BajaNomad

Anacapa 6/13

Ken Bondy - 6-14-2007 at 06:59 AM

I did three nice dives at Anacapa Island yesterday from the Spectre out of Ventura Harbor:

Rockfish face:



Feather duster:



Tubeworm in brittle stars:



Spanish shawl nudibranch:



Lobster:



Anemone in brittle stars:



[Edited on 6-15-2007 by Ken Bondy]

Russ - 6-14-2007 at 07:40 AM

You are an artist! keep them coming

SDRonni - 6-14-2007 at 07:47 AM

Ken:

I continue to be completely awe-inspired by your photos! You are a genius!

Don Alley - 6-14-2007 at 02:01 PM

Wonderful!

Cypress - 6-14-2007 at 02:16 PM

Thanks! Your pictures are fantastic!:bounce:

amir - 6-14-2007 at 02:29 PM

Amazing! So beautiful: the colors, the lighting, the exotic forms and shapes, you bring it all to our computer monitors. Thank you Ken Bondy.

Skipjack Joe - 6-14-2007 at 02:39 PM

Good work Ken.

That's one of the finest featherdusters I have ever seen. Three stories high. I wasn't sure what it was at first.

I always like the colors of the anemones you shoot at those islands.

Looks like you hit that brittle star migration again. Did someone tip you off?

Natalie Ann - 6-14-2007 at 06:53 PM

I like that feather duster, too. And the spanish shawl is such an incredible color. And that last anemone is a beauty! And never before have I really been looked in the eye by a lobster.

It's always fun to go diving with you, Ken. Looking forward to our next trip.:spingrin:

Nena

Ken Bondy - 6-14-2007 at 07:25 PM

@Russ, SDRonni, Don Alley, Amir, Cypress: Thank you so much. Your kind words are MUCH appreciated.

@Igor: The brittle stars are there every summer from about June through August, but they are not in every location and it seems to change from year to year. Do you know anything about their habits??

@Nena: Thank you. Are you sure you have the eyes spotted? They are not the obvious ones. The real eyes are the black spheres on the top of the curved brown stalks, not the black spots below outlined by the light colors.

++Ken++

[Edited on 6-15-2007 by Ken Bondy]

Bob H - 6-14-2007 at 07:26 PM

Again, more amazing photography from Ken Bondy. Love the colors, but I am really amazed how you get those creatures to look straight into your lens! WOW.
Thanks again for sharing your facinating talent.
Bob H

Natalie Ann - 6-14-2007 at 07:27 PM

Yep, Ken, I got the eyes right. After all, I could see my own reflection.;D

Ken Bondy - 6-14-2007 at 08:04 PM

@Bob H: Thank you!!

@Nena: Just wanted to make sure :). Most people don't get the eyes right. I think that's intentional on the part of the lobster. Lots of marine animals have "artificial" eyes, markings that are intended to conceal the real eyes and confuse predators.

danaeb - 6-14-2007 at 08:21 PM

Anemone in stars! A digital painting. Amazing.

Bajafun777 - 6-14-2007 at 11:54 PM

Ken, your the man in the underworld view of things that are and things that some think are. I have a real desire when I retire in a year to start diving and have a friend's nephew that is in Iraq that is going to help his buddy down by Cabo in a dive business he has there. I hope to spend some time down there learning and maybe, just maybe, I can see what is and can be in the underworld of things that swim. I figure if you can not learn from a Navy Seal then you probably just should not be down there. Keep up the fantastic posts and as everyone says your eye for what makes the photo shot is just always on the money. Later------bajafun777

Skipjack Joe - 6-15-2007 at 06:51 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Ken Bondy
Do you know anything about their habits??


Well, I've found them to be one of the shyest inverts I've ever encountered. All the ones I've seen were only revealed by turning rocks over. That's why it's so amazing to see your pictures of them out in the open like that.

They don't like light and they exhibit tacto something or other behavior. If you place them in an empty tank with a single rock they immediately sense it's presence and crawl under it. They 'feel' the surface with those arms and work their way under. I don't know how they sense where the rock is located but they head right for it.

They also seem to be one of the dominant animals of the deep sea communities. I was once involved in a survey of benthic communities (600' - 5000') around those islands and we brought up lots of them. The bottom is a soft ooze down there and those ophiuroids surprisingly thrive in it.

The queen of the brittle stars has to be the basket star. They were rare and a real prize. Everyone wanted one for his room. The ones we brought up were a bright orange color and massive, about the size of a dinner plate.

[Edited on 6-15-2007 by Skipjack Joe]

star.jpg - 49kB

elizabeth - 6-15-2007 at 08:39 AM

Once again, I'm astonished by your fabulous photography. Thanks for sharing your dive trips. Makes me want to be back in the water!

Ken Bondy - 6-15-2007 at 10:14 AM

@danaeb, Bajafun777, elizabeth: Mil gracias! :)

@Igor: They sure aren't shy out at Anacapa right now. Do you think this could be some kind of mating behavior? You know, springtime and all that?:



Wingnut - 6-16-2007 at 11:20 AM

Awesome photos Ken Bondy! You really capture the essence of the sea life. Please keep on shooting. I find all of your pictures quite facsinating. Thanks.