This afternoon was unexpectedly exciting. One minute I was in my pjs, the next I was racing through the house, shedding clothes as I went, grabbing Matt mid-dinner making. The moment I had been waiting for had come: someone posted on one of the local pages that they had seen Blue Dragons down at the beach.
These are without a doubt one of my very favourite creatures of all time. They're tiny little nudibranchs and unlike other nudis that can be found on the ocean floor, these guys swallow a bubble of air and float on the ocean. They're often found as part of the 'blue fleet', with Bluebottles (that they eat) Blue buttons, By-the-Wind Sailors and Violet Snails, all of which I saw today.
They are just stunning to look at with their metallic blue and silver colouring which makes for perfect oceanic camouflage but they're also deceptively small. I've added a photo of one next to my pinky to give you an idea of what to look for.
They store the stinging cells of bluebottles in their 'wings' so they can in theory give a sting, but they don't deserve their reputation as being deadly or seriously dangerous. I've never been stung and I've spoken to plenty of experts who are the same. That being said, I still pick them up by scooping up a handful of wet sand so they don't touch my skin, just in case.
So that's how we spent our afternoon, making a mad dash, trying to find these little fellas as the sun was going down and the light disappearing and you know what? That was an afternoon well spent.
Blue Dragon Nudibranchs
Bulli Beach
