This Fish is Always Around
The ever present garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus), our state marine fish, know they are protected. These fish will aggressively protect their territory. They are known to dart out of the rock to chase off divers, and even nip at those who fail to take the hint.
Safety Stop Activity
Here is another image of the diver looking at norris’ top snail (Norrisia norrisii) on giant kelp. Looking for little creatures hiding among the kelp is one of our favorite things to do during the safety stop.
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.
