During our first of three kelp forest excursions today, Courtney found a dead Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) while diving and she brought it to the surface in a collection bag.
We put in on the deck of Second Nature and had a closer look.
We did a quick dissection with a Swiss army knife and saw gills, guts and gonads (we think!). Kohtaro has more photos of the dissection which I will post later…
Friday 10 October and Tuesday 14 October, second year marine scientists did the annual field trip to the Nereocystis kelp forest at Fossil Point. This is one of the very best field trips we do in the IB Marine Science course at Pearson College. Divers get into the water with a camera that is tethered to a monitor on our boat ‘Second Nature’ so that non-divers can experience the kelp forest along with the divers.
Yam (below), Riikka and Tyleisha did the dive on Friday.
Stuart (below) and Martin (even further below) did the dive on Tuesday.
Martin getting instruction on how to use the camera…
…before rolling off of ‘Second Nature’.
The divers descend with the camera so that everyone on board can see what they see on the monitor in the cabin.
Sometimes we can also see the divers:
Non-divers are invited to snorkel around the surface of the kelp forest and have a wonderful time acting like sea otters.
Back on ‘Second Nature’ other students are doing various measurements…
and making observations…
Thanks to Courtney for making these 2 trips happen and to the divers, snorkelers, measurers, observers and photographers.
The first three clips were taken by snorkelling Steph (8 October 2013) and the last two videos are the raw footage from the dive that Lily and Lucas did at Fossil Point (10 October 2013).
On Tuesday 8 October and Thursday 10 October, second year marine scientists journeyed to a small kelp forest near Fossil Point.
Griffin & Ivan did a dive in the kelp on Tuesday, while Lily & Lucas (pictured below) went on Thursday.
Divers took a video camera with them that is connected via a cable to a monitor in the cabin of the boat so that students not in the water could see what the divers see, in real time.
We even saw a diver underwater: Lily in the photo below!
Several students also snorkelled to experience the kelp forest.
Some of the species observed include: bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) of course!, cross jellyfish (Mitrocoma cellularia), blood star (Henricia sp.):
Sunflower star (Pycnopodia helianthoides):
Hooded nudibranch (Melibe leonina):
A brittle star in a kelp holdfast:
And ochre stars (Pisaster ochraceus):
Two wonderful trips!
Suited up:
Getting the briefing from Erik:
Ready to roll:
In the water:
Thanks for this series of photos, Taylor!
Marine scientists in A block traveled to Fossil Point on Friday 5 October to explore the kelp forest. We arrived at Fossil Point and divers Gabbie & Laas got suited up and into the water.
While Gabbie & Laas were diving, five snorkelers got suited up and into the water.
Everyone saw lots of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana)…
Ela found a lion’s mane or hooded nudibranch (Melibe leonina) which we brought back to the Marine Science lab and it has recently laid eggs in a container in our seawater table.
And Laas surfaced with a giant Red sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus).
On Wednesday 3 October second year Marine Science students in F block travelled to Fossil Point to explore the Nereocystis kelp forest.
From the surface, various abiotic factors were measured.
And organisms were observed, including the Lion’s mane jelly (Cyanea capillata) below.
And a kelp crab (Pugettia producta) that was collected by Chris.
Seven students submerged themselves in the ecosystem using mask, snorkel & fins.
The hardest part was getting dressed…
Once in the water they seemed to really enjoy themselves…
Sammy managed to collect a holdfast:
It was difficult to extract the snorkelers from the kelp forest but we had to return to the College for lunch (we left the kelp there for the grazers – sea urchins, snails, fishes, etc.).
Second year marine science students went on a spontaneous field trip on the afternoon of 1 October 2012. We travelled to the green buoy in Pedder Bay where there is a tiny patch of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana). We pulled one of the kelps on to our boat and found a few very interesting organisms living amongst the blades.
Kelp crab (Pugettia producta) on bull kelp blades. This is an ovigerous (egg-bearing) female with a lot of algae & some barnacles on her carapace.
Notice her ‘cutting’ claws used to tear pieces of kelp.
A small decorator crab.
A northern clingfish (Gobiesox maeandricus).
And this very unusual looking bull kelp individual! Perhaps it is getting ready for halloween…
Pearson College Marine Science 