Hitchin’ a ride -- is there any wonder that underwater creatures hitch a ride on a “horse” down below?  Question is how many creatures are actually going for a free ride?  Well, read on......

A few weeks ago, during the last week of May and the first week of June, I had the privilege of diving one of my fav spots - Blue Heron Bridge, Riveria Beach, Florida.  I don’t know what it is but I really like diving and finding the unusual critters that hang out there; and this time I was happy to take a girlfriend of mine along and kind of “re-enthuse” her with scuba diving.  As I told Gloria, it is like a “treasure hunt” and the “treasure” you find may be fish or creatures you have never seen or at least rarely ever see. 

Here is what we saw on just one dive on Friday, June 6th:

2 striated frogfish (large female and small male?)

3 longsnout seahorses (2 brown and one yellow w/reddish highlights)

10 - at least 10 octopus (common octos and possibly the same pygmy species we have on the West Coast of Florida)

3 - atlantic longarm octos (mimic)

3 - pipefish, one of them the uncommon whitenose pipefish

Lots - of unusual “slugs”

2 - searobins, 1 banded and 1 leopard

12+ - yellow garden eels - Heteroconger longissimus - (the more uncommon garden eels)

1 - northern stargazer

Lots - of cool decorator crabs

schools of baitfish and lots of other cool fish, etc., etc.

Plus the water visibility was quite good.  Depending on the tides and clarity of water coming in from the Atlantic, viz varies dramatically.  But I’ve noticed when there are east winds pushing that clear Gulf Stream water nearer shore - if the winds aren’t too strong and the water isn’t stirred up too much - the water at Blue Heron, right before and right after slack tide - can be this gorgeous blue.

Getting back to “hitchhiking”, this beautiful and mezmerising longsnout seahorse here was happily searching around his area for yummy bits to eat - and this strange, very small, sea hare slug - hitched a ride!  I’m not even sure what type of sea hare it is.  Slugs in our part of the world aren’t really that well documented, plus this one being 1/4 in. to 1/3 in., long and quite transparent on the sand, it is close to this species  - blue-rig sea hare (Stylocheilus longicauda) - it has the blue spots but I don’t see the numerous blue lines, plus it is quite a bit smaller than the usual size range.  But I am sure its some type of sea hare.

Fascinating thing is the seahorse just took it all in stride and continued to feed as shown below.  See what he has just slurped up despite his passenger?

Also if you have very keen eyes note that there is another “hitchhiker”, a very unlikely one.  On the top of the seahorse, behind its head, is a way cool, super tiny, thin and transparent creature called a skeleton shrimp.  That is the second hitchhiker and a surprise to me because from watching these seahorses over several days it seemed to be that their fav food was indeed skeleton shrimp!  That skeleton shrimp sure is living dangerously perched up there!!!!

More feeding despite (or ignoring) his passenger -

Now the sea hare is dismounting his ride -

Thanks Mr. Seahorse for the ride! - (of course I wanted to get a better shot of the slug than this one, but right after this I lost the sea hare on the substrate - he blended right in!!!  And remember it is under 1/2 in. long.) -

And here is the third “hitchhiker” -- I think it is a type of amphipod.  This creature didn’t stick around quite as long as the others - but interesting thing it is has some of the same coloration and same small blue spots as the sea hare did -

How many other hitchers?  Your guess is a good as mine but I must say I’m sure there are others!

More tales of Blue Heron Bridge to come - Best, Carol