The blister glassy-bubble snail (Haminoea vesicula) is common in the sheltered eelgrass beds on the east side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Typically known as a “bubble snail,” this species of sea snail also goes by the name blister paper bubble, white paper bubble, and the white bubble shell. This unique marine creature belongs to the family Haminoeidae and is …
Sea Shore
Razor Clams at Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park
Razor clams (Siliqua patula) are the signature shellfish associated with the west coast and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The long, exposed sandy beaches are perfect habitat for this surf-loving clam. In the national park, the stretch of Long Beach between Green Point and Schooner Cove is prime Pacific razor clam habitat. While live clams are difficult to view, if …
Magnificent Mole Crabs on the West Coast!
Five years ago, Pacific mole crabs (Emerita analoga) appeared dramatically on the exposed beaches of Pacific Rim National Park. The huge numbers that showed up in 2016 was astounding. At the time, I wondered if they would survive and establish themselves. The odds seemed long. Prior to 2006, there had been sporadic reports of influxes of mole crabs (notably between …
Mole Crab Mania!
I’ve been spending summers out on the west coast since 2006 and I’ve never seen anything like it. Earlier this July, a large number of juvenile Pacific mole crabs made an appearance at Wickaninnish Beach. And they’re still here! A handful of Pacific Mole Crabs (Emerita analoga) found at Wickaninnish Beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Pacific mole crabs …
A Helleva lot of Velella
One of the early arriving Velella velella last week on Wickaninnish Beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. It’s like some ill-conceived, poorly planned invasion on the shores of the west coast of Vancouver Island. In the last week, small blue jellyfish-like creatures have been landing on the beaches of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in the millions—large swaths of …
Herring Spawn Head’s Up
It’s all in the timing and it’s easy to miss. Last spring I was lucky, and the kids and I witnessed the amazing spectacle that is this country’s largest annual Pacific herring spawn. In other years, I’ve been a day or two late or early. The aquamarine colour of the water is a sure sign that the spawn is on! This …
Beach Hopper Party at Wickaninnish Beach!
Sand fleas, beach hoppers, beach fleas – these are a few of the names given to the (usually) small little jumping things leaping about on the sand in a frantic attempt to escape your descending bare feet. At first encounter they can be a bit hard to love, maybe due to the unpredictable trajectory of their jumps and the possibility …
Deep Bay Marine Field Station
At the end of a crushed shell road lies the Deep Bay Marine Field Station, a research facility run by Vancouver Island University. It’s a gorgeous location overlooking Deep Bay on Vancouver Island. The station is spectacular in its design, looking a little like a huge clam shell. The station is used by Vancouver Island University for aquaculture and marine …
Kye Bay Beach Walk
I had a couple of hours to myself on Saturday afternoon and thought that I’d walk from Kye Bay through to Air Force Beach and back. It didn’t take too long and the tide was low so I had plenty of beach and tidepools to explore. Water flows from one tide pool on the flats into another, draining as the tide drops. …
Green Burrowing Anemones
Miracle Beach Provincial Park is a spectacular place to take kids tide pool exploring—the wide expanse of sand allows for plenty of running in bare feet and the warm shallow tide pools are great for wading and searching for sea life. This weekend I took Alden and Clara up to “the beach house” and kept one eye on the dropping …