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maggieleithead.bsky.social
Maggie
@maggieleithead.bsky.social
230 followers 950 following 56 posts
Often bewildered but trying to remain openhearted.
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maggieleithead.bsky.social
Good times roaming around the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea last week. #UnderwaterPhotography #GBR #scubadiving
Two divers swim away in the distance while the foreground is dominated by large plates of coral in muted colours. A diver swims along to the left of a small bommie covered in different kinds of coral. A photos from above of a diver swimming to the left of a large bommie of corals in muted colours.
November 18, 2025 at 5:55 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
May we all find a few moments of carefree ease, just like this wee hooded nudibranch. #underwater #VancouverIsland #UWphoto
September 21, 2025 at 12:01 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Frosted nudi working its best runway pose. #nudibranch #UnderwaterPhotography #VancouverIsland 🦑
A white-lined dirona nudibranch sits against a bed of brownish seaweed. It’s largely translucent with large, wide and flat cerata.
May 2, 2025 at 4:38 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
I can't get enough of these sweet white-and-orange-tipped nudibranch lovelies these days. #nudibranch #UnderwaterPhotography #VancouverIsland 🦑
a white-and-orange-tipped nudibranch shows off its translucent cerata as it wafts in the current.
April 29, 2025 at 4:04 PM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
I was so enamoured with the painted anemone that I didn’t even notice the cute little kelp crab sitting on the sea star when I snapped this photo. #UnderwaterPhotography #anemone #VancouverIsland 🦑
A pinkish painted anemone takes centre stage while a white plumose anemone hangs in from the top of the frame. Two purple sea stars site to the right of the painted anemone and a kelp crab stands on one of the sea stars.
April 19, 2025 at 11:38 PM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Lucky to spot this sweet white-and-orange-tipped nudibranch on a nearby ferry piling yesterday. They're dreamy-looking. #UnderwaterPhotography #nudibranch #MarineLife #VancouverIsland
A white-and-orange-tipped nudibranch shows off its delicate cerata as it sits on a piling.
April 18, 2025 at 3:04 PM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Cozumel's splendid toadfish are so delightfully weird. #UnderwaterPhotography #MarineLife #scuba
A splendid toadfish, blue-grey with black stripes and yellow highlights peeks out from underneath a coral outcrop.
February 25, 2025 at 12:56 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Honestly, I could gaze into porcupinefish eyes for all of eternity. #marinelife #scuba #cozumel #underwaterphotography
A close-up view of the right eye and right profile mouth of a small porcupinefish resting on a reef.
February 18, 2025 at 10:03 PM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Who cares about the return of orca salmon hats -- this little Monterey dorid is trying to revive the lost art of flagpole sitting and I'm here for it! #UnderwaterPhotography #Nudibranch #VancouverIsland 🦑
A small, yellow Monterey dorid sits perched atop a thin blade of seaweed.
December 12, 2024 at 3:36 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Moon snails on the march today at Thomson Cove in the #SaanichInlet #UnderwaterPhotography 🦑
A Lewis's moon snail crawls along the bottom of the sea floor, its foot about three times the size of its shell. It has a sizeable siphon on the front left of where it sucks in water. There are also two visible tentacles poking out from its head. A front view of a purplish Lewis's moon snail with a large shell behind. the shell has some mint green shaded colouring on it.
December 9, 2024 at 3:15 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Sweet kelp crab chowing down on a fried egg jelly. Nom nom! #UnderwaterPhotography #Crustmas 🦑
A small orangey-green kelp crab uses its claws to eat parts of a nearby fried egg jellyfish. There’s also a purple sea star in the background.
December 3, 2024 at 1:25 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Delightful little dire whelk goodness. #UnderwaterPhotography 🦑
A white spotted dire whelk is seen beneath its small purple shell
December 2, 2024 at 12:27 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Oh goodie, the retired generals and orthopaedic surgeons have arrived already. Has anyone started a loverboy block list yet?
