Tag Archives: Octopus

Sea Creatures

Just a few photos of the creatures we share the sea with. Future web posts will have some of our smaller creatures.

Octopus close encounter
Octopus Close Encounter

A close encounter of the octopus kind! This is one of my favorite creatures. They are incredibly smart and very adaptive. They change colors depending on their mood or environment.

Barracuda Belize
Barracuda

Large barracuda like this guy usually swim around alone. When they are small you will see them in large schools. They have large sharp teeth and the unwarranted  reputation as being dangerous. I have been in the water with them hundreds of times and have found them to just be curious. If you catch one on a fishing line… getting him off the hook could be dangerous. This was taken in Belize.

Caribbean Reef Shark
Caribbean Reef Shark

Caribbean reek shark. I love diving with sharks. They are fun to photograph and add an element of excitement to any dive. This guy and his pals were keeping us company on a dive. There are really only a few species that are of much concern to divers.

Lemon Shark Bora Bora
Lemon Shark

Lemon shark in Bora Bora. This was a large pregnant shark about ten feet long. She was a little far away for the photo and kept her distance. The photo shows how well they blend into the surroundings. You look into the distance and see nothing and then suddenly they are there. We saw several sharks of the same size on this dive but only a few came close to us.

Pamela Marchetti 70 feet down Bora Bora
Pamela Marchetti

This is my wife, Pamela, diving in Bora Bora at about 70 feet down. The water is warm enough that you do not have to use a wet suit but keep in mind that in the ocean there are lots of little stingy things that can get you. I learned that lesson with fire coral many years ago. Clear warm water with lots of fish… just like an aquarium.

California Spiny Lobster - Panulirus interruptus
California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) in Casino Point Scuba Park, Santa Catalina, California
Garibaldi damselfish - Hypsypops rubicundus
Garibaldi damselfish (Hypsypops rubicundus) is the state fish of California and is prevalent in the shallows around Santa Catalina Island, California
Green Abalone - Haliotis fulgens
Green Abalone, Haliotis fulgens, is a species of large edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk, found in the Casino Point Scuba Park, Avalon, Santa Catalina.
California sheephead - Semicossyphus pulcher
California sheephead exposing his teeth against the backdrop of the kelp forest in Casino Point Scuba Park, Avalon, Santa Catalina.
Diving Cormorant
Cormorant diving for dinner in Casino Point Scuba Park, Avalon, Santa Catalina
California moray - Gymnothorax mordax
California moray (Gymnothorax mordax) is a moray eel of the family, hiding in a crevasse in Casino Point Scuba Park, Avalon, California