UK Diving » Cley Exhibition Weekend September 07 » Early morning on the Vera

To get a dive in before we were on gallery duty we had to be up very early, impressively we were joined by Toby who shamed us by driving up while we just staggered out of our tent. The only real surprise on the wreck was that 'all of a sudden' there were big areas of mussels - which must have been uncovered by the sea or hungry animals.

The high tide was very early on the Vera	It was dark and the moon was still visible as we kitted up	I'd forgotten my hood but Toby was easily tricked out of...	No seal to keep us company this time, just seabirds	The water had got colder but this Hermit crab - Pagarus...
This hermit has secured a home he can barely move	There were still slugs about, though we only saw examples...	Their dreadlocks get more complex as they grow larger,...	The mussel - Mytilus edulis - beds must have been hidden...	Once uncovered they are very colourful and varied
They provide a home and hunting ground for many of the...	Elegant anemones - Sargatia elegans - live amongst them...	... and Common Starfish - Asterias rubens - feed on them	Given every small starfishes ravenous appetite it's no...	The Common sunstar - Crossaster papposus - can grow much...
The mussels aren't as helpless as they appear, here one...	Crabs collect a fair ammount of stuff as they go, the...	Here's a shiny freshly moulted Edible crab - Cancer...	The anemones were still out in force, small Plumose...	In fact they were actually becoming even more numerous...
Maybe they were happily feeding on the brown blobs?	I like these mother and child groups, the new anemones...	The Common prawns - Palaemon serratus - were hard to...	When diving in Norfolk you're never far from the red eyes...	Dahlia anemones - Urticina felina - dot the sediment...
But they are vastly outnumbered by the many, varied...	The Peacock fanworms - Sabella pavonina - were out in...	Each ray of the famworm's feeding headdress has yet finer...	Although apparently delicate they need current to bring...	The transparent polyps of Dead Mens Fingers - Alcyonium...
Similarly these Skeleton shrimps - Caprella linearis -...	When they aren't having arguements...	Or playing with their food/neighbours	Sand gobies - Pomatoschistus minutus - are near invisible...	Often people only see them when they dart away as they...
They don't really like to go very far so if you hang...

36 Images | © JAlbum & Chameleon | Help