The wonderful variety that live within our oceans. This creature that may look like a burning orange flame underwater is a Golden Dirona, Dirona aurantia.
These brightly coloured slugs are members of the nuidbranch family and reside in the temperate waters of the Pacific Northwest. They get their brilliant hue from the algae they eat.
The large, soft "spines" that grow off the back called cerata, and it is through these appendages that oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange occurs. Typically these nudibranchs live in shallower waters no deeper than 20 meters and finding and photographing one can be the highlight of a dive.
Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Scott
For more images and stories - http://www.scottstevensonphotography.ca/