Apodichthys flavidus
Long, eel-shaped and easy to miss: find penpoint gunnel among Pacific Northwest kelp and rock, water as cold as 8.8 C.
Long and eel-like, growing to around 32 cm, with a body flattened side to side and a colour that ranges from olive-green to yellowish-brown depending on the surrounding weed and rock. There's no dorsal fin spine standing out from the body outline the way a true eel or blenny might show, and the fish tends to lie tucked against rock or draped through kelp rather than swimming in open water. Look for the slim, ribbon-like profile and the way it holds still against a matching background rather than any bold marking.
Divers most often find it wedged into rock crevices or lying motionless among kelp holdfasts and algae, relying on its colour and stillness to stay unnoticed rather than fleeing. It's logged as uncommon to rare at most sites, so a sighting usually means a slow, careful look through weedy rock rather than a chance encounter in open water. It shows little reaction to divers when found, staying put unless disturbed.
Gunnels can survive out of water for extended periods by hiding under damp rocks and seaweed at low tide, an adaptation that also helps them tolerate the cool, oxygen-variable water of temperate rocky reefs.
Sightings don't show a clear seasonal pattern, and with a water-temperature niche of roughly 8.8 to 12.8 C, it's likely present year-round on the cold-water reefs it favours. Treat it as a species to look for on any dive in its Pacific Northwest range rather than one tied to a particular month.
Most consistently logged in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, with additional sightings in California and across the border in British Columbia, Canada. It's a cold-water, rocky-reef and kelp species, so divers looking for it should focus on temperate sites in Washington, Oregon and southern British Columbia rather than tropical destinations.
Mapping where Penpoint Gunnel is logged…
Best chances are on rocky, kelp-covered reefs in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, plus sites in California and British Columbia, Canada.
There's no strong seasonal signal in sightings, and it favours cold water of roughly 8.8 to 12.8 C, so it's reasonable to look for it year-round rather than timing a trip to a specific month.
Look for a slender, eel-like fish around 32 cm long, olive to yellowish-brown in colour, lying still against rock or tucked into kelp rather than swimming freely in the open.
They typically reach around 32 cm in length, with a slim, flattened body shape that makes them look longer and thinner than their actual size.
No. They're small, non-aggressive fish that hide in rock and kelp and pose no risk to divers.
Like other gunnels, it can survive out of water for periods by sheltering under wet rocks and seaweed, an unusual trait for a fish and useful on reefs exposed to tidal change.
Site and sighting data is aggregated from diver logs, iNaturalist and GBIF. For taxonomy and conservation status:
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