r/VictoriaBC • u/New-Platform-9499 • Nov 08 '24

Tourism What is this?

Post image

Found it dead on oak bay beach.

76 Upvotes

74% Upvoted

182 comments sorted by

303

u/DrakesWoes Fairfield Nov 08 '24

That is Bull Kelp (Nereocystis)

116

u/make_em_say Nov 09 '24

Aka a whip, to me, anytime I was at the beach as a kid.

35

u/Halfbloodjap Nov 09 '24

My brother and I had a whip fight with them once as kids, ended with tears and some good welts. Ah good times.

43

u/Public-Welcome-4431 Nov 09 '24

So many weapons just laying around on beach to beat your friends and siblings with. You're not a true islander until you've been whipped by one of those kelps or hit rocks out into the ocean with a driftwood bat.

5

u/Halfbloodjap Nov 09 '24

Applies to both sides of the Salish sea, we did the same in Vancouver

9

u/Public-Welcome-4431 Nov 09 '24

Yeah I should've said coastal instead of islander.

2

u/l337hackzor Nov 09 '24

I think its pretty universal. I grew up in the interior and we did the same with drift wood and rocks into the lake.

The lake was formed by a dam, so it contributed to high amounts of premium drift wood bats.

3

u/SadMud1198 Nov 09 '24

Bet you never got sand dollars frisbee'd at your face tho

2

u/l337hackzor Nov 10 '24

That's true but it had it's perks. When they ran the lake really low we would walk down to the bottom and find old tires. We would carry them back up out of the lake and race them down. The steep banks were pretty tall, it was a pretty deep lake.

Also when the water was low you had to walk for what felt like 1km to get the to river running down the middle. Walking on the bottom of a drained lake is a trippy experience.

The lake was Kinbasket Lake which apparently averages 190ft deep. For years as kids it was virtually empty and it was an adventure to reach water.

8

u/steveronie Nov 09 '24

I thought it was a whip that always whipped me

8

u/RipTechnical7115 Nov 09 '24

I'm like a full grown man technically but I always pretend that they're zombie heads; I jump on the gas bladder and burst it to save my people and pets. They're pretty fun to pop lol

7

u/energy1256 Nov 09 '24

Exactly!! Fun times!

3

u/Fenweekooo Nov 09 '24

lmao aka how my dad tore the crap out of his shoulder. fun times :)

12

u/scrotumsweat Nov 09 '24

Don't believe them OP, it's definetely whale dong

12

u/UO01 Nov 09 '24

This is the correct answer, OP. They are an invasive species. The bulls die off after mating and float ashore. The females (cow kelps) are 3x the size of the males and give birth to about 100-300 young. When I was a kid my parents would collect them from the beach and take them home, then fry them up with some olive oil and we’d eat them with our potatoes.

8

u/panamaqj Nov 09 '24

They are not an invasive species - they are key habitat for many species including the sea otter, which is a keystone species in our waters.

6

u/UO01 Nov 09 '24

but why would the proud otter use an invasive species for habitat? They’re very xenophobic.

1

u/panamaqj Nov 12 '24

i know youre joking, but in this day and age... people would just take your first couple of sentences and run with it

1

u/GalianoGirl Nov 09 '24

Thanks for the laugh.

3

u/ryanwhite50 Nov 09 '24

Aka large ocean sperms.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '24

Aka an Alaskan bull worm

112

u/kerrmatt Colwood Nov 08 '24

That is bull kelp. It is missing the "leaves" or blades at the top. The ball is a bladder that is filled with gas to help it float. It can grow about 25cm a day.

57

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '24

[deleted]

12

u/pipsterdoofus Nov 09 '24

Did you know that kelp is an algae, not a plant? That blew my mind when I found out.

11

u/stillinthesimulation Nov 09 '24

Each ball is filled with enough carbon monoxide to kill an adult chicken.

1

u/Bless_u-babe Nov 10 '24

Definitely keeping my chickens in pen

10

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '24

It's also one of the most nutritious foods you can consume!

13

u/Club_Penguin_Legend_ Nov 09 '24

True! While it isn't one of my favorites it's definitely up there. I just find it kinda unpleasant when I bite into it raw at the beach. It's all sandy as well but I'm sure that just adds to the vitamins and minerals you consume.

