How to spot a nudibranch ? Please help...

[scubadog]

Some of the top underwater shots I´ve seen, have been of nudibranches. I´ve been looking for them for the past few weeks...nothing. I´m planning my first photographic dive next week, and would love to catch at least one of the little critters.

Basically, I´ve no idea what I´m looking for...or where to look.

Are there any give away signs...or best places, ie...reef, grass etc...

Pete...

[John Gulliver]

The best way to find them is to look at the things they eat, for example hydroids and the bryozoans on kelp fronds.

[Norseman]

Hey scoobidoobi

It took me 100 dives to spot my first nudie, although they've been there all the time.
Last dive I had i saw 5 different species.
I pointed out each and every one of them to my buddy, who'd never seen one. Coming up again he asked me what I was pointing at all the time, as he couldn't see a thing, just some snot.

Here's what I had to do:

- Change focus. In the beginning you have to search every square meter and do it rather meticulously in order to find them.
- When I started finding some I noticed what they were sitting on. Turns out that going for their food or shelter, as John said, is the best way to start looking for them.
- Nowadays it's a matter of spotting anomalies on the bottom or on that wall I'm diving. Something that's "not right"... there's a good chance it's a slug. And if that "weird stuff" isn't a nudie, well then there'll normally be one nearby anyway... cuz they're everywhere!
At least up here

Good luck in finding them,

Kyrre

[scubadog]

Thanks for the advice chaps...I can see this one is going to be fun...

[Norseman]

Don't want to hijack your thread Scubadog but yesterday while diving I tried noticing how I come to see the little creatures and found out I search out the obvious places first, then go on to scan the bottom in general. The last resort is turning the kelp leaves but that rarely leaves anything but normal snails and the odd nudie losing its grip and floating about with the current.

The "frilled" nudies can often be found around the stem of the kelp, very often close to the foot. This rather large one was doing just that. Don't know whether it was eating or sheltering in the slight current though. Rather interesting is the purple/lilac colour which doesn't really match with any nudies I've found in my "bible". Not without a purple body at least.



This one was rather out of place. Situated in a "bush" of some sort it did seem to be eating but it could also very well have been caught in the branches having been carried by the current. It did stand out rather well even though the vis was rather poor.



I also found a quadralineata which is quite common but at the same time difficult to photograph with its whiteish body. My pics always seem to get overexposed! Well this one was a bit out of focus but I just included it because it shows a bit of the rather typical nudibranch background. Up here you'll very often find them underneath small ledges, on the vertical bit, especially if there's a bit of foliage covering it.



Kyrre

[turbanator]

.. are those guys?
Most of the ones I've seen have been about 2-3cm. But at Kimmeridge I saw on that would have covered my hand, it was a crimson red colour and in seaweed of the same colour.

r
Paul

[Norseman]

Originally Posted by turbanator

.. are those guys?
Most of the ones I've seen have been about 2-3cm. But at Kimmeridge I saw on that would have covered my hand, it was a crimson red colour and in seaweed of the same colour.

r
Paul

Hmm.. I always find it diffucult to estimate the size of things under water but I can imagine the purple one was around 3 cm, maybe 4? Some of the ones we found yesterday weren't bigger than 1 cm while I've seen some bush-snails at around 15cm. I've shown these pictures before but they're the only ones that give you a bit of size comparison





Kyrre