April 4, 2016

Moon Jellies Emily Bly

4/1/2016
Mission Bay

Moon Jellies
Aurelia aurita

Sargassum horneri Bob Austin

4/3/2016
La Jolla Shores
Main Wall
55 feet

The highly invasive seaweed
Sargassum horneri

Sargassum horneri has cylindrical floats; Sargassum muticum has spherical floats. Both are invasive, but S. muticum has been here for a long time and does not take over a location like the newer S. horneri does.

Canon Powershot G16
f/2, 1/250, ISO 200

Janolus barbarensis Allison Vitsky Sallmon

3/31/2016
La Jolla Shores

Janolus barbarensis

Canon 7D mark II
Dual Sea & Sea YS-D2 strobes
60mm lens

Limenandra barnosii Kevin Lee

4/2/2016
Anilao, Philippines
Anilao Pier
103 feet

Limenandra barnosii

Nikon D800
Dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes

Spiny Brittle Star Jonathan Lavan

4/3/2016
Off San Pedro
Oil Rig Elly/Ellen

Spiny Brittle Star
Ophiothrix spiculata

Nikon D300
Subal housing
Dual Ikelite strobes
Sola 800 focus light
60mm lens
f/10, 1/250, ISO 200

Ochre Star Sandy Dildine

4/3/2016
Laguna Beach
Shaw's Cove
15 feet

Ochre Star
Pisaster ochraceus

with an octopus in the background

Olympus TG-3
Internal flash

Pacific Seahorse Heather Lippert

4/2/2016
La Jolla Shores
South Walls
55 feet

Pacific Seahorse
Hippocampus ingens

Nikon S1
Single strobe

Mussel Blenny Roger Uzun

3/31/2016
La Jolla Shores
60 feet

Mussel Blenny
Hypsoblennius jenkinsi

Canon XA30 camcorder
Keldan Luna 4 Flux lights

Tuna Crab Mark Pidcoe

4/3/2016
La Jolla Shores

Tuna Crab
Pleuroncodes planipes

Olympus E-PM1
Dual Intova ISS4000 strobes

Hermissenda Herb Gruenhagen

3/30/2016
La Jolla Shores
South Walls
55 feet

Two Hermissenda opalescens

Sea & Sea 2G
Internal flash

California Moray David R. Andrew

4/11/2016
La Jolla
Marine Room

California Moray
Gymnothorax mordax

Nikon D7000
Dual Ikelite DS160 strobes
60mm lens
f/16, 1/125, ISO 250

Gorgonian Tiffany Poon

4/2/2016
La Jolla
God's Rock

Unidentified Gorgonian
Unidentified

Can anyone help identify this gorgonian? Key characteristics: single plane, highly branched, thin arms, purplish/red base color, yellow polyps (ignore the zoanthids)

Olympus PEN E-PL1
Dual Sea & Sea YS-110a strobes

Blue Shark Ralph Pace

4/3/2016
Offshore La Jolla
Nine Mile Bank

Blue Shark
Prionace glauca

Nikon D4s
Aquatica housing
Dual Sea & Sea strobes