Emerald Diving Species Index

This index is a continual work in progress and contains photographs and identification of more than 400 species that you may encounter when diving Washington or British Columbian waters. It is by no means inclusive of all Pacific Northwest marine species.

This index is organized by three major categories, then by common family names under each of those categories. Simply use the selector in the top right of the page or click on the appropriate common family name below. Once the individual species are displayed, you can also click on any of the images to see a larger image of that species. For the viewer to work properly, please let the page fully load before enlarging an image.

Description for each species are not scientific in nature, but general characteristics I look for to identify the species. The information presented for each species is based upon my limited knowledge, which is by no means comprehensive or complete. If you are seeking in depth, detailed desciptions and the natural history, I highly recommend Mola Marine's guide books authored by Greg Jensen (and others) documenting crabs, shrimps, nudibranchs, and other invertebrates as well as free downloadable guides pertaining to flatfish and sculpins.

If you find error in this species identification index, please let me know.