Tag: sea monster

  • Making my way back to Shores-cago

    Making my way back to Shores-cago

    Okay, that was terrible. I’m sorry. Last night was my second night back in the cold, dark waters of sunny San Diego since our return from Belize. (I have so many photos from that trip that I’m intimidated by them. Eventually they’ll get sorted and posted. Promise!) Monday night, I joined the crew of the…

  • An Uncommon Dive at La Jolla Shores

    An Uncommon Dive at La Jolla Shores

    Friday morning, I went for one last cold-water dive at La Jolla before heading out of town for the Long Beach Scuba Show and our anniversary trip to Belize. With the possible exception of last year’s squid run, this was one of the most different and interesting La Jolla Shores dives I’ve ever done. In…

  • Catalina Dive Sites: Two Harbors

    Catalina Dive Sites: Two Harbors

    The diving at Catalina Island is some of the best in Southern California–even when it’s not so great, like it was last weekend. I did four dives over two days, and found Catalina has been suffering from the same low-visibility problems as San Diego. I still had a great time! The Catalina dive sites I…

  • Diving La Jolla Shores, San Diego: The Usual Suspects

    Diving La Jolla Shores, San Diego: The Usual Suspects

    I have a confession to make: It’s been weeks since my last time diving La Jolla Shores. Conditions have been less than wonderful and life has gotten in the way. This morning, a friend and I finally got back in the water (in honor of his birthday!) and had a great time. It sounds silly,…

  • When the visibility gets tough, the tough find nudibranchs

    When the visibility gets tough, the tough find nudibranchs

    San Diego Nudibranchs A swell that has been plaguing the San Diego coastline with rough surf (seemingly forever…) finally subsided late last week, just in time for our scheduled Easter Sunday boat dive. Visibility was severely compromised, though, as a result of the extended period of rough ocean conditions. The water was green and murky……

  • The California Kelp Forest

    The California Kelp Forest

    My diving career so far has been rich with travel. I have dove all over the tropical blue waters of the Caribbean and the untouched oceans of Fiji. I’ve seen the exotic Antarctic sea creatures that migrate north to the temperate waters of Sydney, Australia, swam with the seals in the Isles of Shoals off…

  • Nudibranchs: The Sea Lemon

    Nudibranchs: The Sea Lemon

    Anisodoris nobilis, or the noble dorid nudibranch, is also known as the sea lemon. This name is not only attributable to its yellow color, but apparently also to a citrusy smell it can give off when it is handled. Unlike many tinier nudibranchs, the sea lemon can reach up to around five inches in length.…

  • Nudibranchs: Dendronotus albus

    Nudibranchs: Dendronotus albus

    Here’s yet another nudibranch that lives in the southern California waters, Dendronotus albus. As usual, this one is very tiny–only about an inch long.

  • Nudibranchs: Hermissenda crassicornis

    Nudibranchs: Hermissenda crassicornis

    Another cool nudibranch in southern California is the opalescent sea slug: Hermissenda crassicornis. I think the small one might be a Flabellina pricei but I’m not 100% certain.

  • Nudibranchs: Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

    Nudibranchs: Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

    After more than a month out of the water, and two months out of the cold California water, I finally got to go diving again! We spent the weekend on the Horizon dive boat diving San Clemente Island and the kelp beds of Point Loma, San Diego. I saw lots of sea lions and a…

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