It’s late October. As autumn progresses, it gets increasingly difficult to put on my gear and get in the water. Between the head-numbing cold and the departure of the tropicals, the idea of diving in New York becomes less appealing with each passing day.  Sometimes I need to stop and remind myself that the tropical strays aren’t the only interesting things to look at in our waters. Here’s a video clip of a few of our local stars. Spider crabs ambling across the bottom; cunners swimming over beds of young blue mussels; a large summer flounder, likely preparing to head out into the deeper waters of the continental shelf, where it will find a little relief from the bitterly cold New York winter. As I lock eyes with this beautiful flatfish, I imagine its bulky fillets, thinly-sliced on a platter of sashimi. I look at my collecting net. Would it hold him? I decide to settle for the video and save the space in my bag for something smaller (which I don’t find). A gathering of black seabass looks on as if they are waiting for something to happen. I’m cold and I’m going home empty-handed, but I’m underwater, so it’s a great day.