Tag Archives: Jack Likins

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Jack Likins took a video of the very healthy ecosystem off of The Sea Ranch, at Walk On Beach. Currently this public access is closed, but Jack took this video some time before the closures.

https://youtu.be/UvP2nVrqono

Here's a photo by photographer Ken Bailey of an Opalescent Nudibranch, a type of sea slug.

And in much happier times, when abalone diving was allowed, here are Jack and Ken over five years ago with Ken's three 10-inch Abalones. Sorry to say, there is no diving allowed  now, not because of the virus, but because the Abalones are in trouble due to the proliferation of Sea Urchins. The Urchins eat everything, including the kelp Abalones need for sustenance.

But seeing Jack's video gives me hope that the ocean can readjust and become healthy again. Look at those big Abalones! Look but don't touch. Thanks to Jack and Ken for allowing me to share the photos/video with you here.

We had a BIG storm overnight. From the back to back storms, we registered 1.70 inches in our gauge. The seasonal creek that crosses our land is back above ground and running - a glorious sight this morning.

Spring doesn't know...

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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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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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Mel Huse went diving with his friend, Jack Likins, recently and look what he found - a ten+ inch abalone!

Mel Huse with a trophy Abalone by Jack LikinsThat is one happy abalone diver! Thanks to Jack for allowing me to share his photo of Mel with you here.

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Local diver, Jack Likins, recently SCUBA dove at Stillwater Cover. He's one of the volunteers with Reef Check California. These divers collect data by doing invertebrate, fish, algae and habitat transects using SCUBA tanks. Here's a photo of Jack taken by David Hills.
Jack Likins scuba diving for Reef Check California by David HillsJack reports that the conditions at Stillwater Cover are pretty dismal. He didn't see much kelp, though he did see some big fish and plenty of abalones in deeper water - over 20 feet deep. He did find the abalones there were hungry. He waved a kelp frond in front of some abs, and they would 'jump' up and grab it.
He then took some of the volunteer divers to a spot off The Sea Ranch to dive for abalone. Of course no tanks can be used for that - it's free-diving only. Here's what Jack found, "Sea Ranch was a completely different story. The bull kelp and the shorter brown kelp is making a strong recovery with some nice thick patches. The abalones looked 'meaty.' The bad news is the purple sea urchins are still pretty dense, but there seems to be enough food for everyone. We didn't see many fish, but maybe because of the wind and currents, which made it hard to free-dive. There is still a lot of sand in areas that are usually rocky this time of the year.
"The Nature Conservancy has developed a website for recreational abalone divers to submit size data for the abalones they catch. The hope is that the data will be used by the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife to help manage our abalone fishery." People can check it out and submit data at https://tncfish.typeform.com/to/CzaLS3
To learn more about Reef Check California, here is the link to their website: http://www.reefcheck.org/california/ca-overview
Here is one of my favorite photos of Jack with a ten+ inch abalone. He was photographed among Naked Ladies, a non-native flower that many of us love.
Jack Likins finds a big Abalone by Roger Rude (Large)Thanks to David and Jack for allowing me to share these photos with you here.