Sunday November 4

Water Temperature:  50 F
Visibility:  Approximately 15 feet (visibility was worse on the reef than in the shallows)

The schools of fish disappeared as quickly as they had shown up.  The last school left was of pile perch with copper and puget sound rock fish wedged in various areas of the reef with kelp and painted greenlings along the rock.  Nudibranchs so abundant over the past few weeks were scant with only a single clown nudibranch, a white multicolored dendronotid, and frosted nudibranchs making an appearance.  The wolf eel was still on the South side of the reef with 2 giant pacific octopus wedged into their holes.

Giant pacific octopus keeping watch over the reef.

White dendronotid (white variant) at the Southeast corner of the reef

Roughpatch shrimp.  One of the many scattered around the reef.









For additional photos click here

Saturday October 21, 2012

Water Temperature:  52 F
Visibility:  20 feet in the shallows and down to 15 feet on the reef

3 schools of tubesnout near the reef
1 school of pile perch (single perch previous week)
1 school of kelp perch
Copper rockfish, brown rockfish, kelp greenling
Buffalo sculpin
Painted greenlings
The giant pacific octopus we saw last week was gone.
Nudibranch's:  Few alabaster nudibranch's (last week they covered the sand above the reef), yellow rimmed nudibranch, clown nudibranchs from last week were gone,

 Yellow Rimmed Nudibranch.  The only one I found today on the reef.  The alabaster nudibranchs that covered the sandy area above the reef last week disappeared.

Northern Sun Star as seen from the point of view of a shrimp. 

Sunday October 14, 2012

Water Temperature: 52 F
Visibility:  15 feet
Fish:  Copper Rockfish (15),  Scalyhead sculpin, penpoint gunnel (red, ~1 foot x 1/2 inch), perch, silver perch (school), tubesnout (schools) at the reef, clown nudibranch's (3), leopard dorid, pacific red octopus out and walking around, giant pacific octopus in its den about mid-reef,  wolf eel in its den.  Its been a great fall for baitfish.

Katie checking out the Pacific Red Octopus. This was the third octopus we've found in the past three dives.

Scalyhead sculpin on the top of the reef.  These sculpins are common on the reef but rarely stay so still.

Penpoint gunnel under a ledge on the main reef.  One of the first I've seen here.

Frosted nudibranch exploring the bottom for food.  The frosted nudibranchs covered the sandy area above the reef.