Santa Cruz Is. Giant Kelp, a photo from California, West

Photographer's Note

The view from Santa Cruz Island's Crown Point hiking trail reveals Giant Kelp beds and kayakers. Giant Kelp is an important part of the Pacific coastal ecology.

Amazingly, Kelp is in the plant family's 'algae' group which is unusal for its size.
Kelp has 4 basic structural units:
The Holdfast a root-like mass anchoring the thallus to the sea floor, but it does not absorb and deliver nutrients to the plant.
The Stipe which is analgous to a plant's stalk, providing support.
The Fronds, leaf or blade like attachments to the stipe and responsible for nutrient uptake and photosynthetic activity.
And Pneumatocysts, gas-filled bladders, usually at the base of fronds near the stipe. They keep the kelp buoyant and upright under water.

Kelp is essential for a healthy marine ecosystem.

lousat, pyffepa, ikeharel ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

lousat (138695) 2013-07-30 8:15

Hi Ray,4 boats sailing in an abstract peinture made by the algae on the sea,this pic is absolutely fantastic,very original and taken whit the usual special quality of your gallery,very intresting note too,i like it! Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

pyffepa (625) 2013-07-30 8:25

Hello Ray,
I love that giant creature vanishing at the horizon and the red spots who try to escape or try to fight with that monster (I don't smoke anything ;o).
The picture could also be nice without the red spots.
A very good picture, congratulations.

Cheers,
Patrick

jemaflor (146412) 2013-07-30 8:38

Hi Ray,
Original pov and impressive result with this so clear water, well these red kayaks, interesting details for the view.

EstudioChispa (2182) 2013-07-30 8:56

Fantastic shot, Ray -- the kelp in the sea is wonderfully fractal and abstract and the green and blue colors are soothing. Then there are the kayaks, providing a perfect sense of scale and little splashes of bright color. Well done!

Russ
Austin, Texas

ManishaJain (524) 2013-07-30 11:15

Hello Ray

A fantastic capture with good picture quality.inclusion of boats is giving an idea about the massiveness of this structure. Very well composed

Manisha

m00n (2259) 2013-07-31 4:21

O wow!

I ran out of the words!

amazing ...

No_One (4) 2013-08-01 4:34

Hi Ray,
I must admit, I never knew that this weed could grow so gigantic, and your down looking point of view to include the little boats really emphasizes it! Very impressive shot. I love your point of view, frame choice and composition too.
All the best
Noel

Oceania (5202) 2013-08-01 5:29

Hi Ray,

This picture is amazing!!! The kelp seems like dancing at sea. The red kayaks are wonderful addition.

eldancer1 (36343) 2013-08-01 7:51

At first glance I thought you were on an airplane since it feels like you are looking direct down at those kayakers. Great pov and nice capture of the kayakers and the kelps. Good lighting and nice details. Well done, tfs.

Silvio1953 (220759) 2013-08-01 13:54

Ciao Ray, great POV on fantastic sea, lovely composition with nice boats, splendid light, excellent clarity and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

mkamionka (73532) 2013-08-05 5:23

Hi Ray,
I had a pleasure of visiting Anacapa but always dreamed about going to the other islands too. I have heard about the great diving possibilities there but I am not a good swimmer so I have to rely on the stories of others. This is a great presentation well illustrating the attractions awaiting the divers without going underwater. The kayakers add a nice touch providing a sense of scale.
I like it very much,
M

fotoguy22 (4795) 2013-08-22 19:27

Ray: This looks like it could be dangerous....get tangled up in that stuff and you could drown! The red kayaks really pop against the blue ocean and I like being able to judge how big an extensive the kelp mass is relative to the kayakers. Also kind of cool having the guy bringing up the rear to make the pattern of kayaks more interesting. Nicely done.

Greetings from Florida................Greg

ikeharel (112549) 2014-04-28 7:28

Those Kayakers on the red boats gave good scale to comprehend the big Algea area, Ray.
Fine blue water color, great transparency to the deeper level, and fine clear shot from above.
Best regards,
Ike