This is an interesting article about barnacles from a film about the Intertidal Zone by Bullfrog Films. If you are a boat owner, you know about the damage these crustaceans can do to your boat and all the effort it takes to keep them off. If you are ecologically minded the article discusses the way barnacles interact with their environment, finding a home, feeding and breeding.
In the early stages of life barnacles are mobile and swim along with plankton. As they mature, they look for suitable places to live. Barnacles attach themselves to structures using a strong adhesive and begin to grow a hard exoskeleton. They then feed according to the tides. The more food, the faster they grow.
As you know, summer in Florida provides an abundance of food for barnacles and the grow fast and can become very large if not removed on a regular basis. Barnacles are not the only type of sea life that can attach to your boat bottom, but they are the most common type of growth.
If you would like to learn more about barnacles. Read the article above or follow some of these links below.