Thing I.D.

M

mainmanpaul

Guest

Messages

27

Reaction score

0

Location

Orange County California

• May 20, 2005

• #1

Diving Shaws Cove and ran across a thing. Sorry for no picture and sorry for posting such a lame thread but the thing was really weird.
Brown in color with a slight pattern and about the size of a basketball, half of which is attached to a rock. You would think sponge maybe but it had a somewhat smooth surface that would recoil when I gave it a light poke with my finger. No openings, orifices, eyballs, tenicles, antenia etc.. just a big brown blob thing attached to a rock
Any Ideas?

 

S

scottfiji

Contributor

Messages

1,471

Reaction score

19

Location

santa monica

# of dives

• May 20, 2005

• #2

mainmanpaul:

was really weird

with a slight pattern

just a big brown blob thing

Click to expand...

Your powers of description amaze me.

 

MaxBottomtime

Contributor

Scuba Instructor

Divemaster

Messages

10,417

Reaction score

12,456

Location

Torrance, CA

# of dives

2500 - 4999

• May 20, 2005

• #3

Sounds like a plastic grocery bag. Ya shoulda brung it back.

 

Peter McGuinness

Contributor

Messages

252

Reaction score

0

Location

San Diego CA

• May 21, 2005

• #4

mainmanpaul:

\ just a big brown blob thing \
Any Ideas?

Click to expand...

Y'know, I think I saw one of those in the bottom of a coffee cup I had left in the garage for a month or so....

 

Frank O

Contributor

Messages

470

Reaction score

0

Location

South Pasadena, California

• May 21, 2005

• #5

mainmanpaul:

Brown in color with a slight pattern and about the size of a basketball, half of which is attached to a rock. You would think sponge maybe but it had a somewhat smooth surface that would recoil when I gave it a light poke with my finger. No openings, orifices, eyballs, tenicles, antenia etc.. just a big brown blob thing attached to a rock Any Ideas?

Click to expand...

The only brown things about the size of a basketball that I can remember seeing around Laguna are colonies of sandcastle worms. These don't have just a "slight" pattern, though, and I wouldn't call them "somewhat smooth" -- they have channels of tubes cut into them that house the little worms that are mostly invisible from a distance, but which recoil if you come right up to them. I think the worms build the masses out of sand. The first time I saw one I was reminded of brain coral in the Caribbean. Were there any odd lights in the sky just before you saw this? :11:

 

Frank O

Contributor

Messages

470

Reaction score

0

Location

South Pasadena, California

• May 21, 2005

• #6

Here's a colony of sandcastle worms at Shaw's ... as you can see, not smooth at all, but lots of tubes that the little worms live in ...

 

S

scottfiji

Contributor

Messages

1,471

Reaction score

19

Location

santa monica

# of dives

• May 21, 2005

• #7

I think it was a partially deflated basketball.

 

LegoPacific

Guest

Messages

100

Reaction score

0

Location

Southern Cal

• May 21, 2005

• #8

Moon sponge? There are a bunch of varieties.

See:
http://www.divebums.com/FishID/Pages/sponges.html

 

OP

M

mainmanpaul

Guest

Messages

27

Reaction score

0

Location

Orange County California

• May 21, 2005

• #9

scottfiji:

Your powers of description amaze me.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I warned you this was a lame thread

 

OP

M

mainmanpaul

Guest

Messages

27

Reaction score

0

Location

Orange County California

• May 21, 2005

• #10

Peter McGuinness:

Y'know, I think I saw one of those in the bottom of a coffee cup I had left in the garage for a month or so....

Click to expand...

With The set up I gave you guys "Brown... Smooth ... Blob" I was expecting much more in the way comebacks, but then again this is a family show.
Anyway, It was big and alive and most likely a sponge of some sort but it didn't have the texture or the openings you would expect. Think snot from a whale with a head cold. How big do Sea Hares get?