My First Alaska Nudibranch!
Archidoris Montereyensis Well, it was only a matter of time, but I finally found my first nudibranch in Alaska! I've been asking the guides every time they snorkel (which is once a week usually) to find and bring back a nudibranch to no avail. But this week I took a turn at the treasure hunt and set myself up for success by planning our snorkel for a pinnacle rock jutting out in the middle of the mouth of freshwater bay, aptly named Heidi Rock. When I first jumped in it was an underwater cacophony of colors. Sea stars, sunflower stars, sea anemones, sea urchin, flowing kelp, drifting jellies, and sea cucumbers litters the rocky underwater surface. This snorkel spot blew all others out of the water that I've seen so far in Southeast Alaska. I had three intrepid snorkelers with me and was ecstatic that they were witnessing this cold water spectacle. We even had a few underwater swim by's from a couple of curious harbor seals. About thirty minutes into ...