Dives #507 - Cottam Point - 14 September 2021

Raced through the last proof-read of my last comprehensive exam (!!!) and went diving. Cottam Point dives are rare due to tides and stairs, so I wasn't going to miss this one. Glad I didn't, because there was a GPO WITH EGGS!!! (only the 3rd I've seen in 507 dives). Also the most massive Giant Pink Star I've ever seen. And a 6-ray and a 7-ray leather star.

I saw a lot of Pacific Blood Stars with pink ray pits - obviously a genetic thing in this population. I love the GPOs at Cottam, because they're really messy and the dens are obvious. We saw a couple. Juvenile PSKC. Lots of urchins with fun hats. 2 big cabezon, including one under a rock with a lingcod friend that charged at me when I got too close. I got a really good photo of a wee little painted greenling tucked among the orange zoanthids.

A few wasting sea cucumbers here and there, but nowhere near as many as Dolphin.

Posted on 20 de setembro de 2021, 05:47 AM by leftcoaster