8/8/2009 - Twenty Arms Of Death Star

One of the favorite prey of the Sunflower star, Pycnopodia helianthoides is the Rainbow nudibranch Dendronotus iris. They are not to be found at Marineland currently, but I saw severel dozen Sunflower stars today. I wondered why they were here until I realized that sea hares are mating now. There are piles of sea hare orgies everywhere in the kelp, and sunflower stars near every holdfast. I found one consuming breakfast.
My favorite part of the dive was finding a nudibranch, Facelina stearnsi on Our Lady of the Garden. I put the statue there nearly three years ago and have watched her grow into a healthy artificial reef. She has tunicates in her eyes, bryozoan, anemones and algae covering her body but today was the first time I've found a nudibranch on her.
While feeding Abby I was mobbed by a pesky orange fish. I'll get even with him tomorrow. A flatworm, Prostheceraeus bellostriatus was feeding next to Abby, but the surge prevented me from getting any decent shots.
Entry and exit were very easy in the less than one foot surf this morning. Water temperature was 52F at the Point, with six to eight feet of vis and a good amount of surge.