Smitten with snorkelling in recent years, the hot heat in the final days of winter saw longtime Greater Victoria resident Steph Brulot-Sawchyn dip under the waves of the Salish Sea more frequently.

A fan of exploring outdoor activities such as hiking and tide pools, he discovered the online app iNaturalist during the pandemic. Inspired by Sara Ellison香蕉视频直播檚 book Snorkelling Adventures Around Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands: The Ultimate Guide, he eventually got a wetsuit and became a weekend diver.

The recent warm spell meant several days in south Island waters. With the last sunny day looming, ironically the first day of spring March 19, Brulot-Sawchyn headed into the waves near Clover Point wth his brother, who quickly spotted something unusual.

Born and raised in Greater Victoria, it seemed out of the ordinary for the area.

香蕉视频直播淚 have not a clue what that thing is,香蕉视频直播� Brulot-Sawchyn recalls thinking when he saw the two-foot long transparent creature with a jellyfish look.

香蕉视频直播淪o I immediately, when I got home, posted it to iNaturalist and the Field Naturalists of Vancouver Island Facebook page,香蕉视频直播� he said. After some back and forth, online experts identified it as a siphonophore and there are only a dozen or so local sightings of the species 香蕉视频直播� a deep sea organism 香蕉视频直播� listed on iNaturalist.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 not a normal species you see here so it was very cool to see,香蕉视频直播� Brulot-Sawchyn said.

He was right about it being unusual, the praya dubia or giant siphonophore generally lives in the mesopelagic zone, 300 to 700 metres under the sea, said Moira Galbraith a marine biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

香蕉视频直播淭hey are kind of uncommon in our area,香蕉视频直播� she said in a phone interview from her North Saanich office.

Though sightings are on the rise, as an El Ni帽o brings warm surface water into the area. The Island is at the northern most boundary of the California Current which moves in this way during winter.

香蕉视频直播淲hen the current changes in fall/winter and starts becoming more dominant we sometimes get these guys pushed up against our shelf.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淭hese things come in cycles but for this particular animal, we香蕉视频直播檝e been pretty much seeing it sporadically in our sampling since 2015,香蕉视频直播� she said.

In their usual mesopelagic 香蕉视频直播� think middle sea 香蕉视频直播� habitat, preya can be 30 to 50 metres long. Being so close to the surface, Galbraith feels it香蕉视频直播檚 unlikely the one photographed March 19 off Victoria won香蕉视频直播檛 wind up washed on shore.

香蕉视频直播淭his is interesting that you see these. There香蕉视频直播檚 no way you should be snorkelling in 300 metres, this is not their area,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淭hey don香蕉视频直播檛 have the ability to navigate stronger currents.香蕉视频直播�

Seeing it so shallow, and so far north is indicative of recent heating .

香蕉视频直播淭hese are all deep water so there香蕉视频直播檚 something in this movement of water that causes some sort of welling that brings water from deep, I think,香蕉视频直播� she said.

With more people spotting deep water critters coming closer to the surface, and washed on shore, there香蕉视频直播檚 more to see.

It香蕉视频直播檚 the only oddity so far for Brulot-Sawchyn.

香蕉视频直播淟ots of species out there, but nothing you wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 expect to see 香蕉视频直播� except some giant sopinophores,香蕉视频直播� he said with a laugh. 香蕉视频直播淭he thing I saw that was interesting was the amount of people out snorkelling with the weather. especially in East Sooke.香蕉视频直播�

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