Less snow means more light

This year there is less snow on the relatively thin ice meaning a lot more light at depth. In previous years, this site has been VERY dark, however now we have a more light to work with. That doesn't mean it is bright underwater but at least much easier to work in.

There seems to be an especially large abundance of the sponge Homaxinella this year at the "Jetty" dive site. This species that can grow quickly here, unlike many of the different and diverse sponges that we find.

For example, this species (Isodictya setifera) is relatively slow growing compared to Homaxinella, however it tends to live for a much longer time.

I'll share more images of todays dive over the next few days. This dive was largely to regain our comfort underwater and make sure the camera gear was working well. All in all a successful dive. The rest of the day was spent prepairing for our first real field trip north, which is a couple days away still.