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When it's cold on the surface, soak your neoprene and regulators in warm water for a few minutes just before pulling it on, gearing up, and getting in the water. Combined with other good habits, it will keep your regs from freezing on the surface, and it makes donning gloves and hoods less unpleasant.

Mammals

Whales, dolphin, seals, sea lion

Fish

Fin fish

Salmon, rockfish, halibut, lingcod

Other fish

Sharks, wolf fish, true eels

Arthropods

Crabs, sea spiders

Mollusks

Scallops, oysters, clams, sea slugs, sea snails, nudibranchs

Echnoderms

Sea Star
Stars of various ilk are very common in Alaska's waters. In fact, Alaska is rich with echinoderms including brittle starsBrittle Star, various sea stars Leather stars (dermasterias imbricata) and vermilion stars (mediaster aequalias), and urchins.

Cnidaria

Jellys, anemone's , and, yes, corals. Alaskan corals are mostly the soft kind, although some brilliant corals have been discovered in the Aleutian chain.

Metridia (especially metridia pacifica) are very common.

Algae

Alaska has a rich population of algaes, including some amazing seaweeds. For instance, I am told that Alaska is home to feather boa kelps (Egregia menziesii) (please let me know if you have a picture to donate). We used to pop bull kelp in Juneau. Seward is home to massive turkish towels (chondracanthus exasperatus), some three feet long or longer. A little trivia - turkish towels can be used as exfoliating sponges when bathing, and the slime inside is full of carrageenan (that's the emulsifier used in chocolate bars).

Worms

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True Plants

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