Looks like anchored baggie..What is it?

[HBDiveGirl]

Diving Catalina, Redondo, Palos Verdes: I keep seeing what looks like a thick, beige, light-bulb shaped baggie anchored in the sand (20 to 40 feet). It's about 6 inches long, about 3 inches across at widest part, about 3/4 inch across where it anchors in the sand, and it's dimly translucent. It flutters freely back and forth with the surge. It will not retract, even when touched. Feels like very firm jello "jiggler". Usually see just one, but saw two close together near Redondo canyon.
I can't find it in any of my critter books. Anyone know what it is? Eggs of some kind???
Thanks!

 

[archman]

Sea pen?

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Actually, we do have lots of sea pens around here but they don't look anything like this floppy light-bulb shaped thing. When the surge swings, it lays down flat with the water flow and flaps, then swings over to the other side and flaps flat on the bottom when the surge reverses. Our sea pens are flexible, but are thin and remain upright even in strong surge. Thanks for taking a guess!
Anyone else have an idea??

 

[archman]

For my next guess, I'll go with squid eggs. They have the texture and consistency you describe, as well as the colour.

 

[HBDiveGirl]

And it's a good guess, but....they don't look anything like the thousands of squid eggs I've seen in the Redondo canyon. Squid eggs are no bigger around than my thumb, occur in clusters of more than 30 usually, are rigid enough to not flop around in the surge, and occur much deeper (60-120 feet instead of 20-40). These "baggie" things are shaped like VERY floppy cartoon-style lightbulbs - narrow at the base and larger and bulbous at the top...about 6 inches tall and about 3 inches diameter at the top.
I keep laughing that these "thingys" are going to drive me to underwater photography just so I can show the picture around and finally find out what they are! I've only seen them on 4 out of 100 dives. It's a fun mystery...

 

[archman]

I'm running out of options... crud. California biota are not my area of expertise.

I'll go for polychaete egg mass next. Sometimes referred to as "sea snot". They are thin-membraned, translucent, and can get to several inches in diameter. They're frequently tattered, and do in fact resemble sandwhich bags in appearance. Colours range from white, yellow, tan, and grey. Usually they're encountered singly, or dispersed randomly within small areas.

I really should know more about these things. They're common as dirt in the Caribbean grassbeds.

Dr. Bill should pipe in. He dives like every day on the west coast.

 

[HBDiveGirl]

I'm running out of options... crud. California biota are not my area of expertise.

I'll go for polychaete egg mass next. Sometimes referred to as "sea snot". They are thin-membraned, translucent, and can get to several inches in diameter. They're frequently tattered, and do in fact resemble sandwhich bags in appearance. Colours range from white, yellow, tan, and grey. Usually they're encountered singly, or dispersed randomly within small areas.

I really should know more about these things. They're common as dirt in the Caribbean grassbeds.

Dr. Bill should pipe in. He dives like every day on the west coast.

Sounds like a match, Archman! Way to go....those are exactly the colors I've seen...they are always on sandy areas where polychaetes are common. Most have been pretty intact but one was very tattered.
Thanks for keeping the background-thinking working the problem for a couple of days!!

 

[nkw5]

Does it look like this picture? If so, it's a gelatinous egg mass of the polychaete Arenicola cristata. That's scientific lingo for lugworm eggs.

 

[archman]

I didn't know A. cristata was local in California. That's some pretty broad thermal tolerances. Never seen a live one myself, but I've got some pickled ones in my lab. They're not the most attractive worms. Racoons like to eat them.

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Does it look like this picture? If so, it's a gelatinous egg mass of the polychaete Arenicola cristata. That's scientific lingo for lugworm eggs.

It does look pretty much like this, perhaps narrower at the bottom where it enters the sand. A picture is definitely worth a dozen verbal posts. Thanks, nkw5!!! You and archman are a great brain-trust!

I'll have to go look up "lugworms" and A. cristata, and then look for the critter.
Happy diving to all!