This is Gloucester, Massachusetts.
It's a seaside town on Cape Ann known for beaches
history
and art.
This is also Gloucester, Massachusetts.
So is this. And this.
And this.
The waters off New England's coasts, including Gloucester,
support a diverse and dynamic marine ecosystem.
The creatures here range in size from tiny nudibranchs only a quarter
inch long to 40 foot long humpback whales that weigh 30 tons.
Although New England is not advertised as a diving destination,
a tight knit community of local scuba divers regularly ventures
into these cold waters to experience the region's hidden Eden.
New England is a challenging dive environment.
In the summer, the water temperatures near
the surface are never much more than 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
But below a thin, shimmering layer of water called the Thermocline.
The temperature drops to the middle to low 40 degrees
In the winter, even the water near
the surface gets as cold as 33 degrees Fahrenheit,
just one degree above the freezing point of fresh water.
Visibility is often poor, especially in the summer
when plankton in the water column can bring visibility down to 5 to 10 feet.
In the winter, the plankton die,
but the visibility never improves much beyond 20 to 30 feet.
Entry and exit
at some sites is difficult, sometimes requiring clambering over
rocks in full equipment, which can weigh 90 to 100 pounds.
Once below the water, However,
the effort is worth it.
Seals are one of the region's more charismatic residents.
Evolution has given these creatures the ability to swim so much faster
than a diver that the only way to see one is to sit
still and hope it's in the mood to come to you.
Sometimes they aren't,
but sometimes they are.
Scuba fins
seem to be a popular chew toy.
They often seem as entertained by the scuba divers
as the divers are by them.
[Swing Music]
Squid also live in the waters off New England.
They are usually only seen at night,
but on very rare occasions they can be seen during the day.
First one, then two, then a whole pod.
This is why they're here.
These are squid eggs.
This female squid is laying her eggs
in this cluster.
Eventually, the squid will finish and leave,
and all that will be left of their presence.
Are these egg casings.
In order to see the strangest creature that lives in New England,
the divers must wait until winter.
This is a nudibranch,
specifically a Flabellina Verrucosa.
This one is about an inch and a half long,
which is enormous for a nudibranch
But don't let their small size fool you.
These truly are some of the strangest creatures out there.
These Marine gastropods are understudied
and scientists aren't even sure how many species of nudibranchs
exist.
[Rock Music]
This is their food.
Hydroids. Hydroids.
are an early life stage of a jellyfish relative called a Hydromedusa.
Being related to jellyfish, hydroids sting.
The nudibranchs don't have to worry about hydroid stings,
however, but it is not merely because they have an immunity.
Nudibranchs have an adaptation much, much
stranger.
The hydroids' stinging cells pass
through the nudibranch’s digestive tract unfired.
Then they migrate out to the white tips
of the nudibranchs spiky protrusions called cerata.
Once there, the stinging cells rotate to face outwards
and then fire upon any predators that try to eat the nudibranch.
In essence, the nudibranch is getting an organ transplant
from its food.
[Rock Music]
As much as the divers would rather stay
with the nudibranchs, time down here is limited.
Eventually, whatever the reason may be,
the divers must surface and return to dry land.
Often someone in the group is a photographer.
And for those who were there,
memories are supplemented by photos like these.
[Chopin Music]