November 29, 2024 at 2:56 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Monterey dorid central this morning at Setchell in the Saanich Inlet. Yay lemons! #nudibranch #UnderwaterPhotogtaphy 🦑
A cute yellow Monterey dorid showing its brown tipped rhinophores Two yellow Monterey dorids tucked up beside each other with two legs of a nearby leather star reaching toward them. A plump yellow Monterey dorid showing its two rhinophores up front and its brachial plum tufting up in the back. Two yellow Monterey dorids snuggled up while a nearby leather star paws its way along the top mud branch.
November 24, 2024 at 3:22 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Today's #snorkel around Thompson Cove in the Saanich Inlet. Lovely #nudibranch and #SeaSlug , as well as loads of red tube worms. #UnderwaterPhotography #MarineLife #VancouverIsland
White berthella, a slightly translucent white sidegill sea slug that’s covered in small white bumps. Red-trumpet calcereous tubeworm shows its long curving white tube body with a red end that flares out like a trumpet. The worm’s red fan-shaped tentacles stick out from the trumpet end. A very tiny shag rug nudibranch, about the size of a thumbnail. It’s a sort of cream colour with brownish ends on its soft looking cerata outgrowths. A shag rug nudibranch shown from the front and above. It’s cream coloured with darker grey dorsal cerata and rhinophores, as well as translucent oral tentacles. Basically it looks like a grubby shag rug from the 1970s.
November 16, 2024 at 10:52 PM
Reposted by Maggie
mbarinews.bsky.social
MBARI researchers have discovered a remarkable new species of sea slug in the deep sea. Nicknamed the "mystery mollusc," the nudibranch Bathydevius caudactylus swims through the midnight zone and lights up with brilliant bioluminescence.

Learn more: www.mbari.org/news/mbari-r...
MBARI researchers discover remarkable new species of swimming sea slug • MBARI
A new nudibranch species is the first known to inhabit the ocean’s midnight zone and has unique adaptations for life in this environment.
www.mbari.org
November 12, 2024 at 5:54 PM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Bumped into a sweet hooded nudibranch this afternoon on a very crappy vis swim around Dyer Rocks in the Saanich Inlet. Not the greatest photos because of the particulate in the water but I do adore these nudis.
#UnderwaterPhotography #MarineLife #snorkelling #VancouverIsland #nudibranch #SeaSlug
A hooded nudibranch, about the size of a thumb, with its oral hood visible and one of its leaf-shaped projections sticking out to show a sort-of leaf shaped pattern through its translucent surface. A hooded nudibranch, translucent, with yellow-brownish patterning on the dorsal surface. A hooded nudibranch that sort of resembles a wasp in the way it's posed. It's translucent white with a brownish pattern that looks a bit like a network of veins A hooded nudibranch with its oral hood open and tentacles visible in the hood. On the lower part of the body, there are several leaf-shaped projects that are also translucent and show a yellowish pattern that looks like a small network of veins.
November 10, 2024 at 3:40 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Hooray hooray for #SeaSlugDay. A few recent ones from around the Saanich Peninsula: Monterey sea lemon, clown dorid, and a sweet little Hudson's horned dorid. Yay #nudibranchs #underwaterphotography
Two Monterey sea lemons, adorable yellow sea slugs that are lemon shaped and covered in black speckles. A clown dorid, an elongated white sea slug with festive orange-tipped rhinophores and papillae. A Hudson's Horned Dorid, a translucent nudibranch with yellow-tipped rhinophores and papillae.
October 30, 2024 at 2:48 AM
maggieleithead.bsky.social
Had a wonderful first-time roam around Iron Mine Bay this morning. Excellent visibility of 6-7m at the start and still 4ish metres by the end. This area is teeming with all sorts of goodies. Yay nature, yet again. #UnderwaterPhotography #anemone #MarineLife #snorkelling
Moon jelly Rose anemone mouth close up Feather duster worm Kelp greenling
October 8, 2024 at 12:21 AM