Floating pelagic "icicle" that glows when disturbed?

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walkonmars

Contributor
Messages
162
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Location
Los Angeles
# of dives
200 - 499
Hi Folks,

For years I cannot get a definite answer to what this critter or plant is...
Sorry, I don't have photo. If anyone knows, please chime in.

Imagine an icicle looking critter that is about 6 to 8 inches long.
General shape is of a tapered cone from 1" in diameter to a blunted pointed tip on the other end. It has a slight bend about 1" off the straight axis.
This creature(or plant) is almost transparent clear with slight cloudy white appearance. On the surface it is not completely smooth but has small bumps and peaks 1/8 to 1/4 the diameter of the cross section and resembles a partly melted and damaged icicle. These were floating on the surface of the water and have a spongy feel when handled and squeezed with some felt internal structure. When these are disturbed/shaken in the dark they will glow a dim blue almost violet colored light. After shaking several times the glowing will stop. Someone on the boat said they may be tunicates that broke off rocks but these did not seem to have any opening or water channels nor empty internal pockets.

I found a bunch of these diving off San Clemente (or Santa Barbara) Island years ago.
I'm guessing it was a decomposing plant with living symbiotic glow capable bacteria living in the body.
I saw these around the years 2010-2012 and never have seen these ever again in spite of 300+ dives done off the islands since then. I should have asked the boat crew and taken a photo. Any ideas?
 
Pyrosoma atlanticum, a pelagic colonial tunicate.
Pyrosoma atlanticum
32531974913_de5bf148cd_b.jpg

 
Thanks a lot! I did not recall the opening on the bottom but it must have been there. The one I saw was in much worse shape than the example in the photo and video. This is a colonial tunicate, right? Thanks again for the help.
 
Based on the description (before the photos were posted), I might have suggested it was a "Charles River Whitefish". Sorry!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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