Leaf Scorpionfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern I saw three different species of nudibranchs between the two dives! This photo was taken while out on a dive off the coast of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. Despite having been to the Pacific dozens of times, this was surprisingly my first ever dive in the […]
California Aglaja – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Although it looks like a nudibranch, it is actually a headshield slug We are looking at a marine sea slug called a California aglaja. Its scientific name is Navanax inermis. I took this photograph in about fifty feet of water in the Channel Islands National Park. This particular sea […]
Florida Box Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable As the name suggests, the California two-spot octopus has two false eye spots This month we are showcasing photographs with the theme of “Light”. This California two-spot octopus was hiding in the dark canopy of the kelp forest. This photograph is from Catalina Island, off the coast of California. We […]
Learn more about sea turtles in this infographic featuring photos of turtles rescued by the Karen Beasley Sea Turtles Rescue and Rehabilitation Center! JULY GALLERY KBSTRRC
Green Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered Turtles can hold their breath for two hours before surfacing. Even if this photo was in color, you would not use the color of the shell to determine that this is a “green turtle”. The name “green turtle” actually comes from their green fatty tissue. There are other ways to […]
Hawksbill Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Hawksbills only grow to about three feet in length. They will grow to 180 pounds on average. This month our gallery theme is “Turtles”! Ben and I are fortunate to have had many turtle encounters over the years. They are magical moments. When I was 13, I went snorkeling for the […]
Green Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered In Hawaii, green turtles are called “honu” As I glided my way over top the finger of a fringe reef off the coast of Oahu, I came across half a dozen green turtles. I knew that there are many green sea turtles in the water of Hawaii, but […]
Blue Neon Goby – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern This species of coral looks alien, with the orange, red, and green coloration and texture. This species of coral looks alien, with the orange, red, and green coloration and texture. I’ve always enjoyed this species coral, which can grow to be quite large and live hundreds of […]
Saddled Blenny – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern A sea rod is a soft coral that is affixed to the seafloor like a tree, with a central trunk. Corals can be separated into two categories, hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals generate a calcium carbonate skeleton and tend to be known as reef building corals. Soft […]
Rough Cactus Coral – IUCN Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Although we are too zoomed-in to tell, the rough cactus coral colony is roundish in shape. Stony coral, like this rough cactus coral, have a limestone skeleton with a fleshy, colorful, textured, outer skin. As a scuba diver, if you spend time looking closely at coral, you […]