One of the factors that keep me diving is finding something I haven't seen before. I have been very fortunate to see animals rarely seen here, and a few that had all but disappeared. I have seen a sixgill shark at Haggerty's, a large thresher shark at Pt. Vicente, and a salmon shark off Redondo Beach. Merry had a juvenile Great White swim up to her off El Segundo. I haven't had that kind of excitement, but some small animals have thrilled me almost as much. Here are a few of my favorite finds;
Bispira turneri. I have only found one in three decades of diving SoCal.
Protula sp. Although I have found several of these beautiful worms, they remain undescribed.
Stylochus sp. Another undescribed species. I found this flatworm at Kevin's Reef. It's the only one I've seen.
Another undescribed flatworm from Golf Ball Reef
Small sponge from the Redondo barge.
Bispira sp. Common but unnamed sabellid
I find several of these bispira worms around Palos Verdes, but they are still undescribed.
Mary Wicksten told me this is the first photo of a live Alpheopsis equidactylus she has ever seen. It was on the Redondo barge.
Paguristes sp. Greg Jensen said this undescribed hermit crab's southern range was Santa Barbara. I've found four at Golf Ball Reef.
Epizoanthus leptoderma. This small patch from Flat Rock is the only one I've found.
Phyllactis sp. Undescribed tube anemone. I've found a half dozen of these.
Cancellaria cooperi, Cooper's nutmeg. Paul Kanner told me these are nocturnal, and live ones are rarely seen by divers. I found this one off Palos Verdes.
Abronica abronia. These are commonly found in tidepools of northern and central California. I've only seen two in SoCal.
Aldisa sanguinea, Red Aldisa from the barge. Only the second one I've seen.
Once thought to be nearly extinct, Felimare californiensis is making a big comeback.
Never before documented on the mainland, I have found four Noumeaella rubrofasciata, Red-headed aeolids off Palos Verdes.
Thordisa rubescens had not been seen in thirty years, and before that, there were less than a handful seen. Merry found one at Golf Ball Reef, and now we find mating pairs and even some laying eggs. Wei Wei Gao even found some in Pt. Loma.
First introduced here by San Diego commercial fishermen, Mycteroperca xenarcha, California broomtail grouper are only found in a few areas. They have been a protected species in California since the 1950s.
Although not an uncommon fish, I found this Scorpaenichthys marmoratus, Cabezon thirty feet off the bottom at Golf Ball Reef. I've never heard of one swimming more than a foot or two off the reef.
Bispira turneri. I have only found one in three decades of diving SoCal.
Protula sp. Although I have found several of these beautiful worms, they remain undescribed.
Stylochus sp. Another undescribed species. I found this flatworm at Kevin's Reef. It's the only one I've seen.
Another undescribed flatworm from Golf Ball Reef
Small sponge from the Redondo barge.
Bispira sp. Common but unnamed sabellid
I find several of these bispira worms around Palos Verdes, but they are still undescribed.
Mary Wicksten told me this is the first photo of a live Alpheopsis equidactylus she has ever seen. It was on the Redondo barge.
Paguristes sp. Greg Jensen said this undescribed hermit crab's southern range was Santa Barbara. I've found four at Golf Ball Reef.
Epizoanthus leptoderma. This small patch from Flat Rock is the only one I've found.
Phyllactis sp. Undescribed tube anemone. I've found a half dozen of these.
Cancellaria cooperi, Cooper's nutmeg. Paul Kanner told me these are nocturnal, and live ones are rarely seen by divers. I found this one off Palos Verdes.
Abronica abronia. These are commonly found in tidepools of northern and central California. I've only seen two in SoCal.
Aldisa sanguinea, Red Aldisa from the barge. Only the second one I've seen.
Once thought to be nearly extinct, Felimare californiensis is making a big comeback.
Never before documented on the mainland, I have found four Noumeaella rubrofasciata, Red-headed aeolids off Palos Verdes.
Thordisa rubescens had not been seen in thirty years, and before that, there were less than a handful seen. Merry found one at Golf Ball Reef, and now we find mating pairs and even some laying eggs. Wei Wei Gao even found some in Pt. Loma.
First introduced here by San Diego commercial fishermen, Mycteroperca xenarcha, California broomtail grouper are only found in a few areas. They have been a protected species in California since the 1950s.
Although not an uncommon fish, I found this Scorpaenichthys marmoratus, Cabezon thirty feet off the bottom at Golf Ball Reef. I've never heard of one swimming more than a foot or two off the reef.
