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Hello scuba thread! I hope it's ok to ask for critter IDs? These were all taken in the SoCal Channel Islands. What are the white flea-like critters on this anemone?  And what are the out-of-focus spring-shaped critters?  
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Mar 23, 2025 19:51
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| # ¿ Jan 18, 2026 17:23 |
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Thanks. Let me try iNaturalist, and if that does not work I will try to reach out to the local marine science institute as I quite facebook a decade ago.
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Mar 24, 2025 13:29
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Timmy Age 6 posted:The "little white flea-like critter" shorthand seems appropriate. To me, they look like sea lice, which are parasitic copepods. The leading "disc" is the body and the little bags hanging off the back are egg sacs. A quick Google Scholar check suggests that copepods that parasitize anemones are known from California, but unfortunately the paper is old and the figures are... not great in the scan. Nice finds! Many thanks. I have no idea where the spiral guys were hanging out. I didn't even see them until I was home reviewing the pics on the big screen.
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Mar 25, 2025 01:18
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Who are these guys?  
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Apr 5, 2025 18:41
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ploots posted:tunicates, maybe lightbulb tunicates clavelina huntsmani Awesome, thank you!
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Apr 5, 2025 20:03
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ploots posted:the stuff you've been posting since you got the new camera has been really impressive btw, glad it's working out for you. Many thanks. Most of the credit goes to the crew of the (Spectre) dive boat for finding amazing spots even when the channel crossing from Ventura to the islands is challenging. I also feel I have a lot of improving to do by working on my buoyancy so that I kick up less sand.
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Apr 5, 2025 21:13
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DeadlyMuffin posted:O_o there's a goon on the Spectre! I've dove off that boat! 
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Apr 6, 2025 12:55
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What are these paying mantis-like critters on this sea star?
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Apr 13, 2025 22:44
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Timmy Age 6 posted:Caprellid amphipods - also called skeleton shrimp. They’re super cool in a “praying mantis meets inchworm” sort of way. Sweet, thanks!
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Apr 13, 2025 23:12
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Location* also matters. I've seen dive instructor from tropical locations with 1000+ dives completely lose their minds over the cold California waters even though they had a 7 mm suit like everyone else. *Edit: "Experience with various dive conditions" is a better phrase. theHUNGERian fucked around with this message at 14:26 on Apr 26, 2025 |
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Apr 26, 2025 13:23
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Squashy Nipples posted:Wow, really? I've never experienced that... I can't imagine sticking with it for that long and not learning anything. No amount of practicing easy dives can prepare you for a tough dive.
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Apr 26, 2025 16:46
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Back in 2018, I started to prepare for Denali summit attempt. On two prep trips, I had noticed that my cold tolerance was garbage, which is not surprising given that I live in coastal SoCal. To overcome this challenge, I started to tread water in the ocean without a suit. Just boots, fins, and gloves. It was a battle, but I got used to it after a few months. In the first year, I also measured my body temperature after ever swim, it never dipped below 95.9F (after 40+ minutes in 53+ F of water), so I convinced myself that the cold I felt was a discomfort, not a danger. I think this knowledge has helped me more than anything in tolerating the cold CA waters. It was also sufficient to help me stay sane (not warm or comfortable) on my first Denali summit attempt in 2023 though we only got to 16300 feet. It was during these ocean swims that I noticed that my motion sickness had disappeared, and I immediately concluded that I should get recertified for scuba, which I did and it all worked out wonderfully.
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Apr 26, 2025 17:57
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Can someone help me with another critter ID? I can only assume these are someone's eggs.
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Apr 27, 2025 01:12
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DeadlyMuffin posted:Location? SoCal channel islands. I see them all the time, make an effort to stop at least once a dive to take a close look, but I have yet to see any hatchlings.
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Apr 27, 2025 12:28
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DeadlyMuffin posted:There are many issues with GUE. I've only bumped into one GUE class, and perhaps the issue was the instructor, but it felt like a cult.
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Apr 30, 2025 12:33
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I am going to post critter ID requests until someone tells me to gently caress off. What is the holey structure? I see them all the time, and typically without any critters, but this one has a critter on it. The main body is vertical with horizontal scales.
