Unusual Sea Creatures of Bali

       Nudibranchs 

Sea slugs have always been one of my favorite creatures to search for underwater. They are colorful and slow moving which makes them a perfect subject for underwater photography. Indonesia is one of the best nudibranch hot spots. Our first dive at Tulumben was a muck dive during which we actively sought out nudis and other small and bizarre creatures. The next three dives on the wreck were not focused on small things but we still kept finding them. 

I noticed one nudibranch that we have in Hawaii and one that we saw on the Great Barrier Reef, but so many were new and different. The amount of hydroids and soft coral that these nudibranchs feed on is plentiful here in the warm waters around Bali. I love diving on beautiful coral reefs but muck diving can be so exciting and surprising.

Decorator Crab

          Wild Crustaceans

Hairy Squat Lobster (Look Hard)

Tiger Shrimp

Boxer Crab

    Nudibranchs aren't the only bizarre macro life underwater here. All kinds of shrimp, crabs, and lobsters hide in cracks and crevices during the day and come out at night to feast on the reef. We saw cleaner shrimp climb into our dive guides mouth, hairy squat lobsters camouflaging in with soft coral, and a rare tiger shrimp hiding beside a rock. The big find was near the end of the muck dive in fifteen feet of water the dive guide turned over a few rocks until he found a boxer crab. This beautiful crab is pretty small and looks like it is carrying pom poms in its claws.      

Weird Fish Abound

Tiny frogfish

Frogfish

  Combing muck diving and night diving we were able to really see some of the more bizarre animals including some weirdly shaped fish. The frogfish is always a must find as they can be so beautiful while at the same time so grumpy looking. We found one so small on our night dive that I had the guide put his pointer stick in the picture for a size reference. His stick is about the width of a pencil eraser.

Pipefish

Juvenile Angel Fish

  We didn't see any sea horses, although I did hear there has been a pygmy sea horse in the area, but we did find a close relative, the pipefish. Two of these tiny stick-like fish were hunting around looking for food. There is just no end to the possibilities of what you might find here. It seems like there is something new on every dive.