Kelpology

Joe Dovala · Issue 51, Nov/Dec 2009 · pp. 62–67

Products mentioned: Subal ND2 housing, Nikon D2x, Nikkor 10.5mm FE, Aquatica AD700 housing, Nikon D700, Nikkor 16mm FE, Ikelite DS-125 strobes

It is difficult to describe the feeling of security one feels when the first strands of kelp come into view. The feeling of vulnerability washes away once inside the undulating greenish brown curtain. Kelps as seen from underwater provide an amazing habitat which can not be appreciated from a topside vantage point. The beach goer wrinkles their nose and scurries by the piles of giant brown algae unceremoniously dumped on the sand by waves. But just like the grandeur of a redwood forest cannot be gleaned from a truck loaded with chain-sawed logs, these odorous mounds of vegetation belie the vast riches and beauty of the kelp forest hidden beneath its canopy. Kelps love cold water and typically grow only along a very narrow belt within temperate seas. This includes North America, Northern Europe, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. By far the biggest concentration is off the Pa…