Ostracods as they seem to be convinced the only time to see them is 4-5 days after a full moon. I realize that's going to be a pretty much hard date each month but only because there is barely any moon so it doesn't matter when the moon set time is at all. The reading I've been doing, including a biologists research paper on Ostracods (lol), make the point that it just has to be super dark. Which makes more sense them shrimps on a monthly mating cycle 4-5 days after a full moon.

So I guess I'll just get Dive Friends to do a shore dive for us the 2nd and convince them to have a shot at some Ostracods on one of the good spots to see them. I don't think that will be a problem to get them to agree. I'm just not comfortable our 2nd night there having me and the wife have a shot at it on our own.

Jason

Jason, just back and while I (again) didn't get to see the little buggers, did talk to local friends and some guests who did night dives to see them. I've been hearing you can see them up to 2 weeks past the full moon, which gives you more options. Some friends just went in off Buddy and/or Capt Don's docks, down to about 40 feet and hung out. Saw a bunch. Apparently when possible, Buddy Dive is offering an Ostracod night dive, it's outside the 'normal' diving, so fees apply. Folks we met did the dive with Buddy, went up to Witches Hut/Webers Joy (same site, just old v newer name) and said it was amazing. First one streak of light and the kids were like 'did you see that?' then suddenly the show started. Other friends went in at Oil Slick. They said no issues with entry exit at Webers, I've never done it from shore, so I can't comment. If the seas are calm, Oil Slick at night could be fairly benign and those areas are much darker at night. Yes, if you are staying at Buddy, Dani, Lars and Tina are good resources for critter ID and behaviors. All the staff are lovely, but those 3 are more mature and serious. Not old! Tina could be my daughter and I'm not old . (And Dani is female.)

 

[Fat Daddy]

We've booked the 2nd of June with bonscuba.com. The guy seems real nice. I got him off the PADI certfication thread. We're staying at Divi... there's a craps table lol.

Jason

 

[homerdoc]

Is there really a craps table there at the Divi now? I only remember blackjack and smoky slots? Craps is a game changer for what I do for an SI.