Catalina Photos

California reef covered with purple hydrocoral (Stylaster californicus, Allopora californica), Farnsworth Banks.
Species: Hydrocoral, Allopora californica, Stylaster californicus
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37177  

Pacific torpedo ray Tetronarce californica, amidst huge schools of fish and baitfish, Farnsworth Banks, Catalina Island. This electric ray will shock the hell out of you if you are not careful.
Species: Pacific torpedo ray, Tetronarce californica, Torpedo californica
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37231  

Two Giant Black Sea Bass in a Courtship Posture, in Kelp at Catalina Island. In summer months, black seabass gather in kelp forests in California to form mating aggregations. Courtship behaviors include circling of pairs of giant sea bass, production of booming sounds by presumed males, and nudging of females by males in what is though to be an effort to encourage spawning.
Species: Giant black sea bass, Stereolepis gigas
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 39432  

Giant Black Sea Bass with Distinctive Identifying Black Spots that allow researchers to carry out sight/resight studies on the animals distributions and growth. Black sea bass can reach 500 pounds and 8 feet in length.
Species: Giant black sea bass, Stereolepis gigas
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 39433  

Giant black sea bass, endangered species, reaching up to 8' in length and 500 lbs, amid giant kelp forest.
Species: Giant black sea bass, Stereolepis gigas
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 33354  

Sunlight streams through giant kelp forest. Giant kelp, the fastest growing plant on Earth, reaches from the rocky reef to the ocean's surface like a submarine forest.
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 33433  

Garibaldi and golden gorgonian, with a underwater forest of giant kelp rising in the background, underwater.
Species: California golden gorgonian, Garibaldi, Hypsypops rubicundus, Muricea californica
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 23432  

Self portrait in kelp forest, Catalina Island.
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37274  

Aerial photo of the West End of Catalina Island.
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 25978  

California reef covered with purple hydrocoral (Stylaster californicus, Allopora californica), Farnsworth Banks.
Species: Hydrocoral, Allopora californica, Stylaster californicus
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37184  

Submarine Reef with Hydrocoral and Invertebrates, Farnsworth Banks, Catalina Island.
Species: Hydrocoral, Strawberry anemone, Allopora californica, Corynactis californica, Stylaster californicus
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 34187  

Garibaldi swims in the kelp forest, sunlight filters through towering giant kelp plants rising from the ocean bottom to the surface, underwater.
Species: Garibaldi, Hypsypops rubicundus
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 23419  

Huge mixed schools of fish on Farnsworth Banks, Catalina Island, California. A veritable fish storm of epic proportions centered on Farnsworth Banks was experienced by divers for a few weeks in 2021.
Species: Halfmoon perch, Medialuna californiensis
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37244  

Red gorgonian Leptogorgia chilensis, purple hydrocoral Stylaster californicus, and yellow zoanthid anemone Epizoanthus giveni, at Farnsworth Banks, Catalina Island.
Species: Red gorgonian, Hydrocoral, Givens Zoanthid, Leptogorgia chilensis, Lophogorgia chilensis, Allopora californica, Stylaster californicus, Epizoanthus giveni
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37251  

The rare yellow zoanthid anemone Epizoanthus giveni, in large aggregations on the Yellow Wall at Farnsworth Banks, Catalina Island.
Species: Givens Zoanthid, Epizoanthus giveni
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37270  

Red gorgonian Leptogorgia chilensis, purple hydrocoral Stylaster californicus, and yellow zoanthid anemone Epizoanthus giveni, at Farnsworth Banks, Catalina Island.
Species: Red gorgonian, Hydrocoral, Givens Zoanthid, Leptogorgia chilensis, Lophogorgia chilensis, Allopora californica, Stylaster californicus, Epizoanthus giveni
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37271  

Three Giant Black Sea Bass in a Courtship Posture, Hovering One Above the Other in Kelp at Catalina Island. In summer months, black seabass gather in kelp forests in California to form mating aggregations. Courtship behaviors include circling of pairs of giant sea bass, production of booming sounds by presumed males, and nudging of females by males in what is though to be an effort to encourage spawning.
Species: Giant black sea bass, Stereolepis gigas
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 39434  

A male giant sea bass nudges a female giant sea bass to encourage spawning as they swim in a tight circle. This courting pair of giant sea bass is deep in the kelp forest at Catalina Island. In summer months, giant sea bass gather in kelp forests in California to form courtship and mating aggregations, eventually leading to spawning.
Species: Giant black sea bass, Stereolepis gigas
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 39435  

Closeup Portrait of the Face of a Giant Black Sea Bass, showing parasitic sea lice. These parasites find their nutrition from the skin and blood of the host giant sea bass. Smaller fishes such as senoritas and wrasses will commonly clean the sea lice off the giant sea bass.
Species: Giant black sea bass, Stereolepis gigas
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 39436  

Red gorgonian Leptogorgia chilensis, purple hydrocoral Stylaster californicus, and yellow zoanthid anemone Epizoanthus giveni, at Farnsworth Banks, Catalina Island.
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 39540  

Three giant black sea bass, gathering in a mating/courtship aggregation amid kelp forest at Catalina Island. In summer months, black seabass gather in kelp forests in California to form mating aggregations. Courtship behaviors include circling of pairs of giant sea bass, production of booming sounds by presumed males, and nudging of females by males in what is though to be an effort to encourage spawning.
Species: Giant black sea bass, Stereolepis gigas
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 33355  

Giant Black Sea Bass with Unique Pattern of Black Spots at Catalina Island. The giant sea bass is an endangered species reaching up to 8' in length and 500 lbs, amid giant kelp forest.
Species: Giant black sea bass, Stereolepis gigas
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 33356  

Sunlight streams through giant kelp forest. Giant kelp, the fastest growing plant on Earth, reaches from the rocky reef to the ocean's surface like a submarine forest.
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 33434  

Sunlight streams through giant kelp forest. Giant kelp, the fastest growing plant on Earth, reaches from the rocky reef to the ocean's surface like a submarine forest.
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 33435  

Sunlight streams through giant kelp forest. Giant kelp, the fastest growing plant on Earth, reaches from the rocky reef to the ocean's surface like a submarine forest.
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 33436  

Sunlight streams through giant kelp forest. Giant kelp, the fastest growing plant on Earth, reaches from the rocky reef to the ocean's surface like a submarine forest.
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 33437  

Sunlight streams through giant kelp forest. Giant kelp, the fastest growing plant on Earth, reaches from the rocky reef to the ocean's surface like a submarine forest.
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 33438  

Garibaldi and Brown Gorgonian Muricea fruticosa, Catalina Island, with giant kelp stands reaching from the reef to the surface of the ocean in the distance. The clown prince of the kelp forest, the Garibaldi, alternately poses for me and chirps at me to move away from his gorgonian.
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37157  

Pyrosome drifting through a kelp forest, Catalina Island. Pyrosomes are free-floating colonial tunicates that usually live in the upper layers of the open ocean in warm seas. Pyrosomes are cylindrical or cone-shaped colonies made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals, known as zooids.
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37166  

Gorgonian (yellow) that has been parasitized by zoanthid anemone (Savalia lucifica), and red gorgonian (Lophogorgia chilensis), Farnsworth Banks, Catalina Island.
Species: Luminescent parazoanthid, Zoanthid anemone, Red gorgonian, Parazoanthus lucificum, Savalia lucifica, Leptogorgia chilensis, Lophogorgia chilensis
Location: Catalina Island, California
Image ID: 37185