Palos Verdes Greenwater Diving – February 26, 2021 on the Giant Stride

Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA — February 2021

After almost 10 years of not seeing many midwater jellies, we heard a rumor that they had returned. So of course we went to check it out, and were excited to find an interesting array of pelagic drifters over 2400 feet of blue-green water.

added 3/8/2021

Diving Palos Verdes – Winter 2020-2021 So Far…Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA — December 2020 - February 2021

Three winter outings on the Giant Stride delivered lots of teeny bug-like amphipods and isopods as well as some beautiful less-commonly-seen nudibranchs. And of course, plenty of cold, green, surgy water.

added 2/8/2021

Bottletail and Bobtail Squids Bury Themselves in the Sand

Indonesia, Philippines and Papua New Guinea — 2012-2019

Bottletail and bobtail squids are small cephalopods found in many of the world’s oceans. They are nocturnal and spend the daytime buried in the sand. At night they come out to forage, and if disturbed by your dive light, they will bury themselves so that only their eyes exposed. 

added 12/10/2020

Burrowing Brittle Stars Transport Food Along Arms

California, Indonesia and the Philippines — 2013-2017

Burrowing brittle stars bury themselves in sand or rubble bottoms with two or three legs sticking up. They use the protruding legs to filter feed, then sequentially flex their tube feet to transfer the food particles down along the arms and into their mouths.

added 11/7/2020

Palos Verdes Dives – October 2020 from the

Giant Stride

Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA — October 2020

Two more dive days in October brought us more of the usual Palos Verdes subjects: nudibranchs, snails, skeleton shrimps, juvenile pinto abalone and other small invertebrates.

added 11/7/2020

Amphipod Attacks Pteraeolidia Eating Its Hydroid Home

Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia — July 2015

Colorful flea-sized amphipods can often be found living on flower-like hydroids on the sandy slopes of the Indo-Pacific. Unfortunately for the amphipods, these hydroids are a favorite food of several nudibranchs. Here, one plucky little amphipod tries in vain to defend his hydroid home.

added 10/17/2020