Nudibranchs, Frogfish, Colors, and Camouflage

  Nudibranchs are a macro photographer's dream animal. They move slowly and boast some of the most vibrant colors and patterns of any underwater wildlife. Yet with all of their brightness it is still quite easy to miss them thanks to all the other colors in the reef. Our eyes are trained to look for movement so we glance right past the hiding octopus, the camouflaged scorpionfish, and even the ostentatious nudibranch....but not on this dive.

Baby frogfish number one was tucked down into the rock, peering up at his reflection in the lens as I got in close for this shot on the left. Heidi found another wedged in amongst coral polyps. These juveniles will someday grow into volleyball size adults one day if they can avoid all the dangers on the reef.

Now this guy was a real tough find. Once again master spotter Heidi pointed him out to me. I initially saw the fin but only the fin. I was amazed when I focused on the entire area and realized it was all one big scorpionfish! I have seen different kinds of scorpionfish on our Hawaiian reefs before but none as beautifully camouflaged as this one. Check out the way his skin grows to mimic the surroundings.

No conversation about camouflage on the reef is complete without an appearance by the master himself...the octopus. Changing the texture of its skin, the color, and the pattern give this reef dweller the ability to ambush its prey and to evade its predators. This collector urchin puts in a valiant effort and gets an honorable mention in the camouflage story hiding under this tiny rock.  

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