When I first came upon a male California sheephead, I thought I had wandered into the neighborhood of the local bully. The adult sheephead (Semicossyphus pulcher) are bigger than many fish of the Central and Southern California rocky reefs and kelp forests. With a big, blunt, black head, red mid-section, and black tail he looks at you with alert eyes, a sense of cool detachment and a mouthful of long, crooked teeth. Itʼs not just his appearance that is a bit intimidating, itʼs his attitude. […]
A rather stunning creature grabbed my attention. It was off-white with ostentatious black, purple, and red lines that zigzagged down its back. It looked like and moved like a nudibranch, but lacked the gills and rhinophores of a nudibranch. What could it be? Turns out my mystery critter was a flatworm. Flatworms belong to the Phylum Platyhelminthes, a group that contains some very primitive, and yet very beautiful, animals. This name derives from the Greek and literally translates to “flat worm.” Platyhelminthes have been divided […]
Now that the fever of lobster hunting has died down as far as eating them goes, perhaps it is time we pick up our cameras and turn our attention to photographing them instead. These funny crustaceans that we just grab and head them off to the dinner table are actually quite interesting creatures, albeit on the simple side. ABOUT LOBSTER The California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) is actually not a lobster, per se, but rather a crayfish. They lack the large front claws of their […]
Those with patience and good eyesight are frequently rewarded with glimpses of exceptional beauty. California has many tiny invertebrates and fishes that are difficult to find, even though they are brightly colored and quite common. The yellowfin fringehead may be one of the cutest and hardest to find little fish a California diver will ever encounter. Yellowfin fringeheads have three pairs of massive, multi-branched cirri between and above their eyes. Their “Marty Feldman eyes” can be used to distinguish them from other native fringeheads including […]
La Jolla Shores is a popular beach located near San Diego. Besides being a great spot for teaching scuba, it is also very popular with many local and visiting divers. Although it doesn’t have the most beautiful underwater topography, it does have a nice variety of fish and invertebrate life living in and on its sand and mud bottom. There seem to be creatures that you can almost always find at home here, like various nudibranchs and other invertebrates such as crabs or shrimp. There […]
While you may be lucky enough to stumble upon a naturally inquisitive blue or mako shark on the edge of one of California’s lush kelp forests, your best bet is to head out to blue water where the continental shelf steepens before plunging into the deep Pacific. The days of diving into a writhing ball of pelagic predators may be long gone, but with a little patience (and an enticing chum slick) you’ll probably see a fin or two snaking towards your boat. When the […]
If there was a contest for the brightest, most intricate, or most ostentatious critter in California waters, the animals we call nudibranchs have got to be at the top of the list. As a group they show off the most vivid colors, and are adorned with intricate gill plumage that would arouse jealousy of the most ornate tropical bird. Yet they are extremely common and may be enjoyed by divers at nearly every site in the state. Nudibranchs are gastropod mollusks that are distantly related […]
The California seas are full of marine animals that can be a challenge to photograph. Personally, for me one of the most difficult is the sea lion. They are fast and they are dark. And they are smart. Back in the day I burned a lot of film on these funny guys. I have had a bit more luck with digital, but that is only because of the ever-present friend of the underwater electronic photographer: the delete button. I have met some excellent underwater photographers […]
The image of a white shark invokes extremes in our emotions. They bring out a deep, primal fear in some, while others experience joy in observing their grace and beauty. White sharks are big–up to twenty-one feet long and 7000 pounds. They have a mouthful of serrated teeth that are effectively used to hunt fish when they are young, but switch to marine mammals after they grow to nine or ten feet. On very rare occasions they will bite a human. Yet, those who have […]
In the early years of my diving career I collected shells (a long time ago). That stopped when I learned how to photograph them. This was much more rewarding, allowing me to record not only the shell’s appearance but the animal that lived in it and behaviors such as mating and laying eggs. No longer alive and removed from their habitat, many shells lose their luster—but photographs preserve their beauty forever. California waters contain a variety of seashells, some of which are exquisite. This does […]
