Christmas Tree Worm Christmas tree worms have a surprisingly long life, living up to 40 years You will be surprised to learn what you are looking at is considered a worm. These colorful worms are stationary, so once you locate one you are all set. However, if you approach these creatures too quickly or get too close, […]
Nurse Shark – IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable Nurse sharks are not considered a dangerous shark species to humans This is a photograph of a nurse shark, taken in Key Largo, Florida. To get a close up photograph of a shark can be tricky, but the nurse shark gives you a better chance than most shark species. Nurse […]
Permit – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Permit are extremely efficient swimmers due to their body design The three large fish on the left are called, “permit”. These large silvery fish are not a frequent sighting on the Florida Keys reefs. Some people think the bubbles from scuba divers attracts their attention. They rarely hang around for […]
Acadia National Park Tides can be as much as 12 feet This photo was taken along the rocky coastline of Acadia National Park. Acadia National Park is located roughly two-thirds of the way north along Maine’s coast. It is a unique place. It is the only area along the United States eastern seaboard that has shear cliffs. Jordan […]
Coquina – iNaturalist Looking out across the water you could watch as brown pelicans soared looking for their next meal Watching the waves come crashing down on the long, slowly-rising beach of the Atlantic coast of Florida is one of life’s greatest pleasures. I took this photo at 6:45am one morning in June. The waves […]
Red-Tipped Sea Goddess – iNaturalist The impact of the red-tipped sea goddess within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is unknown Although this is a beautiful nudibranch, it is probably not from the area it was photographed (Florida Keys). The majority of the red-tipped sea goddess sightings are from the Pacific Ocean. However, it is believed they […]
Varicose Wart Slug – iNaturalist First of all, nudibranchs are tiny, and I love macrophotography! Photographing small marine creatures was my goal when I dove off the island of Oahu in Hawai’i. I was on the trip by myself, so I made sure to have a dive master who could show me around the local […]
Ringed Sap-Sucking Slug – iNaturalist The sandbar will actually be exposed during low tide! I certainly wasn’t expecting to see a ringed sap-sucking slug when I rolled out of the kayak in three feet deep water in Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawai’i. We started our morning by kayaking one mile straight […]
Purple-Crowned Sea Goddess – iNaturalist Without the blue/purple rhinophores, it would be hard to know which end is the front and which is the back Nudibranchs are known for their wild colors and patterns, and this nudibranch is no exception. The purple-crowned sea goddess is the smallest nudibranchs I am writing about this month. This tiny nudibranch […]
Pustulose Wart Slug – iNaturalist There’s not much information about the pustulose wart slug This was one of the last photos that I took while on a two-dive trip off the coast of Oahu in Hawai’i. I was so excited to get to see two different species of nudibranchs within just a few minutes of […]