Good evening, everyone!
Today was forecast to be sunny from the morning, but before noon we ended up diving with occasional snow
flurries drifting down.
In the afternoon the sky turned a lovely blue, and it was comfortable out in the sun.
But there was a bit of wind, and once we headed offshore, the north wind
felt cold.
As for the sea: just as the weather on land started to give us a little hint of spring, it arrived right away.
This time of year.
Yes, that thing that inevitably comes to the coasts of Honshu this season.
The “spring cloudiness” has begun.
It happens every year, so it can't be helped, but it's come a little early.
For a while now, we'll have to put up with less than ideal visibility.
But even when visibility is poor, there are ways to enjoy it, and if you focus on the tiny stuff, you can still make it work in this visibility.
So from now on, we'll be guiding you with a focus on the tiny stuff.
Today, without knowing the visibility had gotten worse, we chose the “Shipwreck” and “Akaiwa,” sites that are much nicer when the water is clear.
The shipwreck has a slightly eerie feel when it's dark, you know.
Even more so when the bottom takes a long time to come into view.
At Akaiwa, the adult hakofugu (boxfish) we came across the other day was still hanging in there!
It has picked up a few more scratches, so it looks a bit risky, but it's still moving around normally!
If it can hold out like this for another month and a half, it might finally make it through the winter, and we're hoping it does!
We really hope it keeps going strong.
And speaking of signs of spring, baby hoteiuo (smooth lumpsucker) have already appeared!
Several have been confirmed at Akaiwa and Nagate.
I thought they were still in the thick of egg guarding, but it seems they've already hatched.
They're still very small, but you can already see their distinctive markings.
Please come and see them!
Nudibranchs are increasing too, mainly the aeolid (mino) types.
The seaweed is growing as well, so they seem to be swarming all over it.
As for the kobudai (Asian sheepshead wrasse) that appeared on NHK the other day, today the whole crew was there, and both the boss and the number two were asleep.
The boss was sleeping in a different spot than usual today.
I wonder if they change sleeping spots in winter...
Here are the sea conditions.
Dive date: February 19 (Saturday)
Dive sites: Kitakoura (Akaiwa), Mitate (Shipwreck)
Weather: Sunny
Wave height: 0.5 m
Current: Weak
Underwater: 9℃
Marine life seen: kobudai, adult hakofugu (boxfish), baby hoteiuo, kijihata (red spotted grouper), Japanese rockfish (mebaru), kokeginpo (a small blenny), kawahagi (threadsail filefish), a species of kajika (sculpin), sakura mino umiushi (a nudibranch), emura mino umiushi (a nudibranch), fujiera mino umiushi (a nudibranch), miyakoumiushi (a nudibranch), shiroumiushi (a nudibranch), aoumiushi (a nudibranch), and much more
