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Below is the active list of scheduled boat dive trips. Be sure to contact the charter directly for confirmation, rates, booking and other info.
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Author |
: Bonnie J. Cardone |
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Date |
: April 23, 2009 |
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Much prized by underwater photographers for its beautiful color, purple hydrocoral (Stylaster californicus) is not a true coral but one of the 350 species of hydroids in the Phylum Cnidaria, which also includes anemones and jellyfish. It is a close cousin of the fire corals found in tropical waters.
I’ve seen Stylaster californicus in four hues—purple, red, pink and blue. This hydrocoral has been found as deep as 368 feet and as shallow as 15. The colonies may reach 12 inches in height and their bases may be 24 inches across. Purple hydrocoral occurs from San Francisco to Baja California and grows slowly—less than one-quarter of an inch a year. The branches are very brittle and, if broken, will not grow for about six months.
Some of the most photogenic purple hydrocoral colonies can found at Farnsworth Bank, off the backside of Santa Catalina. Farnsworth was designated an Ecological Preserve for purple hydrocoral in the early 1970s. Purple hydrocoral also lives on the wall leading to The Arch (Santa Barbara Island); in shallow water off Gull Island (Santa Cruz Island); in many places on Cortes Bank; and at the Nine Fathom Spot (San Clemente Island).
The male and female colonies of purple hydrocoral are separate. They reproduce asexually in one of two ways: by fragmentation, where a new organism grows from a fragment of the parent, or by releasing jellyfish-like medusae that contain the reproductive organs and release either eggs or sperm into the water. Fertilized eggs develop into free-swimming larvae that eventually settle on the substrate and form new colonies.
Close-up photos of purple hydrocoral show feeding polyps surrounded by nonfeeding polyps. Nonfeeding polyps contain long tentacles with clusters of stinging cells. The tentacles protect the colony and catch prey, which is devoured by the feeding polyps.
A tiny parasitic snail, Pedicularia californica, is often found on purple hydrocoral. Closely related to simnias and cowries, it’s hard to see because its shell matches the color of its host.
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