Now that the sun has returned to San Diego, we can start complaining about how hot it is...just kidding! Seriously, we can think about returning to the beach, getting out on the water, and generally exploring all the ocean has to offer. Whether it is going out whale watching, kayaking, snorkeling or just visiting the tanks at Sea World or Birch Aquarium (or whatever aquarium is near you!), there is a lot to experience. I recently went out with the Ocean Institute at Dana Point on a nighttime Bioluminescent Cruise. We left the docks around sunset and headed out to where the sea floor depth was 200 feet. Bright squid lights were set up, and a deep net pull was made. The squids appeared under the lights, as well as pyrosomes (colonial tunicates that bio luminesce a blue color) and even a salp. (another tunicate that can form into long chains). Once the net tow was retrieved from the depths, it was sprayed with a hose to agitate and the whole net glowed blue from microscopic plankton. If you sign up for emails from the Ocean Institute you will know about other interesting outings that they organize such as tide pool hikes and whale and marine life tours. One interesting fact is that the late Stephen Hillenburg was an educator at the Institute and started out making the (unpublished) comic book The Intertidal Zone in 1989 for his students there. After joining Nickelodeon, in 1995 he began developing SpongeBob SquarePants, the kid's animated series with ocean friends. I remember seeing the premiere with my son on July 17th, 1999 when he was five. It became one of our favorite shows, one we could watch together. There is a pink sea star in the tanks at the Institute that was probably the inspiration for the character Patrick, SpongeBob's best friend. It was alive and happy last time I saw it, last year.
Enjoy!
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