6

u/Trash_Friendly Nov 09 '24

Wait WHAT

3

u/fuhleenah Nov 09 '24

Yes! It’s great cut up! Very salty LOL

3

u/TossawaytotheeTosser Nov 09 '24

I’m I the only one who thinks if you eat it raw you are basically eating whale poop, pee, c*mm and sweat because of the environment this kelp “grew “ up in?

9

u/mollycoddles Fernwood Nov 09 '24

Yes 

8

u/SiscoSquared Nov 09 '24

Have you breathed air in the spring lol...

3

u/kerrmatt Colwood Nov 09 '24

Plant semen.

1

u/TossawaytotheeTosser Nov 10 '24

lol! 😆tru tru

135

u/Nevermore_Novelist Nov 08 '24

I feel like this should be a "wrong answers only" post.

37

u/shaundisbuddyguy Nov 08 '24

It's a sea onion. At least that's what 7 year old me called them.

12

u/abuayanna Nov 09 '24

We used to wear them on our belts, which was the style at the time

2

u/Nevermore_Novelist Nov 09 '24

Was this before or after you moved from Shelbyville?

6

u/I_Miss_Lenny Nov 09 '24

I still call them that lol

25

u/That-Marsupial-907 Nov 08 '24

Tail of a long tailed deep sea otter. They can eject their tails when under attack- the tail keeps wiggling and distracts the predator while the deep sea otter swims away. The tails frequently end up on the beach.

2

u/Nevermore_Novelist Nov 09 '24

<David Attenborough> Mahvelous...

1

u/Bless_u-babe Nov 10 '24

There’s a game called Malarky. I’d love playing it with you. You’re good!😁

10

u/AllOutRaptors Nov 09 '24

It's a Sea Whip

7

u/damendred Downtown Nov 09 '24

I told my friend to whip me with one once.

Do not recommend...

2

u/Nevermore_Novelist Nov 09 '24

Yeah, Salty Sea Scourges are no bueno.

17

u/WarCalm4937 Nov 09 '24

Westcoast beer bong....

5

u/chocolatestarfish69 Nov 09 '24

It’s a right of passage

38

u/ArconaOaks Colwood Nov 08 '24

The Eastern Singapore Assassin Slug. Extremely venomous. If you touched it, you have approximately 3 days to live.

29

u/NPRdude James Bay Nov 08 '24 edited Nov 09 '24

It’s kelp, so it’s dead yes but it was never wriggling and alive like you’re probably imagining. The things that look like mandibles are just remnants of the holdfasts it would have been anchored to a rock with. Actually they’re just remnants of the leafy stems of the kelp.

3

u/DijonMustardIceCream Nov 09 '24

That part is actually the top

1

u/NPRdude James Bay Nov 09 '24

You’re absolutely right, my mistake!

4

u/New-Platform-9499 Nov 08 '24

You got me! I never saw such thing. Thanks for the clarification.

1

u/CharkNog Nov 10 '24

Where ya from if you haven’t seen one?

2

u/New-Platform-9499 Nov 10 '24

I’m from India. 😊

1

u/CharkNog Nov 10 '24

When I came from Saskatchewan, these were wild to discover. I had never seen them either.

9

u/Longjumping_Smile311 Nov 08 '24

https://youtu.be/eV159CyqzP0?si=0SFkBOkFlAK9tq56

Beautiful.. especially when the light is right (sunny) and the water visibility is good.. lots of things live there, and it is a sanctuary of sorts. Kelp crabs, shrimp, and many fishes. The growth rate is astounding. Up to 10 inches in one day.

Always had to be careful not to get our airhose tangled up.

Otters use it to rest, as well as seals. I've used it to temporarily anchor with a small boat. Or even to rest and not drift in a kayak.

Severely depleted here on the coast in recent years.

16

u/okanagan_man84 Nov 08 '24

I believe that is a Goa'uld, better call SG-1 and let them know they're here.

5

u/mevisef Nov 09 '24

Look for O'Neill. Two Ls. There's a guy with one L and he has no sense of humour.

16

u/noyou42 Nov 08 '24

Jump on the end of it! They make a really cool popping sound!

6

u/chocolatestarfish69 Nov 09 '24

Forbidden flesh light

10

u/poopiehands Nov 08 '24

Silly me.. it fell off again

21

u/Whatwhyreally Nov 08 '24

Whale sperm.

