Scott, Margaret, and I made a run for Catalina Island over the weekend. The weather was wonderful for a change - sunny and warm. We had heard that the giant, black seabass (Stereolepis gigas) were congregating near Goat Harbor and decided to see if we could get some pictures. We were overjoyed to find clear blue water and a school of BSBs to play with.

I dropped into the water and made my way along the edge of the kelp forest, stopping to take a picture of a large seahare and its egg mass.

As I rounded a corner, I sensed I was being watched – there it was, a huge fish hanging in the kelp. I fired off a few images before the BSB got uneasy with my presence and moved off. There were about a dozen black seabass near the point and we opted to do two dives with them before heading for home.

Note the white, parasitic copepods on the face. Apparently, none of the local cleaner fish have evolved to eat these pests .

What a wonderful day on the water.