Marine life of Richmond's Inner Harbor are featured in a colorful photo on the cover of the new April-June issue of Bay Nature magazine. It looks like a pristine Caribbean underwater scene! To view the cover page photo on line, see:
http://www.baynature.com/2003apriljune/hidden_2003apriljune.html

The article, "Hidden Treasures of the Harbor" reads in part:
 

"Although seven bridges span its breadth and many ships ply its waters, our view of what lives beneath the opaque surface of San Francisco Bay is surprisingly limited. Like many before him, photographer-cum-diver Dennis Anderson had been frustrated in his efforts to photograph its underwater creatures by the notorious turbidity of the Bay. But then he heard rumors of clear water in the Richmond Inner Harbor, a place largely sheltered from the pull of currents and the churn of waves."

"Here, in still, deep waters, where sediment that has washed down from the hills and out from the Central Valley can settle out, Anderson found a largely unexplored world pulsing with life, full of curious forms and bright colors. Juvenile smelt (Atherinopsis californiensis) school near the surface, flashing silver as they dart after algae and detritus. Below, anemones (order Actinaria) deploy their crowns of entangling tentacles armed with nettle-like nematocysts that sting and paralyze unfortunate passersby "

"Down here amid the harbor pilings, the limiting factor is space on which to anchor, and every surface is prime real estate. Competition is stiff for a foothold and a meal."

Richmond as a scuba diving destination .....? Who would've thought? (Thanks to Bruce Beyaert for this).