The Fish of California's Kelp Forests | Photo Report

California is known for epic kelp diving but the waters can be a bit chilly for tropical divers like myself. Looking for a quick summer dive trip close to home, I finally grew some skin and booked a trip with Truth Aquatics to the Channel Islands – my first truly temperate dive experience. My only regret…I shouldn’t have waited so long!

Beneath the surface, kelp takes on a magical appearance. The gently swaying fronds create an undersea jungle of incredible beauty. Swimming through a dense kelp forest for the first time is like being on a safari, offering the promise of surprising animal encounters.

Halfmoon (Medialuna californiensis) seek shelter in kelp forest.

Even common fish species, like California sheephead (Semicossyphus pulcher), kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus), giant kelpfish (Heterostichus rostratus), giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas), Catalina goby (Lythrypnus dalli) and Garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus), leave a lasting impression under the incredible backdrop of the unique kelp forest ecosystem. Here are my favorite images about the marine life of the Channel Islands:

Giant kelp frond (Macrocrystis integrifolia) showing pneumatocysts (air bladders). California.
Kelp frond

Kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus). California.
Kelp bass

Bluebanded goby (Lythrypnus dalli). California.
Bluebanded goby

Senorita (Oxyjulis californica) tends to schooling Halfmoon(Medialuna californiensis). The señorita is a cleaner wrasse, a fish that grooms the parasites and other materials off the bodies of other fish. California.
Senorita

Giant Sea Bass (Sterolepis gigas). California.
Giant Sea Bass

Giant Sea Bass (Sterolepis gigas). Note the large numbers of parasitic copepods attached to the head. California.
Giant Sea Bass

Spawning senorita (Oxyjulis californica). I saw this species aggregate into large schools near drop offs during the midday and then spawn in smaller groups of 20-30 individuals. Senorita spawn from May through August. California.
Senorita

Kelp rockfish (Sebastes atrovirens). California.
Rockfish

Garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) in kelp forrest. California.
Garibaldi

Giant Kelpfish (Heterostichus rostratus) can change color to match their surroundings. This individual was hiding in a bed of purple algae. California.
Kelpfish

Adult kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus). California.
Kelp bass

Juvenile kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus). California.
Kelp bass

Juvenile giant kelpfish (Heterostichus rostratus) - still mostly transparent. Note the visible gut and air bladder. The young fish school in the kelp canopy and remain relatively transparent until they become solitary at about 3 inches. California.
Kelpfish

A diversity of fish and invertebrates inhabit the kelp forest bed as far as the eye can see. California.
Kelp forest bed

Kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus). California.
Kelp bass

Giant Kelpfish (Heterostichus rostratus). California.
Kelpfish

Two juvenile California sheepheads (Semicossyphus pulchermales) "mouth fighting" over territory. California.
California sheepheads

Blacksmith damselfish (Chromis punctipinni) jawning. California.
Blacksmith

Juvenile treefish (Sebastes serriceps). California.
Treefish

Blacksmith larval fish (Chromis punctipinnis) undergoing settlement; the crucial transition from pelagic, free-swmming larval stage to becoming benthic juveniles. California.
Blacksmith larva

Juvenile Garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus). California.
Garibaldi

Spotted scorpionfish (Scorpaena guttata). California.
Spotted scorpionfish

Garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) pair aerating their nest. California.
Garibaldi

Kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus). California.
Kelp bass

Flabellina iodinea nudibranch. California.
Nudibranch

Pyrosome at night. Pyrosomes are actually free-floating colonial tunicates made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals, known as zooids. California.
Pyrosome