After the epic conditions Merry and I enjoyed during our dive at Golf Ball Reef on Saturday, I wanted to return with my 60mm lens. Visibility was a murky fifteen feet with grains of sand suspended in the water. I swam north, checking out the Salmacina tribranchiata that has overtaken one of the buckets we use for navigating back to the anchor.
I discovered the identity of the dead animal I found Saturday. It was a sea hare, Aplysia californica. I found two more dead ones as well as a couple of live ones.
In the rocks near the edge of the reef were the egg cases of two sharks, Cephaloscyllium ventriosum, Swell shark, and Heterodontus francisci, Horn Shark.
I found a Peltodoris mullineri on a small rock. After photographing it a few times, I took it over to Merry who was feverishly trying to get a Felimare californiensis onto her stage. When we got home, I matched the spot pattern with a Felimare californiensis I found last year about sixty feet from Merry's find today. It's a match! That's incredible to find the exact same nudibranch a year later.
Berthella californica
Chromoplexaura marki
Felimida macfarlandi
I discovered the identity of the dead animal I found Saturday. It was a sea hare, Aplysia californica. I found two more dead ones as well as a couple of live ones.
In the rocks near the edge of the reef were the egg cases of two sharks, Cephaloscyllium ventriosum, Swell shark, and Heterodontus francisci, Horn Shark.
I found a Peltodoris mullineri on a small rock. After photographing it a few times, I took it over to Merry who was feverishly trying to get a Felimare californiensis onto her stage. When we got home, I matched the spot pattern with a Felimare californiensis I found last year about sixty feet from Merry's find today. It's a match! That's incredible to find the exact same nudibranch a year later.
Berthella californica
Chromoplexaura marki
Felimida macfarlandi
