Blue skies, clear calm water and semi-translucent fronds of kelp hiding other marine life … that’s a very promising start of a dive. Keywords: kelp forest “kelp forest” stalked “stalked kelp” frond fronds “kelp fronds” semi-translucent brown algae vegetation sea weed “sea weed” urchin “sea urchin” echinoderm Evechinus chloroticus “Evechinus chloroticus” kina grazing graze underwater undersea […]
I have no idea what kind of sponge this is. When I found it on the bottom of Mahurangi Harbour, I was attracted by its colour, shape and especially the translucency that made the supporting structure (endoskeleton) visible. Anyway, so far I could not find out what its name is. Keywords: sponge purple blue structure […]
I love temperate seas for their massive algae growth, for kelp forests, but especially for the invertebrate life of many colours and shapes. Invertebrates can be usually find in deeper water or in the shade of reefs where light cannot penetrate and they don’t have to fight vegetation. However, there are numerous places where strong […]
I am wondering how this beauty is wandering. I’ve read it detaches from the surface and uses its tentacles to crawl to a more suitable place … usually at night. I haven’t had the privilege to observe the phenomenon, anyway, I had a couple opportunities to watch the anemone to use water movement to travel […]
Cushion sea stars Patiriella regularis are usually not bright coloured. If they are they still have a certain dirty look. This one was different … colourful, bright and clean. It was a big surprise when I was returning from a winter dive in Otarawao Bay, Mahurangi Harbour. Keywords: sea star “sea star” starfish cushion “cushion […]
Kelp Ecklonia radiata dominates in northern waters of new Zealand. Though it is much smaller than giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera, bladder kelp in NZ) so it cannot form kelp forests similar to those in California or Tasmania, it creates fascinating habitats, especially in the areas with steep rocky reefs. Keywords: rocky reef “rocky reef” rock […]