Tag Archives: Abalone

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Dash gets around and he loves noticing Nature. At the recent minus tides, Dash pointed out this Abalone which had been left high and kind-of-dry during the low tide event.

The Abalone looked healthy. It was waiting for the tide to return and perhaps bring some kelp for it to eat. I see another Abalone in this photo, under the reddish kelp in the upper right corner.

In the next photo, there is a lot going on! Chris photographed an Abalone with a Crab possibly trying to attack it. A big Ocher Star, Mussels, Purple Urchins, Turban Snails, and a Sea Anemone. Looks like a party, an intertidal party!

And here's a bonus photo of Dash, enjoying the Douglas Iris blooming at Gualala Point Regional Park. This time he was with his dad, John Wall.

Thanks to Chris and John for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

We had rain yesterday late afternoon. 0.15 inches in our rain gauge, 49.70 inches season to date. 50 inches is our average so this is good news for those of us on wells.  Today is sunny but there is a very strong breeze. There is no reason to brush your hair if you are outside today on the windy Mendonoma Coast!

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Here are two videos Jack Likins recently took while diving near Arch Rock Road in The Sea Ranch. He entitled one “the good” and the other “the bad.” Jack wrote, “The one clip shows some of the good, almost environmental normal, areas with healthy vegetation and sea life; and the other clip shows the same general area where the Sea Urchins are taking over.” Jack tells me that Sea Urchins have taken over the deeper waters, twenty feet and deeper. Here's a photo taken by Roger Rude of several healthy Abalones.

The Good, a healthy intertidal zone by Jack Likins

 

And here is the "bad," the ocean floor taken over by purple Sea Urchins.

Jack wrote further, “The remaining Abalone have moved into depths less than 20 feet where there is kelp [food] that the urchins haven't eaten.  I don't think the urchins like the shallower water because they can't hang onto the bottom in the rougher shallow and intertidal areas.  I'm not seeing much bull kelp but am seeing boa, giant and palm kelps, mostly in the shallower water.  I do see some short stalks of bull kelp underwater but it seems to me that the bull kelp is showing itself on the surface later and later each year, so we'll have to wait to see if it gets to the surface before the urchins eat it this year.”

There is some bull kelp to be seen off the north end of Gualala, but it is sparse. We hope the ocean can get back in balance. We know Sea Stars are recovering, so there's good news there.

Thanks to Jack for allowing me to share his videos with you here, and thanks to Roger for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

Sunny and warm at our place in Anchor Bay, though fog covers most of the ocean.

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Peter Baye went tide pooling during the last big minus tides. He was surprised to see such big and healthy-looking Abalones!

Peter wrote, “I don’t want to publicly identify the exact location, but I saw more large Abalone today in one area exposed at a foot minus tide. I counted 285 Abalone in the half hour before it got dark!"

Good news, we hope, for the health of the abalone off our coast. Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

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It hasn't been a good year for diving, as ocean conditions haven't been inviting. One day last month the ocean quieted down enough for several divers to get in a dive. Here's what Jack got after two hours of free diving.

jack-likins-finds-a-ten-inch-ablone-by-roger-rudeThanks to Roger Rude for allowing me to share his photo of Jack.

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I'll let Roger Rude tell the story. He wrote, “I was searching a rock structure in 20 feet of water when I came upon a rock gully. As it opened up below me, I could see some large abalones along a hole on the side. I dropped my ab iron, which was attached to a float connected to my dive board, and returned to the surface for air.

“On my next dive, I followed my float line back to the hole and measured three large abalones. I saw one more off to the side, nestled on the ceiling of the hole. This one clicked on my ten-inch gauge.” Roger retrieved his ab iron and easily popped it off the rock.

Roger wrote further, “At the end of my breath, I grabbed the ab and headed for the surface. On the surface I carefully measured it and confirmed it was over ten inches. This was my 40th abalone over ten inches, a small milestone towards the completion of my bucket list of a lifetime goal of 100.”

Roger Rude finds a trophy Abalone by Jack Likins

Here's a photo of one of Roger's other 39 trophy abalones. He looks pretty darn happy, doesn't he?!

Roger Rude with a huge Abalone by Jack Likins

Roger's diving partner, Jack Likins, has already recorded his 100th 10-inch abalone, considered trophy abalones, an amazing feat and Roger’s goal. Many divers never get a single trophy abalone. It takes skill, peak conditioning, intelligence and a dash of luck.

Roger took a video of finding the abalone in the first photo. You can see it here: https://youtu.be/auqn-MkmV7g

Thanks to Jack for allowing me to share his photos of Roger, and thanks to Roger for sharing his experience. Roger did tell me the abalone in the video did come off the rock amazingly easily.