A cast of underwater characters

On July 21 2013 I was joined by kelp helper Liam Coleman and dive master Nelson Quiroga from Vancouver on a journey below the water off Gabriola Island (nearby Carlos Island). Below are some photos of the dive with a brief description of each.

This is what healthy and almost mature bull kelp looks like underwater

The Sea Cucumber plays an important role in eating detritus on the bottom of the ocean so that young kelp can take hold in the area

Here's a herbivore - the Sea Urchin. It eats kelp!

This large creature is a Sun Star. It eats urchins.

And here is one of the apex predators - Liam Coleman :-)