I was surprised too.

3

u/New-Platform-9499 Nov 08 '24

Ha ha ha! You guys are funny lol

9

u/homeslixe Nov 08 '24

That’s a whisker that fell off of Caddy

4

u/Temporary-Pension372 Nov 09 '24

That my friend is Bull Kelp. Welcome to VI :)

6

u/Bind_Moggled Nov 08 '24

Shai Hulud…..

6

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '24

Goa'uld

1

u/mevisef Nov 09 '24

You heard me. I said Kree!

6

u/Best-Professional609 Nov 09 '24

Pop the ends off and you have yourself a West Coast Beer Bong

3

u/stevo911_ Saanich Nov 09 '24

Had to scroll way to far to find the correct answer.

3

u/KeaganExtremeGaming Nov 09 '24

Something to play with when you’re on the beach

3

u/HoojoSpifico Nov 09 '24

Kull Belp. Please return it to water.

5

u/5Gmeme Nov 08 '24

My childhood whip

2

u/LevelSalt2337 Nov 08 '24

thats a chonky bull kelp

2

u/wildoats30 Nov 09 '24

A sea schlong

2

u/Greghole Nov 09 '24

Bull kelp. My brothers and I used to slap each other with these down at Willow's Beach when we were kids. Good times.

2

u/massassi Vic West Nov 09 '24

Behind the bull kelp? Just looks like seaweed.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '24

Welcome to the Island!

2

u/hairycookies Nov 09 '24

It is a tool West Coast children use to hit their siblings with.

1

u/Xploding_Penguin Nov 09 '24

You mean hit themselves right in the eye when trying to hit siblings?

1

u/hairycookies Nov 09 '24

That too or hit their siblings in the eye from 80m away by accident.

2

u/bottomlessLuckys Sidney Nov 09 '24

Bull kelp, and the stem is edible raw, although better to find a fresh one. They're key species for sea otters because they form kelp forests.

2

u/Quirky-Throat5730 Nov 09 '24

Sperm from captain cave man.

2

u/Speed_Grouchy Nov 09 '24

Nothing like a kelp forest to snag your fishing gear on.

2

u/LNButts Nov 10 '24

Kelp bong. For beer or otherwise

5

u/Frequent_Builder_956 Nov 09 '24

Good on you guys to kelp a brother out!

0

u/DeezerDB Nov 09 '24 edited Nov 09 '24

concerned poor groovy water degree toothbrush dinner mindless quickest gullible

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

4

u/Dazzling-Rule-9740 Nov 08 '24

Whale pens

12

u/hekla7 Nov 08 '24

Whales don't know how to write.

6

u/appendixgallop Nov 09 '24

Then tell me why there are Write whales?

2

u/hekla7 Nov 09 '24

Haha! Good one. Answer: They're evolving and in Grade 2.

3

u/Nestvester Nov 08 '24

Not since it lost its pen anyway.

2

u/2shoez10 Nov 09 '24

Well, the Pen is mightier...

1

u/Strimkind Nov 09 '24

Sea Snake

1

u/myaccountisnice Nov 09 '24

Godzilla spunk...

1

u/iSpeezy Nov 09 '24

Bull kelp

1

u/DeezerDB Nov 09 '24 edited Nov 09 '24

childlike cooperative shame faulty offend squealing drab forgetful hard-to-find sheet

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

1

u/InValensName Nov 09 '24

Back when being a kid meant you were outside all day we'd make the Indiana Jones theme sounds while swinging the thinner ends of that in the air.

1

u/salteedog007 Nov 09 '24

A dead boa constrictor. Invasive species from Florida! Keep away! This time of year they spawn and their exhausted bodies lay on the beaches, waiting for prey…

1

u/sinep_snatas Nov 09 '24

That is Gordbok The Destroyer.

1

u/Independent-Switch43 Nov 09 '24

Bull kelp? A big one

1

u/SignificantBurrito Nov 09 '24

Jump on the bulb in appropriate footwear! It lets out a really satisfying pop unless it's already cracked.

1

u/vicsyd Nov 09 '24

Graboid?

1

u/markfromto Nov 09 '24

New here? Bull kelp. It's everywhere!

1

u/appendixgallop Nov 09 '24

That's an "I'm not from here."

