Plethora

Darn, the kettle in my room is not working this morning.  But I took it to the office, and they said they would replace it for me.  At breakfast, Anouk recommended a cool Japanese based website called Sea Slug World that gives great information about nudis.  I am going to start referring to it.

https://en.seaslug.world/

Pirjo worked hard last night on the list for our boat and in the morning I added my few more.  We got it to Jim 5 minutes before the deadline.

I showed my Trapania darvelli at the morning session.  Mike gave me a little advice… I need to up my shutter speed 1/200.

Also, I have not been using my diffusers on the strobe.  In fact I left them at home.  I should think about bringing/using the diffusers next trip

I need to download Jim’s most recent book from frogfish thumb drive as well as the scientific papers from Terry.

The blackwater dive was delayed to tomorrow night.  I am good with that.

Drumroll please, the slug count overall for the group was74 total.  That is pretty low… but we only had two dives yesterday vs. four usually on the first day.

Our first dive was at New Beth.  It was pretty good, but still was not the original Bethleham.  Afterward, I was hovering near the surface and some sticky blackoil got in the braid in my hair.  Ew… then it got all over my neck.  So disgusting.  I would rather not have to wear a hood all the time, but it may come to that.  

I felt pretty cool on the second dive and found good stuff on my own.

After the second dive, I washed my braid and my neck and the oil came out pretty easily.

I ate lunch with Mario and shared with him that I used to work on Liveaboards.  He is interested in working in the industry.

I half listened to Mike’s photo editing/processing session in the afternoon.

He went through some Photoshop tricks.  I should consider the Topaz AI Package (including Sharpening Tool) looks insane.  I was pretty impressed by a Nembrotha example he showed.  It is a different app all together… Edit In Topaz and then launches it.

I got distracted in the photo room and I FORGOT to put my cap back on.  So scary!  My housing even went in the rinse tank.  Luckily nobody hit the red button and the vacuum seal stayed in tact.  I noticed that it was missing only once it got loaded on to the boat.  Gah!  But at least I noticed before we left.  So I ran back to get it… dried it off and put it on.  The light was still green.  Somebody is looking out for me.  I pledge to NEVER do that again.  Whoa.

I ate dinner with Mike and told him my tale.  He said that he’s had many divers who lost their cap and have taken their camera/housing diving anyway.  He also said they flood it every time.  So I’m lucky.  

He also said that I should go back to my old strobes for blackwater… these are not meant for blackwater.  Ugh.  I didn’t bring them but at least I still have them at home and they are still working.  He is doing a Blackwater week in Cozumel in August.  Hmmm…

Slug Count

47 - Odontoglaja guamensis

48 - Hypselodoris maculosa

49 - Coryphellina lotos

50 - Goniobranchus kuniei

51 - Hypselodoris paradisa

52 - Phyllidiopsis annae

53 - Pelagella felis

54 - Caloria indica

55 - Cadlinella ornatissima

56 - Coryphellina sp.

57 - Phyllidiella lizae

58 - Hypselodoris purpureomaculosa

59 - Polycera sp. 3

60 - Sagaminopteron psychedelicum

61 - Unidentia sp. 4

62 - Hypselodoris bullockii

63 - Hypselodoris roo

64 - Nembrotha chamberlaini

65 - Thecacera picta

66 - Discodoris lilacina

67 - Jorunna funebris

68 - Phyllidia picta

69 - Phyllidiella nigra

70 - Hypselodoris skyleri

71 - Chelidonura amoena

72 - "Taringa" halgerda

73 - Miamira sinuata

Kick Off

I woke up early today.  And there is a kettle in my room now so I can have coffee here and read and relax and even have WiFi.  I used to have to get ready and trek down to the dining room for all of this.  It’s nice… and the birds are singing cute little songs outside.

We dove two dives in the morning, but these don’t count as the workshop did not yet officially start.

The workshop kicked off at 1pm-ish.  We had to wait for Jim as his morning dives went long.  Mike kicked off by saying we all had to go back to immigration in manila to get our passports stamped.  He was very serious.  Silence from everyone…

April Fools!!!

As Mike announced Jim he played some bagpipe music and some pumped up music for Terry.  We learned that there are 1200 slugs found in this area.  Last year the group found 454 species.

This is the sixth year for the Anilao Nudibranch Citizen Science Workshop and Jim will be graphing it all.

Learned the process of providing our species.  We have to provide our list by 7:15am each day.  And if we want any shots in the review it should be on the frogfish by then too.

While getting ready for the afternoon dives, my housing battery stayed  I had to change the battery in my housing

Terry dove with our group on the first dive on Koala.

He has a license to collect nudis and carries a mesh bag with all his tools.  He collected one and has it out in salt water on the dive deck.  He thinks it might be a new one… possibly a Cratena of some sort?

I asked him if he had ever been confronted by a local for collecting and had to show his permits… and he has!  Can you imagine?

On the second dive of the afternoon, Pirjo lost her light and pointer… Rainer found it and brought back to her.  Mario had a cramp in his leg and had to go up early.  I was shooting a Trapania darvelli, and then lost the group.  Gah, the current was so bad that I had to go up early alone.  So sad.

At dinner, I pitched the idea of a reality tv show to Terry.  He loves the movie The Big Year too!  He said that the new NSSI3 version of the book will still be a year and a half out.

Georgina and I decided we are doing a blackwater dive tomorrow night at 7pm Francis coming too.

On a personal note, I got a voicemail that my Grandmother’s youngest sister, Aunt Tee who is 97 years old is in hospice.  I am so sad.  She was a huge fan of my diving and would kick my ass in scrabble when I visited her in Ft Lauderdale. What a really special person.

I was too tired (and a little sad) to sit with everyone and review my photos.  I needed to sleep and do it in the morning.

Slugs for today…

12 - Glossodoris pallida

13 - Chromodoris strigata

14 - Doriprismatica atromarginata

15 - Chromodoris annae

16 - Mexichromis trilineata

17 - Phyllidiella pustulosa

18 - Ardeadoris angustolutea

19 - Chromodoris alcalai

20 - Nembrotha lineolata

21 - Goniobranchus fidelis

22 - Glossodoris buko

23 - Chromodoris sp. 2 (in Nudibranch ID App)

24 - Phyllidia varicosa

25 - Chromodoris lochi

26 - Phyllidia exquisita

27 - Chromodoris colemani

28 - Chromodoris michaeli

29 - Halgerda batangas

30 - Phyllidia coelestis

31 - Chromodoris willani

32 - Hypselodoris decorata

33 - Goniobranchus geometricus 

34 - Unknown (maybe Chromodoris sp. 2 in NSSI2 but missing white lines on the gills)

35 - Goniobranchus reticulatus

36 - Tenellia melanobrachia

37 - Hypselodoris variobranchia

38 - Hypselodoris tryoni

39 - Phyllidiella rudmani

40 - Thorunna furtiva

41 - Glossodoris acosti

42 - Goniobranchus verrieri

43 - Bermudella brunneomaculata

44 - Phyllidiopsis xishaensis

45 - Glossodoris cf. cincta

46 - Trapania darvelli