Good evening, everyone!
Today's post covers two days: yesterday and today.
After clear skies up until yesterday, the weather turned, and from just before evening it started looking rainy
here on Sado Island.
The weekend finally starts tomorrow, but rain is in the forecast, which is a shame.
We were diving on weekdays too, so we're grateful it was sunny, but we'd still really like sunshine on the weekend as well.
Both yesterday and today, we dived at Kitakoura.
Just when we thought the visibility had recovered a little the other day, it got slightly worse again.
It feels like a little over 10 m, and we'd love for the floating particles to clear out a bit more so the sea becomes crystal clear.
We'd at least like to write 15 m in our logbooks.
As for water temperature, there's a slight thermocline near the bottom offshore at 20℃, and everywhere else it's 21℃.
Considering conditions on land as well, a dry suit is extremely comfortable.
Right now is the most comfortable time of year for diving in a dry suit.
Some people still dive in wetsuits, but it may be about time to switch.
Fish life is still as abundant as ever.
The number of aji (horse mackerel) has dropped slightly, but if you go to the artificial reef, they're still going wild.
At Akaiwa and the shipwreck there aren't as many anymore, but right now juvenile isaki (chicken grunt) are schooling there, and they're adorable.
Those backs, striped like a baby wild boar
...
and those big round eyes. I really like them.
Seasonal visitor fish are gradually increasing too, and we can now reliably see yellow boxfish (minami hakofugu).
There are several at Akaiwa, so we've been able to see at least one of them.
Kinchakudai (bluestriped angelfish) have started showing up too, if a bit late, and we're seeing nenbutsudai (half-lined cardinalfish) that have grown into juveniles and young fish.
The shipwreck's famous isoginpo (a blenny) has an adult and a juvenile living close together, like a two generation household.
↑ This little one lives below this guy ↓
Partly because the water temperature has dropped slightly, nudibranchs are increasing.
Aeolid (mino) nudibranchs are showing up too, the kind that reminds you of spring (okay, that's an exaggeration).
This one is tiny, less than 1 cm long, but I think it's probably a species of aomino umiushi (blue dragon nudibranch).
Others that catch the eye include tsuruga chigo mino umiushi, joou mino umiushi, and inaba mino umiushi.
It's nudibranch season, arriving a little early.
Here are the sea conditions for the 13th and 14th.
Dive dates: October 13 to 14 (Thursday and Friday)
Dive sites: Kitakoura (Akaiwa), Mitate (Shipwreck)
Weather: Clear and sunny
Wave height: 0.5 m
Current: Somewhat strong
Underwater: 20 to 21℃
Marine life seen: kobudai (Asian sheepshead wrasse: old adult, female, baby), hanatatsu (a seahorse), isoginpo (a blenny), kokeginpo (a small blenny), himeginpo (a triplefin), bigfin reef squid (aoriika), school of aji, school of chagara (a goby), inada (young Japanese amberjack), oniokoze (devil stinger), neon damselfish (sorasuzumedai), nenbutsudai (half-lined cardinalfish), juvenile kinchakudai, juvenile yellow boxfish, striped beakfish (ishidai), black sea bream (kurodai), kijihata (red spotted grouper), Japanese rockfish (mebaru), largescale blackfish (mejina), ainame (fat greenling), amimehagi (a pygmy filefish), sabihaze (a goby), nishikihaze (a goby), young isaki, hoshinohaze (a goby), common octopus (madako) brooding eggs, sarasa ebi (a shrimp), a species of aomino umiushi, tsuruga chigo mino umiushi (a nudibranch), joou mino umiushi (a nudibranch), seto mino umiushi (a nudibranch), inaba mino umiushi (a nudibranch), shiroumiushi (a nudibranch), aoumiushi (a nudibranch), sarasaumiushi (a nudibranch), jibogaumiushi (a nudibranch), and more
《 November 13: Underwater Christmas, hosted by the Sado Scuba Diving Association 》
Now accepting applications!
The last underwater event in Sado this year
A lavish meal and a lottery where everyone wins
We're bringing the burner again this time!
