BajaNomad

Above and Below Water on the CA Central Coast

Ken Bondy - 8-12-2010 at 07:08 AM

There are some beautiful flower seed fields in bloom now in the Los Osos Valley:








Now we go underwater:
Acorn barnacle in orange corynactis anemones:


Crab face:


Polycera atra nudibranch:


Two nudibranch species Triopha catalinae and Hermissenda crassicornis:


Sand dab (beautiful eyes!):


Serpulid worm (hard to believe it is a close relative of our earthworm):


[Edited on 8-12-2010 by Ken Bondy]

Iflyfish - 8-12-2010 at 07:42 AM

Wow, stunning!! Absolutely stunning! Thanks,

Iflyfishinaweofyourphotography

DianaT - 8-12-2010 at 07:51 AM

As always, a great big WOW---just love your photography, and all of these are simply beautiful. :yes:

Those last two really grabbed me---the eyes on that sand dab look almost fake pasted on eyes---and I never thought I would find a relative of an earth worm to be such an amazingly beautiful creature.

Thanks and keep on diving!

Diana

Osprey - 8-12-2010 at 07:59 AM

Hey, I was gonna say "Stunning". Ken, should have been a warning about the sandab eyes because I fell in there for a while and I'll never be the same again. (I was never the same?)

Natalie Ann - 8-12-2010 at 08:00 AM

You've outdone yourself this morning, Ken. Your pix are beautiful.

The gardener in me loves those long stretches of blooms - especially the red nasturtiums.

And Mr. Crabbie - well, he steals my heart with that sweet little face of his.

I love it when you share your dives (and drives) with us. Thank you, Ken.

nena

elizabeth - 8-12-2010 at 08:21 AM

All great photos, as usual, but I have to say I was really taken by the up close faces of the crab and sand dab...I may never want to eat either of them again!

Ken Bondy - 8-12-2010 at 08:31 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by elizabeth
All great photos, as usual, but I have to say I was really taken by the up close faces of the crab and sand dab...I may never want to eat either of them again!


Thanks for all the nice comments. I know what you mean elizabeth, I have a good friend, Chris Newbert, who IMHO is the best underwater photographer who ever lived, and he said it like this:

"As I once became part of them,
all these creatures of the sea are now a part of me.
In my mind,
In my soul,
in my dreams."

Christopher Newbert
"In a Sea of Dreams"
1994

captain4tuna - 8-12-2010 at 09:22 AM

Beautiful

lingililingili - 8-12-2010 at 07:41 PM

Your photos never disappoint, Ken. Thank you.

irenemm - 8-12-2010 at 07:49 PM

wow
thanks for sharing such beauty.
never really looked at the face of the blue crab very interesting.
i enjoy your photos very much.
thanks again for sharing

Sallysouth - 8-12-2010 at 11:21 PM

Once again, awesome photos Ken! I agree with elizabeth after looking at the crabby face and sandab eyes, well...my hubby is making mushrooms stuffed with a crab mixure for a party tomorrow.Will I eat some?Probably.:yes:

Cypress - 8-13-2010 at 05:54 AM

Yep!! Thanks Ken Bondy!:D

ELINVESTIG8R - 8-13-2010 at 05:58 AM

Nice!

TMW - 8-16-2010 at 08:40 AM

Excellent, you can keep your camera.

Thank you, Ken.

Mulegena - 8-16-2010 at 08:50 AM

Yes, its a treasured time to be with our water-dwelling cousins, going back to where I came. My spirit remembers on a cellular level the life of water, magical colors flashing my beauty, fins before arms propelling me so effortlessly about this magical fluid of life. Now I can only return briefly to catch a glimpse of the life I led before my soul chose to become a land-walker.

Mexitron - 8-16-2010 at 09:54 AM

Great photos Ken! And thanks for the pics of Los Osos Valley--when I lived just down the way in Edna Valley and Laguna Lake those were mostly snow pea fields...nice to see some color too. I'm always amazed at the quality of light in the SLO area, and as you have shown many times, the quality under the water as well.