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May 18, 2025 00:23
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Thanks! But I saw some fish too (though my flash was positioned poorly). I wanted to fire off a few exposures while composition was ok before adjusting the flash as I (correctly) worried that it would scare them away.    Edit: And I am super stoked to have found another Copepod hanging out in one of my shots. 
theHUNGERian fucked around with this message at 02:42 on May 18, 2025 |
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May 18, 2025 00:59
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If I were to limit myself to recreational depths (let's round it to an even 100 ft) is it possible to get an NDL of 60 minutes? If so, how? I occasionally (~4 dives a year) hit 90 ft and the stuff I see down there is super amazing, unfortunately those dives are NDL limited to ~25 minutes. If my math is right (I still have to complete the Nitrox class), the average Nitrox mix that is not toxic at 90 ft will only increase my NDL by ~5 minutes.
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May 18, 2025 14:33
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Coolio, thanks. Yeah, I'll start with Nitrox as I want to go on a liveaboard trip next year. For most of my vanilla diving at home Nitrox will still help me a ton for the reasons mentioned (long NDL at 60 feet). And rather than chase 1 hour NDL at 90 feet, it sounds like I should focus on being more efficient with the ~30 minute NDL I get.
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May 18, 2025 16:11
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DeadlyMuffin posted:These are blackeye gobies. Rhinogobiops nicholsii  DeadlyMuffin posted:Island Kelpfish, I believe. I'd be more certain with a fully body shot. Alloclinus holderi Not sure if this is any better. 
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May 19, 2025 00:07
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Wreck diving can be cool, but if it's the only thing to see and if conditions are lousy, you will wish you had gone elsewhere. Also, if the wreck is small and there are lots of divers, the visibility will turn to poo poo in 5 minutes.
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Jul 17, 2025 00:31
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I finally found a critter at one of these structures I see all the time. I was certain the coffee bean colored/shaped thing was a critter, but I guess I was wrong. Flea buddies (Copepods [Lichomolgidae])!   Goon.jpg   My first time seeing shrimp.  
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Jul 20, 2025 16:48
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Spaghett posted:Saw a Spanish Shawl Nudibranch this weekend and got my open water cert. gently caress yes. Edit: By any chance, were you on the Spectre?
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Jul 22, 2025 00:43
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Spaghett posted:No, sorry. Are you a SoCal diver? Very much. So much so that I have been on the "SoCal Diver" dive boat.
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Jul 22, 2025 12:38
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Any rebreather divers ITT? If so, what is a sensible path toward getting certified (I am in the PADI system, if it matters)? As in, what classes should I be taking and in what order? I am not interested in using it to reach greater depths (100 ft max), instead I want to be able to do 1h-long dives.
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Aug 2, 2025 19:41
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Thanks for the reality check. Will take a look. I had read that the extra weight of a single larger tank (120L vs my existing HP100) will partly offset the extra volume. But it appears that getting to a rebreather requires training on doubles anyway, so I might as well see how much extra bottom time I get with doubles. I was aware of the "high maintenance costs" but my understanding was that it depended on the unit, and I do not yet understand the pros/cons between the various options. A smaller benefit that got my attention was the lack of bubbles/noise (good for photography), but I admit that the benefit/cost ratio isn't there for this benefit alone. I had read somewhere that with a rebreather you have to spend about an hour before each dive checking your gear, but I saw a guy yesterday who did his gear check at the beginning of the day and then did three dives without extensive gear checks in-between. But perhaps the guy was just careless?
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Aug 2, 2025 23:30
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ploots posted:What kind of tank are you currently diving, how long are your dives now, and what do you usually see for start&end pressure? I dive with an HP100. Just yesterday I did 49 minutes at 58 ft max depth, 43 minutes at 52 ft max depth, and 47 minutes at 51 ft max depth. Start pressure on the first dive was 3500 psi, but dives two and three started with ~3000 psi (because the dive boat does hot fills). I reached the surface with 750-800 psi on all.
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Aug 2, 2025 23:51
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Micro leg day!
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Aug 3, 2025 21:08
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Spaghett posted:Not SCUBA but did some snorkeling in La Jolla to see the leopard sharks. They kick rear end Yep they do, and they love (dgaf about) snorkelers as they are not as noisy as scuba divers. Quick sanity check about doubles: When I mentioned my interest in doubles to my instructor (with the sole goal of being able to do 1-h dives), he asked me if I was interested in tech (Tech 40). I am game for anything, so I confirmed, and he recommended that I switch over to a dry suit to get trained on doubles as I will then have the gear for doubles and tech. This seems like a recipe for task loading, so I am thinking of dialing back my interest in tech, and focus on recreational diving. One non-tech argument for a dry suit is that I mostly do photography, so little movement and therefore more cold exposure. But I am feeling fine with a wet suit, so I think I can stay with a wet suit for doubles. Does this sound reasonable?
