BajaNomad

Better to be underwater in California this week...

Ken Bondy - 1-21-2010 at 09:37 AM

From Morro Bay:

Dendronotus frondosus:


Flabellina trilineata


Pipefish:


Lots of elephant seal pups on the San Simeon beaches right now:


Mom and pup:

shari - 1-21-2010 at 10:35 AM

wonderful photos hermano! wow....I wonder if those pup seals will have a hard time in the huge swells...i imagine they get washed off the beaches.
ummm, in the second photo....did you catch that critter going #2??? ewww

Natalie Ann - 1-21-2010 at 10:37 AM

Just yesterday I was wondering when we'd be seeing some more itty bitty marine life from Ken Bondy - and here it is today.

Those first three look just like their names.... a frond, a flab, and a pipe. Cool big seals, too.
Thank you, amigo!

nena

Ken Bondy - 1-21-2010 at 10:39 AM

Thanks sis and nena. Sis, lots of the pups are killed every year by the big surf. They just haven't learned to swim yet, very sad and the moms can't do anything about it. They need hands!

Ha, I see what you mean but the Flabellina is just wrapped around the stem of a hydroid :)

Saludos, ++Ken++

[Edited on 1-21-2010 by Ken Bondy]

fandango - 1-21-2010 at 11:04 AM

the flabellina has 2 spikes that are different from the rest but, you can see the detail inside all the others. does the sheath come off the others at some time?
beatuiful photos!

Ken Bondy - 1-21-2010 at 11:07 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by fandango
the flabellina has 2 spikes that are different from the rest but, you can see the detail inside all the others. does the sheath come off the others at some time?
beatuiful photos!


Thanks fandango. The two spikes are called "rhinophores", they are the nudibranch's primary sensory organs. The other projections are called "cirrata", they are the animal's gills, where the oxygen transfer occurs.

Pics

tehag - 1-21-2010 at 11:54 AM

Nasty viz. Still nice photos, thanks.

Ken Bondy - 1-21-2010 at 11:57 AM

fandango got me inspired to do a nudibranch physiology lesson:


The rhinophores are sensory organs used for navigation and movement. The cerata (misspelled in my previous post) are gills, they exchange oxygen from the water. The oral tentacles (there is another one on the other side barely visible) are probably used to locate and maneuver food. Probably more than anyone wanted to know about nudibranchs :)

fandango - 1-21-2010 at 12:35 PM

thank you for taking the time for the explanation. he is a very interesting creature and the details in your photo are amazing.

Paulina - 1-21-2010 at 02:43 PM

Ken,

Over the weekend Dern and I went to Morro Bay to check out the surf, watch the dredge move sand around, check out stand up paddle boards, to take it all in before the rains hit. We thought of you and wondered about the visibility right now with all the action going on under the water, dredges moving here and there. Your photos don't look like it made much of a difference.

Great photos again.

P<*)))>{

Ken Bondy - 1-21-2010 at 02:56 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Paulina
Ken,

Over the weekend Dern and I went to Morro Bay to check out the surf, watch the dredge move sand around, check out stand up paddle boards, to take it all in before the rains hit. We thought of you and wondered about the visibility right now with all the action going on under the water, dredges moving here and there. Your photos don't look like it made much of a difference.

Great photos again.

P<*)))>{


Gracias Paulina :). On Monday we entered the water at about 10:30am in a driving rainstorm. When we exited the water it had changed to a tornado - no rain but very high winds and lots of whitecaps in the bay. Getting out of the water at the base of the pier was like getting back onto a boat!! But the dive was not bad, about 3-4 ft of visibility and that is enough. The weather improved Monday afternoon (as you know), enough for us to have a nice time with the elephant seals at San Simeon. Then Tuesday morning we were greeted to another driving rainstorm. Gary and I went down to the pier at about 9:30am and checked out the water - it was a dull metallic green with about an inch of visibility. So we grudgingly aborted the dive and headed home early. We could have handled the rain but the visibility was zero. On the drive south I ran into the hardest rain I think I have ever encountered in California, the Gaviota pass was like a rollercoaster. Hope you guys are well, ++Ken++

David K - 1-21-2010 at 02:59 PM

Cool ...Thanks Ken!:bounce:

bacquito - 1-21-2010 at 03:04 PM

Thanks for the photos-interesting. I am here in Ensenada and it is raining and very windy. Once again, great photos!