Temperate Oceans

Copper Rockfish portrait

Sebastes caurinus Point Lobos, California

Kelp Forest Anemones

Carmel, California

Hopkin's Rose Nudibranch

Okenia rosacea Monterey, California

Blackeye Goby

Rhinogobiops nicholsii Normally seen resting on the sea floor, I was surprised to find dozens of these gobies hovering in the water column, with every fin extended to the maximum extent. I must have stumbled on some type of courtship display. The goby is quite beautiful in this position. Monterey, California

Red Octopus

Octopus rubescens This small octopus nearly went unnoticed as it tucked itself away between the arms of a Giant Sea Star. Monterey, California

Sunflower Sea Star

Pycnopodia helianthoides Carmel, California

Horned Aeolid Nudibranch

Hermissenda opalescens Monterey, California

Hermit Crab

Carmel, California

Lingcod

Ophiodon elongatus These large toothy fish make for great anchors in a kelp forest or temperate ocean wide angle image. Their behavior underwater can sometimes be like that of a curious or needy puppy, making them a welcome addition to any dive. Carmel, California

Juvenile Cabezon

Scorpaenichthys marmoratus Monterey, California

Speckled Sea Lemon Nudibranch

Peltodoris noblis Carmel, California

Kelp Corridor

A narrow passage in a shallow kelp forest of the Aleutian Islands is lined with vibrant aglae and sponges. Nizki Island, Western Aleutians, Alaska

Temperate Reef

A fairly typical kelp forest/rocky reef scene on the Central California coast consists of a variety of algae, multitudes of colorful encrusting sponges, bryozoans, tunicates, and coralline, as well as large anemones and other invertebrates, this the big Sheep Crab pictured here Carmel, California

Smoothhead Sculpin

Artedius lateralis Monterey, California

Blue Lingcod

Ophiodon elongatus Carmel, California

Green Urchins and Kelp

Herbivorous Green Sea Urchins are voracious predators on macroalgae in kelp forests. Without predators like sea otters to keep urchins in check, they will make quick work of any kelp and other algae around, creating a ecological shift from a very diverse kelp dominated system to a species-poor urchin barren. Ogliuga Island, Western Aleutians, Alaska

Horned Aeolid Nudibranch with egg ribbons

Hermissenda opalescens Monterey, California

Red Octopus

Octopus rubescens Monterey, California

A Study in Phycology

An incredible kelp forest, packed with nearly every type of algae imaginable, and home to a school of juvenile Pacific Cod. Nizki Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska

California Berthella

Berthella californica Not just a white blob, but a luminous and radiant species of side-gill slug, a close relative of the nudibranchs. Carmel, California

Horned Aeolid Nudibranch

Hermissenda opalescens Monterey, California