Eli Wolpin
Vancouver, CA
Member since November 13, 2017
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Glass Sponge
Glass sponges in Howe Sound can be quite unique and are thought to be nurseries for slow growing rockfish. They have many folds where fish can hide from predators. This sponge is quite unique in that it opens up to a different form, atypical for the species.
Deep Clouds
I had spotted this cloud sponge on a previous dive. It was hanging off the rock face pushing out a few meters. Cloud sponges are a silica based species that feed by filtering water. This one was at a depth of forty five meters below the surface. At depth, it is pitch black.
Sailfin
On a night dive at Whytecliff Park, I found a juvenile sailfin sculpin out in the open. They usually hide in cracks to stay away from predators. You can see the unique "sail" raised above it's head.
Cave Life
I've never ventured underwater into a cave with a macro set up before, but thought it would be interesting to see the small stuff and know what species are in the cave environment of Wet Dream Cave. This amphipod is likely Stygobromus quatsinensis (quatsino cave amphipod). On a later dive, I collected a sample which I delivered to a biologist for study and identification. If positively identified, this will expand the known range of the species which is restricted to a few flooded caves on the North Pacific coast. It is small in size at only a few millimetres and fast moving. I had to constantly shift my camera around to capture it, sometimes moving to where I think it might go and hope it is within my depth of field, which was also only a few millimetres.
Looking Out
A squat lobster peers out from a cloud sponge. Cloud sponges, a unique silica based life form in Howe Sound, shelter a variety of species in their many folds.