Smitten with snorkelling in recent years, the hot heat in the final days of winter saw longtime Greater Victoria resident Steph Brulot-Sawchyn dip under the waves of the Salish Sea more frequently.

A fan of exploring outdoor activities such as hiking and tide pools, he discovered the online app iNaturalist during the pandemic. Inspired by Sara EllisonB次元官网网址檚 book Snorkelling Adventures Around Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands: The Ultimate Guide, he eventually got a wetsuit and became a weekend diver.

The recent warm spell meant several days in south Island waters. With the last sunny day looming, ironically the first day of spring March 19, Brulot-Sawchyn headed into the waves near Clover Point with his brother, who quickly spotted something unusual.

Born and raised in Greater Victoria, it seemed out of the ordinary for the area.

B次元官网网址淚 have not a clue what that thing is,B次元官网网址� Brulot-Sawchyn recalls thinking when he saw the two-foot long transparent creature with a jellyfish look.

B次元官网网址淪o I immediately, when I got home, posted it to iNaturalist and the Field Naturalists of Vancouver Island Facebook page,B次元官网网址� he said. After some back and forth, online experts identified it as a siphonophore and there are only a dozen or so local sightings of the species B次元官网网址� a deep sea organism B次元官网网址� listed on iNaturalist.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not a normal species you see here so it was very cool to see,B次元官网网址� Brulot-Sawchyn said.

He was right about it being unusual, the praya dubia or giant siphonophore generally lives in the mesopelagic zone, 300 to 700 metres under the sea, said Moira Galbraith a marine biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

B次元官网网址淭hey are kind of uncommon in our area,B次元官网网址� she said in a phone interview from her North Saanich office.

Though sightings are on the rise, as an El Nino brings warm surface water into the area. The Island is at the northern most boundary of the California Current which moves in this way during winter.

B次元官网网址淲hen the current changes in fall/winter and starts becoming more dominant we sometimes get these guys pushed up against our shelf.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭hese things come in cycles but for this particular animal, weB次元官网网址檝e been pretty much seeing it sporadically in our sampling since 2015,B次元官网网址� she said.

In their usual mesopelagic B次元官网网址� think middle sea B次元官网网址� habitat, praya can be 30 to 50 metres long. Being so close to the surface, Galbraith feels itB次元官网网址檚 unlikely the one photographed March 19 off Victoria wonB次元官网网址檛 wind up washed on shore.

B次元官网网址淭his is interesting that you see these. ThereB次元官网网址檚 no way you should (when) snorkelling in 300 metres, this is not their area,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hey donB次元官网网址檛 have the ability to navigate stronger currents.B次元官网网址�

Seeing it so shallow, and so far north is indicative of recent heating .

B次元官网网址淭hese are all deep water so thereB次元官网网址檚 something in this movement of water that causes some sort of welling that brings water from deep, I think,B次元官网网址� she said.

With more people spotting deep water critters coming closer to the surface, and washed on shore, thereB次元官网网址檚 more to see.

ItB次元官网网址檚 the only oddity so far for Brulot-Sawchyn.

B次元官网网址淟ots of species out there, but nothing you wouldnB次元官网网址檛 expect to see B次元官网网址� except some giant sopinophores,B次元官网网址� he said with a laugh. B次元官网网址淭he thing I saw that was interesting was the amount of people out snorkelling with the weather. especially in East Sooke.B次元官网网址�

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