Behind-the-Scenes: Sea Whips in 360

Video shot by Seth Burns. Thank You Seth! *This video was shot in 360, however it may not work on all browsers. For some you may have to visit YouTube directly, and on mobile devices install the YouTube app to look around in all directions.

Recently we took a dive through sea whips (Halipteris willemoesi).

Sea Whips are one of the cold water soft corals, sometimes getting 4+ feet tall and forming forests for as far as the eye can see (which isn't very far when the visibility is poor). Usually they are down at 100ft or deeper in the Hood Canal, however, this site out from the public docks in Hoodsport, Washington has them starting at only 55ft on a shelf before they quickly drop off below 100ft.

For these dives we weren't focused on filming, but instead gathering data for a new dive map. Did you see the old engine used as a boat anchor?

Not only are sea whips a unique colony of animals stretching out like an ostrich feather, but they also bioluminesce, in the evening each takes on a dim glow.

Another example of God's Wonders in the Deep.