East Pinnacles

Tucked inside Carmel bay, the East Pinnacles are home to a gorgeous collection of California hydrocoral and, on occasion, a staggeringly large school of blue rockfish.

Being ambush predators, lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) are relatively
tolerant of curious photographers. However, a fish that just sits on the bottom
often makes for a pretty boring picture. Thankfully, lingcod behavior is rather
predictable. With a little luck, one may be able to steer a ling into a desired
posture. This is one of my more successful examples of this. The biggest
challenge with such shots is getting the focus point correct. I have drawers
full of blurry lingcod pictures that I'm not going to show you. Another
difficulty when taking this kind of shot is that you usually only get one
chance. After that, the subject is sufficiently annoyed that you're going to
have a hard time getting close enough.

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    January 23, 2005






A scalyhead sculpin (Artedius harringtoni) that appears to be fairly
adept at crossing its eyes. This animal's camouflage is defeated by the backdrop
of California hydrocoral (Stylaster californicus). However, there is an
abundance of potential prey hiding within the hydrocoral branches which may make
the risk of venturing out into plain view one worth taking.

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    October 8, 2006






I love the way California hydrocoral (Stylaster californicus) spills over
this ledge. This is surely the shot that took the most attmepts before achieving
a presentable image. It doesn't look like a particularly difficult subject, but
the combination of turbulent water and the somewhat problematic geometry led to
a string of disappointing pictures. Interestingly enough, another photographer's
picture of this same patch of coral was one of the driving forces behind my
decision to take up underwater photography. And, coincidently, I acquired my
first housed camera from that photographer's spouse!

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    May 15, 2006






A somewhat drab lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) departs a crevice framed by
a leather star (Dermasterias imbricata) and an unidentified red sponge.

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    July 3, 2005






Cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus) rely heavily on camouflage. This
one, however, is easily spotted against a backdrop of California hydrocoral
(Stylaster californicus). These fish have something of a split
personality. Frequently, they bolt in terror when a diver is as much as 30 feet
away. At other times, even when it's quite obvious they've been spotted, they
seem perfectly happy to be an object of close inspection. Some of the most
extreme examples of this latter behavior occur in the early part of the year
when males establish their nests. The animal pictured here was not keeping watch
over eggs, but nonetheless seemed content to stay put. In July, when this
photograph was taken, East Pinnacles is overgrown with Eisenia and other
algae. This makes both finding interesting subjects and taking photographs a bit
more challenging. To take this particular shot, the photographer had to hold
back a bouquet of Eisenia fronds with his forearm at the same time as he
was positioning the camera and illuminating the subject with a cannister light.
It was more than just a little frustrating and was, in fact, the last straw that
led to the purchase of a real focus light which presumably allows for such
pictures to be taken while using only two hands instead of requiring three.

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    July 17, 2005






A young China rockfish (Sebastes nebulosus) nestles between a colony of
California hydrocoral (Stylaster californicus) and an unidentified red
sponge. One could say that this picture was actually several months in the
making. I had my eye on this sponge and hydrocoral colony for quite some time.
It's a striking background, but doesn't appear to be a particularly popular
hangout for interesting foreground subjects. Eventually, one day sunny July day
with pedestrian water clarity I ran across this cute little China. It should
have been a fantastic opportunity, but the heavy surge and the animal's
exceptionally skittish disposition made things difficult. The hole this guy was
using as refuge provided excellent protection from the glaring strobes of
inquisitive photographers, however it lacked a hideaway small enough to keep out
a lingcod or other predator. This might explain why I've not run across this
fish since my initial encounter. Interestingly enough, little is known about the
habits of juvenile China rockfish. In fact, there seems to even be some debate
about what very young ones even look like!

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    July 16, 2005






California hydrocoral (Stylaster californicus) and blue rockfish
(Sebastes mystinus).

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    January 22, 2006






California hydrocoral (Stylaster californicus) and blue rockfish
(Sebastes mystinus) cradle a sunburst. When shooting wide angle, cold
water photographers often prefer to look directly at the sun like this. While
the photographer may get a little bleary-eyed watching a backlit scene, the
camera's autofocus appears unaffected. The increased background light makes it
easier to achieve a picture with balanced lighting.

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    January 22, 2006






California hydrocoral (Stylaster californicus) is usually found in places
with high current or surge.  Like many hydrocoral pictures, this one was taken
as a "fly by" as the photographer rode the surge in a narrow channel between two
boulders.

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    December 18, 2004






Olive rockfish, (Sebastes serranoides) and blue rockfish (Sebastes
mystinus) often school together. In this photograph, one can see the
boundary between warmer, murky, plankton-rich water above and clearer, colder
water below. Fishwatching enthusiasts should note that olive rockfish appear
nearly identical to yellowtail rockfish (Sebastes flavidus).  A high
resolution version of this photograph was sent to rockfish expert, Dr. Milton
Love for identification.

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    July 3, 2005






This pocket of California hydrocoral (Stylaster californicus) extends
well beyond the edges of this photograph. It's easy to spend an hour or more
here, floating motionless as the surge sweeps you back and forth across the
pocket's features.

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    February 12, 2005






Bocaccio (Sebastes paucispinis), whose odd name derives from an Italian
description of their strange looking mouth, have suffered greatly from
overfishing. It is somewhat unusual for divers to see them, and quite unusual to
see two together like this.

    "East Pinnacles", Carmel Bay, California
    January 23, 2005



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