UW critters........ Where and how hard???
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As far as I know, Mantis shrimp aren't found in California except in tropical fish stores.
GPO's are much more common in Washington, BC and Alaska but we occasionally see one in Northern California. I've seen two over the past several months. I know many divers who have been diving for years and never seen one.
I haven't tried using a snoot yet, but the challenge would be to maintain your aim of the snoot at your subject while maintaining your body position, camera position and setting up your shot. Aiming a strobe without a snoot can be challenging.
We see many Wolf Eels in Monterey. Lately, we've spotted one on most dives we've done in Monterey Bay and Carmel. You have to inspect every large crevice with your divelight to spot them.
GPO's are much more common in Washington, BC and Alaska but we occasionally see one in Northern California. I've seen two over the past several months. I know many divers who have been diving for years and never seen one.
I haven't tried using a snoot yet, but the challenge would be to maintain your aim of the snoot at your subject while maintaining your body position, camera position and setting up your shot. Aiming a strobe without a snoot can be challenging.
We see many Wolf Eels in Monterey. Lately, we've spotted one on most dives we've done in Monterey Bay and Carmel. You have to inspect every large crevice with your divelight to spot them.
Mantis shrimp are relatively common at certain soft bottom sites here on Catalina such as Willow Cove and Moonstone-Hen Rock but you will have to look for them. GPO are non-existent. Wolf eels can be seen on the mainland in SoCal but I've never seen one here on Catalina.
Wolf eels can be found on wrecks and rocky reefs below 80 feet in SoCal. I've also found them fairly shallow at La Jolla Shores.
As Dr. Bill mentioned, Mantis shrimp can be found on soft bottoms at Catalina. You can find dozens of them, including tiny juveniles in the silty bottom near the Marineland and the sand near the point.
A GPO was caught in Redondo Canyon several years ago, but they are not usually found in SoCal. They can be seen on the deep reefs from Big Sur to Monterey. Some have been found while beach diving the North Coast.
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Interesting on the GPO in Redondo, Phil. I wasn't aware of that. I wonder if they are an example of submergence here in SoCal where a shallow cold water species might sink to lower, colder depths further south. Of course I've never seen a GPO here down to depths of 200 ft but it is an interesting thought.
The fisherman donated it to the Cabrillo Aquarium. It lived for a couple of months until it committed suicide. One night, it pulled a drain plug on the tank.
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