If you're a fan of Studio Ghibli, you'll probably recognize the bobblehead-like creatures from Princess Mononoke (1997). They are Kodama—the spirits of the forest. When the forest is healthy, Kodama sit among the trees, gently shaking their clunky little heads to welcome anyone who enters.
In God's Pocket Marine Provincial Park, we have our own sea version of Kodama. Hundreds of thousands of hooded nudibranchs inhabit the dense kelp forest of Nudi Bay, waving their large "hoods" as they capture plankton drifting through the water column.
Diving here usually means enduring poor visibility, as the nutrient-rich water flowing from Browning Pass into the bay is often filled with suspended particles. On this dive, however, I was fortunate to be greeted by calm weather and unusually clear visibility. It turned out to be one of the highlights of my diving career. Besides spending the entire dive surrounded by countless "Kodama," I even found an elusive ocean sunfish (Mola mola) cruising through the kelp forest. The first sunfish I've ever witnessed in my life.