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Sep 1, 2025 18:40
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DeadlyMuffin posted:What temperature of water do you normally dive in? I can't remember who's who Low 50s is the coldest it gets and it has not been an issue so far.
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Sep 1, 2025 18:59
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DeadlyMuffin posted:Repetitive diving is where I think the drysuit really shines. You warm up so much more in between dives, and that makes a massive difference. I was going to say that I feel fine on a 3-dive day, but I guess I don't know what I am missing out on, so fair point. Good news is that my instructor (=dive shop owner) is looking to upgrade to a new dry suit, so provided his old one fits, he is offering it to me at a steep discount.
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Sep 3, 2025 12:35
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Agreed on taking one thing at a time. And since I am fine in a wet suit, I'll stick with it and just get trained on doubles. I'll do dry suit if/when I need it, same with tech.
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Sep 10, 2025 01:15
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 What is it with these red sponges and the baby sea stars? I feel like every time I see one of these sponges there are a bunch of baby sea stars hanging out there too. Are the sponges eating the sea stars or the other way around? Or is it a more symbiotic relationship? Or is this were sea stars are being made?
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Sep 14, 2025 22:31
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sharkytm posted:The Arctic seafloor is basically arm-to-arm brittle stars in places. Some of the sites around Anacapa and Santa Cruz islands are like that too. But I was curious why I almost always see babies at the sponges. DeadlyMuffin posted:What size tank are you diving now, and what's your typical average depth on the dives you want to last an hour? I have an HP100, and on a typical 3 dive trip there is at least one dive where I reach 1000 psi at the ~40 minute mark, and like a good boy I make my ascent so I reach the surface with no less than 750 psi. I typically hit 60+ feet on those dives. The dive shop is currently putting together a quote for a setup around aluminum 80 doubles. DeadlyMuffin posted:They may be eating gunk off the surface of the sponge. Sponges pull water through themselves so there's going to be more food for a little brittle star on the outside of a sponge than a random bit of rock. Aha, thanks!
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Sep 16, 2025 00:55
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DeadlyMuffin posted:Other potential options are a larger single tank (I have LP104s, I have dove HP120s) or a sling bottle. Advantage of both of those is it wouldn't require you to buy a whole new BCD setup assuming you have one that can handle clipping off a stage bottle, and you don't have to deal with doubles. While I do look forward to the weight of the doubles, I am in the middle of mountaineering trips, so my legs need the exercise. I also think that the weight will not be as much of an issue once I am in the water. Current BCD is a Scubapro Hydros and I understand I have to get something else for doubles. The shop is working on a quote now. DeadlyMuffin posted:Also, quasi related, I was in the Channel Islands this past weekend :-) What boat, and how did you like it?
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Sep 16, 2025 23:53
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DeadlyMuffin posted:The Vision. I've gone on one of those boats pretty much every year for ~15 years now. I love the Channel Islands, one of my favorite places in the world. I was on the Spectre on Friday and we drove past you guys (near Rat Rock, I think?). (⌐■_■)
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Sep 17, 2025 01:26
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We had a blast over at East Channels, Underwater Island, and Sea Lion Beach.     
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Sep 17, 2025 03:35
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MrYenko posted:
Thanks. It's a simple EM10 IV + 90 mm macro + AOI housing + a single flash.
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Sep 18, 2025 23:40
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MrYenko posted:Hell yes. I frequently see divers lugging a LOT more gear around to get stuff half as good. I’ll occasionally dive with a GoPro on a pistol mount with a single dive light, and that feels bulky and inconvenient as hell. Many thanks. I had low/medium expectations from this setup (I am a photography snob and m43 just felt wrong), but the Oly punches above its weight. Of course it helps that I only do macro with an external flash, meaning I am at base ISO (low noise) and the diffuser gives me soft light so I don't need tons of dynamic range from the sensor. I fully expected to upgrade to an A7R5 (or more recent model) sometime this year, but the size and weight of the Oly are just too convenient and I feel that a larger sensor will not gain me anything for my typical macro shots, so the Oly is here to stay.
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Sep 19, 2025 01:31
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| # ¿ Jan 18, 2026 17:23 |
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Tough day out around Santa Cruz Island on Friday, but I am happy with what I got.      
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Oct 12, 2025 18:58
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