Marine Life of So Cal

Garibaldi

It's been awhile since I have been in the water, and I am really craving some nitrogen right about now, but I have a cold that has been kickin my ass for a week. So I thought I would post some pictures I have taken over the last 6 years in Southern California. This the state marine fish, Garibaldi. Aside from not tasting good, they are also protected, and they know it. They are not that afraid of divers and if you get to close to their egg nest they will try to fight you off. I've had them try to bit my mask.

Green Moray Eel

Despite their fearsome looks, they are really timid. People think of them as dangerous, well if you stick your hand in their mouth, yes they will bite you. I took this picture off of Catalina. You can also notice all the red rock shrimp hanging around him taking full advantage of their symbiotic relationship. He promises not to eat and keep the fish away if they eat the parasites.

Abalone

The abalone are finally starting to make a good comeback along the coast of California. Divers used to get them by the bag loads in the 70s and 80s. They were all but wiped out. Now that they are protected, you can see them more frequently. It took me 2 years of diving before I saw my first one. Now I see them all the time.

Octopus

The octopus is one of my favorite animals to see underwater. They are far more intelligent than you ever realized. And masters of disguise and escape. They mainly hunt at night, but you can see them during the day if you know where to look. I took this picture while shore diving in Laguna Beach at Shaws Cove.

Pacific Angel Shark

The most asked question from students when I'm teaching at Sport Chalet is "What about the sharks?" Truth is, ask any diver, and they will tell you they love to see sharks. Despite all the movie and tv hype, sharks are not aggressive. And sharks are not too fond of divers, we are so loud breathing underwater that they know where we are before we are even close enough to see them, and so we usually don't see them. But there are 3 types of sharks you can see regularly in So Cal. The angel shark is one of them. They like to lay in sandy areas and cover themselves. If they think you don't see them, you can get pretty close to them. The most common shark you will see is the horn shark. This little guy likes to lay on the bottom, usually in rocky areas. They get their name from the horn that is sticking out right infront of his dorsal fin.

The third type of shark you will see is the Leopard shark. I don't have any pictures of them. But they usually are 1 to 4 feet long and hang out in the very shallow water, especially in the eel grass. All of them are timid and non aggresive.

Scorpion Fish

These are cool fish to see, but also on of the few poisonous fish of So Cal. If you put your hand on their back and touch one of the spines on their dorsal fin you will wish you didn't. They like to hide out in the rocks, so you have to be careful where you put your hands, especially when lobster diving and trying to get that bug back in a hole. They are pretty docile and if you move slowly you can get close to them.

Sheep Crab

The biggest and ugliest crab you will find in So Cal is the sheep crab. I have seen one where his body was about a 18 inches across, and with those long legs, it looks even bigger underwater. Here's a tip, if you put one on your head to make your buddy and students laugh, you might want to rethink it. Atleast one that is big enough to wrap his legs around your head and pinch your neck.

Sea Lion

Sea Lions are the dogs of the ocean. They love to play and will come to divers looking for someone to play with. They will blow bubbles to be like you and hang around you for as long as they want. If you are taking pictures, be prepared to only get pictures of them, because they will scare off any and all other fish and marine life around you.

If you would like to see more pictures that I have taken around So Cal, Caribbean and Australia you can see them here.