I am occasionally asked why I keep diving after 51 years. People wonder "Haven't you seen it all by now?" Well, maybe I have and I've just forgotten due to senioritis so each time I see it I think it's something new. Seriously, even after thousands of dives, I still dive because I still see things I've never seen before... or perhaps never filmed before.
Last night I did another of my regular summer night dives. I had some expectations regarding what I might find and film... but they were quickly relegated to lower priority within the first 10 ft. I started seeing the brittle star Ophioderma panamense all over the upper surfaces of the rocky reef.. Normally these critters live under rocks for protection from hungry predators like sheephead. So why would they risk exposing themselves on the highest points? Why else... the urge to procreate. My suspicions were confirmed early in the dive when I was able to film one of them actually spawning... a female rising up on her five arms to release her eggs. OI think I'll go back in tonight to see if I can film more.
Last night I did another of my regular summer night dives. I had some expectations regarding what I might find and film... but they were quickly relegated to lower priority within the first 10 ft. I started seeing the brittle star Ophioderma panamense all over the upper surfaces of the rocky reef.. Normally these critters live under rocks for protection from hungry predators like sheephead. So why would they risk exposing themselves on the highest points? Why else... the urge to procreate. My suspicions were confirmed early in the dive when I was able to film one of them actually spawning... a female rising up on her five arms to release her eggs. OI think I'll go back in tonight to see if I can film more.
