Slugs!
Posted: Sunday, 11 May 2008 |
I love slugs. If i could hug one, i would, but these are no ordinary slugs - they are underwater slugs, otherwise known as nudibranches. Nudibranch means "naked lung", as these animals breathe through gills held on their backs wafted in the oxygen rich water. They come in every conceivable size and shape and colour, slowly munching their way over the algae covering of the huge artificial reefs in Scapa Flow. The largest found in UK waters is Tritonia hombergii (excuse the spelling) which can grow to around the size of a golf ball. More commonly they are tiny, anything from a speck you can barely see to a couple of centimeters long sometimes with fabby "dreadlocks" of all colours - these are the ones i like the best.
Anyhoo, i dived today on the wreck of the Coln which lies in 35m of water in the currently stunningly calm waters of Scapa Flow. These are my photos from the day...
This is right on top of the hull of the Coln and is a plumose anemone with his feeding arms more or less retracted. The anemone in the centre is about the size of your fist.
These ones have their feeding arms out
And this is a little fishie, i think its a goldsinny wrasse, but i best check and get back to you.
Anyhoo, i dived today on the wreck of the Coln which lies in 35m of water in the currently stunningly calm waters of Scapa Flow. These are my photos from the day...
This is right on top of the hull of the Coln and is a plumose anemone with his feeding arms more or less retracted. The anemone in the centre is about the size of your fist.
These ones have their feeding arms out
And this is a little fishie, i think its a goldsinny wrasse, but i best check and get back to you.
Comments
thanks for the lovely snaps ,DoaD,keep them coming please!
carol from over here
The fluffy ones are very Patricia-The-Stripper-ish!
Flying Cat from more nearly not here than before
it looks like a jewellers shop down there doesn;t it ... Don;t know if that's a function of the camera equipment, but everythings shiny and glittering colourfully, just like gems ... :-) Thanks also for answering my (missing) comment question from before, about nudibranches - what a lovely name they have ... :-)
soaplady from wishing she could scuba-dive ...
Doad, very fine photographs. Is the water usually so clear at this time of the year?
Barney from Swithiod down in the depths
Excellent pix,your new camera gives great results,and what a smart galley,fried seaslug for lunch? Cod is probabley better,but forbidden!
old git. from lesbury
The flow looks so clear in these pictures.
Muness from Fetlar
Spelling !! Koln not coln
Stupo00 from orkney
After coming to Orkney in May 2006 for 8 months, somehow I am still here. Running the MV Valkyrie in the summer and helping on the farm in winter is now my life. 
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