It was indeed a spectacular assemblage of gelatinous creatures, a somewhat unusual occurrence so close to shore. These weren't your standard old jellies. Young Pelagia usually have longer oral arms than older adults, and this group did not disappoint. Looming a few meters below the surface, it was possible to easily find 10 or more purple-stripe jellies within a few minutes of searching from a boat or kayak. They are visible as groupings of reddish-orange specks, each a couple of millimeters in diameter.
Larvaceans form mucus nets to collect tiny planktonic food particles.
Oikopleura is usually overlooked, but when aggregating it's very easy to spot the groupings. We'll watch and see. Fans of Beroe were best served by checking out a long slick parallel to shore between Point Pinos and Cypress Point. Just south of Point Pinos, mixed in with kelp pieces and other debris, hundreds of Beroe cucumis gathered right at the surface. Farther south near the Cypress Point buoy, large Beroe forskalii ruled the surface waters.