On a recent night dive, I had the pleasure of not only photographing a number of Stubby Squid (Rossia Pacifica), but I also came across a true oddity that resides in the water of the Pacific North West. The Disheveled Sea-mouse, or Bristle Worm (Aphrodita negligens), is one of the craziest and coolest creatures that a diver or beachcomber may come across. This weird underwater denizen at first glance looks more like an underwater tailless mouse than a worm; however once you overturn it, you will see that it has the segmentation of a worm. The name of this creature is derived from the neglected appearance of its fury coat, which is usually covered in sand and debris. The worm grows to about 4 in. (8 cm.) in length. On this particular night dive I was diving at the Ogden Point breakwater in about 30 ft. (10 m.) of water. This worm was crawling across the bottom covered in kelp and eelgrass, which made it quite easy to spot it on this particular occasion. I was shooting with a 100 mm macro lens on the dive and had to back up from the subject to get a full body shot. One of the worm’s unique characteristics is the reflective, multi-coloured hairs protruding from its body. This creates a great photo opportunity and the lights from other divers and camera strobes bouncing off the animal’s body creates a very interesting effect.
Scott
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