Searching for sea slugs

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]I'm on a mission to find sea slugs today. So, I brought my mask, my wet suit, and my macro camera. So, let's see if we can find anything cool.

[00:00:14]I have my cronut here.

[00:00:18]I'm going to wait to eat it because I know it's going to be so rewarding when I'm done. It was so cloudy over at my house, and I drove up the coast, and then I just passed through the fog layer. And now it's so sunny, so perfect, no wind. Okay, let me get my stuff and head down there. I'm so excited. This is way better conditions than I thought it was going to be.

[00:00:49]When the tide [music] drops low enough, the rugged central coast of California reveals these calm, serene rock pools that are full of life.

[00:00:57]I look forward to these conditions [music] all year long. These extreme low tides occur only for a short window of time.

[00:01:04]And in those few [music] hours, I get a glimpse into the lively world the Pacific Ocean breathes life into.

[00:01:11]I enjoy taking my time and noticing small, intricate life forms.

[00:01:17]There's a little fish in here.

[00:01:22]I normally just like lay out and really hone in on one specific area to see if I can find anything.

[00:01:30]These guys are really, really small, so you have to really take your time and be patient and pay attention to all the details. Also, having an understanding of what these organisms eat can really help you track them down. I just found my first nudibranch, and it is a orange-spotted dorid. It's in this little pool right here.

[00:01:58]Nudibranchs are soft-bodied, shell-less marine mollusks. They live a short but dynamic life in the intertidal, inching their way across rocks and seaweed and feeding on other organisms.

[00:02:10]They don't have a shell. They don't hide. They simply move through the world completely exposed. Instead of armor for protection, they store stinging cells from the prey that they eat, which can be a variety of different organisms and enemies, sponges, hydroids, [music] and sometimes even each other. I guess the saying, "You are what you eat." applies here.

[00:02:32]The best way to find sea slugs isn't just to look, but to understand how they live.

[00:02:37]Nudibranchs are usually either feeding, mating, or laying the next thread of their existence.

[00:02:43]I've spent hours searching, researching, and returning to the same pools with little more understanding each time. The world of nudibranchs is a very diverse one. It's a world full of color, specialized functions, [music] and interconnected relationships.

[00:02:59]There's also seasonality amongst these species. So, depending on the season I'm tide pooling in, I'll encounter different types of slugs.

[00:03:08]From the bright pink Hopkins Rose to the seaweed-colored Dendronotid to the tiniest, tiniest salt and pepper dorid, the world of nudibranchs is vastly unique.

[00:03:18]This delicate pink sea slug is known as the Hopkins Rose nudibranch. No bigger than my fingertip. Its rosy color comes from what it eats, tiny pink bryozoans. And that vibrant hue isn't just beautiful, it's a warning to tell predators to keep their distance.

[00:03:35]Their feathery gills and soft rhinophores help it sense the world in ways that I can only imagine. When I think of nudibranchs, I usually immediately think of the eye-catching, colorful ones that are the most photogenic.

[00:03:48]But in reality, there are plenty of slugs that aren't as dramatic.

[00:03:53]I was staring at this area for so long and I was like, "Dang, like I can't find a sea slug here."

[00:04:00]And there's literally one right in front of me. It's just camouflaged so well.

[00:04:05]It's so funny.

[00:04:08]Not everything reveals itself right away.

[00:04:10]Sometimes it really does take patience.

[00:04:13]Sometimes it [music] takes returning to the same place again and again.

[00:04:20]As if their appearance wasn't whimsical enough, they leave behind these spiral ribbons [music] of eggs, like tiny promises anchored to the shore.

[00:04:29]Each one [music] is delicate and unique.

[00:04:33]A slow life in the intertidal [music] seems peaceful, yet with changing tides and shifting conditions, these nudibranchs are always adapting.

[00:04:41]They're slow movers and picky eaters, and therefore they [music] should be left exactly where they are.

[00:04:46]Their soft bodies also make them vulnerable to forces larger than themselves.

[00:04:51]I like to appreciate them with my eyes, not my hands.

[00:05:02]I started tide pooling because I had a desire to explore new places in a familiar one.

[00:05:09]Tide pooling and looking for sea slugs has become incredibly therapeutic for me.

[00:05:14]This practice of slowing down has taught me a lot more about myself than I had ever expected.

[00:05:20]During these moments of solitude, I get to just reflect back on my own way of life.

[00:05:25]>> [music] >> The things I surround myself with and how they shape who I am and how I show up in the world.

[00:05:32]These slugs, as small [music] and fragile as they are, are able to withstand such a dynamic, ever-changing environment >> [music] >> and still find their place amongst this beautiful mess.

[00:05:46]I often come [music] out here to search for sea slugs, but I always end up finding something within myself.

[00:06:06]I beat the wind just a little bit out there, but now it's coming in and I'm I'm cold. I like changed out of my wet suit super fast and just wanted to put on my warm clothes. It was so good today, so unexpectedly fun and I saw so many cool species that I often don't see.

[00:06:27]I would have stayed here all day, but the tide's coming in and the wind is really picking up, so I'm getting cold and now now that I'm out, I can have my cronuts.

[00:06:44]So good.

[00:06:45]And so worth it.

[00:06:53]Special [music] >> [singing] >> condiment