New Reef, New Nudibranch

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MaxBottomtime

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
10,403
Reaction score
12,431
Location
Torrance, CA
# of dives
2500 - 4999
It feels like I haven't dived in a year. Two weeks ago our gear was not back from the shop yet. Last weekend we visited Merry's Mom in Phoenix and took in a spring training game between the Angels and Dodgers. There was a building swell this afternoon but we were diving no matter what.
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Mike Trout hits a long homerun to center


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Andre Ethier singles


We dived a small reef near Pt. Vicente first. I had never dived here, but we see fishing boats on it all the time. I expected to see rockfish, calico bass and halibut, but found only a couple of small sheephead and a sand bass. You can certainly tell the difference between this reef and the reefs inside the MPA off Pt. Vicente. The lone highlight for me was finding a new nudibranch, Red-headed aeolid, Noumeaella rubrofasciata. Merry and Kevin found several other species on the surrounding rocks and up in the kelp.
Visibility was very nice but the swells had begun picking up before the end of the dive. We packed up and headed for the more protected Golf Ball Reef.
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Noumeaella rubrofasciata


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Felimida macfarlandi


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Limacia cockerelli


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Felimare porterae


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Serpula columbiana


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Tiny serpent star


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Octocoral, Clavularia sp.


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Phoronids, Phoronis vancouverensis


Visibility was even better at GBR, but the swells picked up here as well. I guess tomorrow will be another dry day. At least my gills haven't dried out.
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Juvenile vermilion rockfish, Sebastes miniatus


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Swell shark egg


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Small sea cucumber disguised as a football


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Cadlina luteomarginata


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Hermit crab wearing a Doriopsilla albopunctata hat


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Berthella californica laying eggs
 
Wow. Nice.

I really enjoy these, and look forward to seeing each new post featuring your macro shots.
 
Love the cadlina with the lifted margin. And I didn't think there were ANY Pacific nudibranchs you hadn't seen?
 
There are nearly 200 species identified from Alaska to Baja, and experts suggest that there may be that many undiscovered. I'm only up to around seventy. :(
That give me yet another reason to keep diving! :)
 

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