Over The Rainbow, Nudibranch That Is

[MaxBottomtime]

After reports of Rainbow nudibranchs, Dendronotus iris next to the Redondo Beach Barge I couldn't wait to get back into our cold, dirty water. We swam around the barge, spotting only a few tube anemones with eggs wrapped around them before finally finding a single large nudi. Fortunately, this guy was active. I fired off a few shots before giving way to Merry. I checked one of the rocks for octopus nests and found a couple of them. One looks like it's just about hatching time. With no other Dendronotus in sight, I scoured the barge for the usual suspects. Shrimp, Hermissenda crassicornis and Tritonia festiva were everywhere, many with eggs. Mating season seems to last all year on the barge. As I made my way back to the anchor I stopped to take a photo of the barnacles in a large patch of brown cup corals. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the unmistakeable sight of Doto eggs. The only speciman I have found was a tiny Doto kya also on the barge. I looked as closely as I could and didn't see one near the eggs. On a previous dive with Kevin Lee on the Radio Tower he shot some eggs, only to find nudibranch bycatch when he downloaded his camera. I fired off a few shots, then ascended to the sweltering surface. After a week in Cozumel, our poor boat had grown an algae garden along the waterline. I grabbed a scraper and brush and went to work. By the time I got on the boat, I was drenched in sweat. I took a lunch break and checked out my images from the dive. I zoomed in and found a Doto in the badly focused shots I took. Even with a 90mm lens it was difficult to focus on the tiny dot on the hydroids. I put my wet gear back on and dropped for a second chance to get a decent shot. After ten minutes of firing away, I realized that the nudi required a microscope to get something in focus. I swam back over to the west side of the barge where I spotted a second Dendronotus iris. I watched as it munched away at a small tube anemone, then made my way back up through the salp soup. For size comparison, check out the tiny Triopha catalinae just below the big boy.

 

[FrankPro1]

Awesome series! Dendronotus iris are such an interesting nudi species. They are definitely on the top of my to-shoot nudi list. Lots of great "action" shots. Especially like the series of the 2nd iris you found. Excellent color, great poses and super sharp focus. Doesn't get much better than that Did the baby Hermi survive its filicidal mother? How did Merry's captures come out?

 

[fnfalman]

Is that what I'm seeing? The nudies were eating those anemone thingies?

 

[drbill]

Is that what I'm seeing? The nudies were eating those anemone thingies?

Yes.

I still have seen but one Dendronotus iris here off Catalina and if I remember correctly it was at significant depth. Wonder why we don't see more of them in the waters around the island as there are plenty of cerianthid anemones to munch on!

 

[MaxBottomtime]

A few years ago they showed up en masse atMarineland during two consecutive Aprils. I've only see a handful at the artificial reefs off Hermosa and Redondo Beach since. They lay thousands of eggs on the stalks of the anemones. I've always expected to see a population explosion, but nothing happening. One of their predators is the sunflower star, which we have plenty of on the peninsula. Perhaps they are very efficient.

 

[Tigerman]

Yes.

I still have seen but one Dendronotus iris here off Catalina and if I remember correctly it was at significant depth. Wonder why we don't see more of them in the waters around the island as there are plenty of cerianthid anemones to munch on!

Which means its a very good chance you where narced and wouldnt remember anyways?


Great shots Max

 

[Merry]

Hey Frank!

While Phil mans the internet, I've been taking care of mundane household tasks in an effort to reach equilibrium. Also, on Scott & Margaret's advice, I removed strobe cables, etc., to more thoroughly clean and lube my rig. Disposable eyeshadow wands are great for removing grit from the O-ring track without leaving cotton fibers.

Geeze, I'm two dives behind as far as working on photos...will get a short report up eventually.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

^^^

 

[drbill]

Which means its a very good chance you where narced and wouldnt remember anyways?

Ha! I have the video to prove it! See my newspaper column on them: Star Thrower Educational Multimedia (S.T.E.M.) Dive Dry Column

I was only at 112 fsw... I think I was deeper. Not significantly narc'ed on such a shallow dive!

Oh, and Merry... I'll have to save a few of those eyeshadow wands!

 

[FrankPro1]

Also, on Scott & Margaret's advice, I removed strobe cables, etc., to more thoroughly clean and lube my rig.

Good advice. One of my cables got seized onto the strobe after leaving it for hooked up for to long. I remove / clean them every time they hit the water now.

Also make sure to push in all your housings buttons under fresh water after a dive. Then push them in again when you pull them out "to bleed out the fresh water". This will make sure any salt / crud build-up gets out of the housing, away from the button seals. I've had a few controls seize up because I hadn't flushed them with fresh water. Thank God for Phil's silicone spray