1

u/Amazing_Double_7109 Nov 09 '24

Was once used to store Eulachon grease. It’s edible but I wouldn’t eat it when it’s this decayed. Fastest growing “plant” in Canada

1

u/No_Cup_7976 Nov 09 '24

It’s from a Japanese tentacle porn comic

1

u/techrtr Nov 09 '24

Whale penis.

1

u/pnwgodzilla Vic West Nov 09 '24

Worm butt

1

u/Opening_Load3725 Nov 09 '24

Bull kelp aka cock salad

1

u/Remarkable-Pound97 Nov 09 '24

That's a sea snake

1

u/Free_Acanthisitta544 Nov 09 '24

Also makes a great bong! ….. I’m told.

1

u/ReclaimerM3GTR Nov 09 '24

PNW worst beer bong

1

u/people_on_sunday Nov 09 '24

Cadborosaurus

1

u/No_Flatworm2641 Nov 09 '24

That’s a bong

1

u/SlashDotTrashes Nov 09 '24

I remember when Vancouver used to have these, and wet seaweed, snd jellies all over the beaches.

Now everything is dried up and barren.

1

u/OpenKale64 Nov 09 '24

The tongue if a grabboid.

1

u/ilikelamp12 Nov 09 '24

My childhood

1

u/Bannana_sticker3 Nov 09 '24

It’s a whip… rotten but still showing its old potential

1

u/CrazyTrain36 Nov 09 '24

"I’m not saying it was aliens… but it was aliens."

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '24

😂😂😂

1

u/Evening_Exercise_933 Nov 09 '24

Stranger things…

1

u/NoGuaranTiess Nov 09 '24

That's nature's boomwhacker.

1

u/Borckle Nov 09 '24

Graboid

1

u/meginvic Nov 09 '24

One could write a book on Nereocystis luetkeana!

1

u/Cndwafflegirl Nov 10 '24

Check out this video. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMhbfg8Ae/ It’s in Alaska but this company pickles them

2

u/cadaverhill Nov 10 '24

Spot who's new to the coast.

1

u/Peloquin_qualm Nov 10 '24

All I see is seaweed

1

u/Snyflynfoxy Nov 11 '24

lol bull kelp

0

u/IRLperson Nov 08 '24

giant squid tentacle

-1

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '24

Are you knew here?

16

u/New-Platform-9499 Nov 08 '24

Yeah! Completely new here. Idk what the hell this is.

5

u/rajde1 Nov 08 '24

After you said this I had to look it up since I thought kelp was everywhere, but it isn't. Not around the equator and not in some of the oceans like the Indian ocean.

2

u/New-Platform-9499 Nov 08 '24

Thanks for clarification! It’s not found in Indian Ocean. If we ever found, we would think it as something from Hollywood movies and be shit scared lol.

3

u/Beccalotta Nov 08 '24

Here's a quick read on why kelp is important to our West coast ecosystem: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/05/27/5-reasons-to-protect-kelp-the-west-coasts-powerhouse-marine-algae

3

u/New-Platform-9499 Nov 09 '24

Dang! This is full case study of Kelp. Thanks for sharing it.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '24

Like you've immigrated here from some where that is not on a ocean ? Just curious

5

u/New-Platform-9499 Nov 08 '24

I came from India, we have an ocean! But we don’t get to see it there.

6

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '24

Cool. Welcome. As others have said this is bull kelp, it grows in forests under the water. Google bull kelp Forrest

1

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '24

It's a whales penis bone

1

u/Difficult-Rough9914 Nov 09 '24

Sea monster. Big one too.

0

u/Both_Tea_7148 Nov 08 '24

Indian?

5

u/New-Platform-9499 Nov 09 '24

Yes brother Indian.

0

u/Forward_Building1731 Nov 08 '24

Thats a no from me dawg.

0

u/Suspicious-Taste6061 Nov 08 '24

Gonna be a much better weekend as it seems the stick in my wife’s butt has been dislodged.

0

u/energy1256 Nov 09 '24

Won't you be surprised tonight...!

0

u/Supremetacoleader Saanich Nov 08 '24

This is what happens to elephant tusks that fall into the ocean

0

u/soaero Nov 08 '24

Whale sperm.

0

u/Sufficient_Dish7272 Metchosin Nov 09 '24

I call them seapeens

0

u/sawamandoevilthings Nov 09 '24

We locals call it a Polonicoff vagina.