Purple Dream
The pinnacles around Santa Barbara Island is one of the few places other than Farnsworth Banks and Gull Island where we can see colonies of purple hydrocorals (Stylaster californicus) in southern California. Although these colonies are smaller than the ones at Farnsworth, it is still a stunning sight. This is one of the reasons why I love diving at Santa Barbara Island.
Beauty of California Diving
Simply another wonderful day in the amber forest… Who dares to say California diving is dull and lacks color?!?!
Climbing Up
Norris’ top snail (Norrisia norrisii) is a medium sized marine snail commonly found from Point Conception to Baja California, Mexico. You can see several on the giant kelp in this image. These snails work hard… they climb up to graze on the giant kelp, and then they drop down to the sea floor to sleep at night. Next time you swim through a kelp forest, try looking for them.
How Many People Saw the Green Flash?
A group of divers enjoying a quiet moment watching the sunset in French Polynesia. Everyone was waiting to see the green flash, but only three saw the fleeting moment. It is a simple and precious moment that is easily overlooked in our busy city life. A liveaboard trip offers the time to relax and enjoy such a moment.
Bait Ball!
What a treat! It was around 6pm at Santa Barbara Island, and several sea lions were out playing and enjoying their dinner. I was getting hungry seeing the bait ball getting smaller… I wanted to go back to the boat and eat my dinner, but my urge to stay and watch them won over my hunger.
