Dive #462 - Madrona - Maze and Big Wall - 3 February 2021
First ling cod egg mass dive of the year, and we found one pretty quickly in the Maze. Swam out to the Big Wall, where we found the two GPO Buds in their crack, close to one another. A couple of healthy looking sunflower stars. Sailfin sculpin. I was photographing a yellow-eye rockfish when I saw J's light - a big GPO was out hunting. Same Y-E rockfish I was trying to photograph earlier in the season with S? Same octopus? We watched it hunt for awhile - it didn't care we were there - and then went into deco. Came up to a cod and a Pacific Staghorn Sculpin. Found some late-season kelp greenling eggs with good development. Red Irish Lord. C-O Sole. Aleutian Moonsnail. Pacific Batwing Seaslug that was swimming and settled on the sand. Buffalo Sculpin. English Sole.
Near the end of the dive, in the shallows, we found a big lingcod in a cloud of reproductive fluids. I think it was a female who'd just layed eggs, based on her concave belly. J thought it was a male fertilizing. There was a sneaker male nearby. The big lingcod just layed on top of the egg mass, looking tired. Pretty neat to witness.
Observations
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Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Sand Star (Luidia foliolata)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Ribbon Worms (Phylum Nemertea)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Kelp Greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Pinto Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana)Observer
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Location obscured to protect species, available upon request
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Rhinoceros Crab (Rhinolithodes wosnessenskii)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Lineus spatiosusObserver
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Pacific Blood Star (Henricia leviuscula)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Armed Hermit Crab (Pagurus armatus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Roughback Sculpin (Chitonotus pugetensis)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Slime Star (Pteraster tesselatus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Rainbow Star (Orthasterias koehleri)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Noble Dorid (Peltodoris nobilis)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Painted Anemone (Urticina grebelnyi)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Orange Zoanthid (Epizoanthus scotinus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Sailfin Sculpin (Nautichthys oculofasciatus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Kelp Greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Pacific Staghorn Sculpin (Leptocottus armatus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Arctic Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Kelp Greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Red Irish Lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Copper Rockfish (Sebastes caurinus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Pile Surfperch (Phanerodon vacca)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Quillback Rockfish (Sebastes maliger)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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C-O Sole (Pleuronichthys coenosus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Aleutian Moonsnail (Cryptonatica aleutica)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Pacific Batwing Seaslug (Gastropteron pacificum)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
This one was swimming, and then settled on the bottom
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Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Buffalo Sculpin (Enophrys bison)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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English Sole (Parophrys vetulus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
Starry Flounder?
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Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Orange Sea Cucumber (Cucumaria miniata)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Giant Pink Sea Star (Pisaster brevispinus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Northern Kelp Crab (Pugettia producta)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Helmet Crab (Telmessus cheiragonus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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California Spot Prawn (Pandalus platyceros)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Slime Star (Pteraster tesselatus)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Lewis' Moon Snail (Neverita lewisii)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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Northern Leopard Dorid (Diaulula odonoghuei)Observer
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Night dive at Madrona Point Maze and Big Wall
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