Meet the lined seahorse – a tiny, magical resident of the Chesapeake Bay! 🌊 🐴 These delicate creatures aren’t just beautiful; they’re a sign of a healthy ecosystem. With their curled tails and intricate stripes, they cling to underwater grasses, blending perfectly into their surroundings. However, such beauty and specialization come at a cost. Underwater grass beds are vulnerable to spikes in pollution, algal blooms, and disturbance of the bottom through trawling or other human activity. Sea horses are slow swimmers, and cannot easily avoid these hazards. Swimming with these majestic creatures reminded me of both the beauty and fragility of our environment, and the importance of knowing our place in it. Did you know lined seahorses are the only seahorse species native to this region? 🐠 They inhabit the Bay’s shallow water. Protecting their habitat means protecting the Bay’s biodiversity and wonders for future generations. Shoutout to Hunter for finding this one. #chesapeakebay #scubadiving #seahorses

Is that a sea turtle skeleton inside the wreck?!? 🐢💀 While missing summer diving and going over unposted video, I came across this clip from a dive in June this year. Hunter and I were exploring a wreck off the coast of Virginia Beach when we found this skeleton just past a narrow opening. How did the turtle get in there in the first place? Was there an opening in another part of the hull and it couldn’t find its way back? Let this be another reminder to run a wreck reel and practice your skills, so you don’t end up like this poor guy. As tragic as it is to find this, it was definitely a unique find and something that sticks in your mind. Every dive is different and there’s always another wonder around the corner. #wreckdiving #seaturtles #scubadiving #virginiabeach

A 107-year old shipwreck holds a tremendous amount of life ⚓️ Sand tiger sharks and massive schools of fish swarm around what remains of the Proteus, off the coast of Hatteras, NC. The Proteus went down in 125 ft of water in 1918 after a collision with the Cushing while on her way from New Orleans to New York. With fog in the air and navigation lights off to avoid German subs, the collision occurred early in the morning and the ship sunk shortly after. More info can be found at https://www.divehatteras.com/proteus.html Members of DiveVB were fortunate to dive the wreck with @vicarious_charters on September 6th in excellent bluewater conditions. #wreckdiving #scubadiving #obx #ww1