Good evening from Freeway's Sado shop!
We came across a winter specialty: the mizudako (North Pacific giant octopus)! With its arms spread wide, it's incredibly impressive.
The one we saw this time was about 1 m, but big ones apparently reach 2 m to 3 m. Real monsters! Every time, I agonize over how to take a photo that conveys their power. Today's photos were taken by a guest!
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We also saw hoteiuo (smooth lumpsucker) guarding eggs,
ainame (fat greenling) guarding eggs,
and kujime (a greenling) guarding eggs: 3 kinds of eggs in all.
For the ainame and kujime it's the tail end of the season, and it looks like the eggs will be gone by next week.
The hoteiuo have lots of freshly laid eggs, so there's still plenty to enjoy!
The winter sea is a cold, harsh world, but it's also a world where watching animal behavior is fascinating and you can feel the mystery of life. We're doing our homework so we can guide lots of you, and we look forward to seeing you!
Today's photos were kindly provided by our guest W. Thank you as always!
Today's dive sites: Ogi
①Oidonma
②Ryuodo
■Air temp: 8°C
■Water temp: 12°C
■Visibility: 10 to 15 m
■Notable marine life
• Mizudako ×2, hoteiuo (guarding eggs), kujime (guarding eggs), ainame (guarding eggs), yariika (spear squid) eggs, obi anahaze (a sculpin, spawning), chagara (a goby, in breeding colors), kinubari (a banded goby, juveniles), a school of okitanago (a surfperch), a school of kudayagara (tubesnout), a school of damselfish, nezumi umiushi, shiro umiushi, ao umiushi, hiro umiushi, and more
