Capturing the Moment

Anemonefish, or clownfish as they are widely known, are some of my favorite photographic subjects. Not only are they brightly and boldly colored, but you are almost guaranteed a surreal background. These fish are almost always found darting in and out of their host anemone, which provides a protective home for the anemonefish. http://www.daimarsphotos.com/Animals/Anemonefish/ Waving Hello?    These fish have always been a favorite of scuba divers and underwater photographers, but have gained a worldwide reputation since being featured as "Nemo" in the Finding Nemo movie. With fame comes problems. The demand for anemonefish in the aquarium trade has increased exponentially, an ironic fact since the movie's message preached the exact opposite.   The mutualism between anemonefish and their host anemone has been widely studied but is still not fully understood. Just how the fish are able to avoid the potent poison of the anemone is only theories at this ...

Lightning eyes of a porcupine fish Blenny in a bottle    Take a walk, or swim, on the wild side. Bizarre fish pop up on every dive here in the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. While staying and diving out of NAD Lembeh resort and with the help of our amazing critter finder and guide Nathan we saw a plethora of fun fish. Here is a sample of the craziness. Hairy Frogfish, Antennarius striatus Hairy frogfish on the hunt   Frogfish are some of my favorite fish to look for. I can find a few species in Hawaii but for the rare hairy frogfish, Lembeh is the place to look. We were lucky enough to find two of these bizarre looking fish during our stay. Both were moving along the black sand and bobbing their lures up and down trying to trick prey into coming close enough to gobble up. Their mouth extends forward enabling them to swallow prey nearly as large as they are. Male Ribbon Eel Ribbon Eel, Rhinomuraena quaesita  Another big mission this trip was to ...

My first Wonderpus!   One of my big missions for this trip to Indonesia was to find and photograph the elusive wonderpus octopus. The scientific name of this octopus, Wonderpus photogenicus , is a testament to just how beautiful this animal is. I was in luck. Over twenty dives in the Lembeh Strait we found five different wonderpus octopi. We also saw a mimic octopus, a couple of coconut octos, long arm octopus, and two shaggy octopi. Wonderpus photogenicus  Octopi are incredibly intelligent, probably the most intelligent invertebrates on the planet. They are highly evolved predators and boasts some amazing defensive strategies. They can change color in an instant, problem solve, and squeeze through a opening slightly larger than their beak. Mimic Octopus    Coconut Octopus and its home bottle   Even though it was the wonderpus I was hoping to find, the coconut octopus really stole the show. They are so cute, peering out from their...

Hypselodoris bullockii laying eggs Nudibranch laying egg mass   I have seen nudibranchs in cold California kelp forest, on deep wall dives, in tide pools, and on rubble bottom tropical muck dives. Their vivid colors make them fit right into their surroundings in Indonesia, especially with all of the vibrantly colored soft corals, sponges, and hydroids covering the shallows. But in all of these different habitats certain behaviors remain the same. Egg cases will be attached to sturdy rocks or coral, mating will also be right side to right side, and nudibranchs will find poisonous stationary creatures like hydroids to feast upon and in turn use those toxins as part of their own defense. Nudibranch searching for food Nembrotha rutilans feeding Risbecia tryoni nudibranchs mating   We found so many nudibranchs during our week diving the Lembeh Strait that we were lucky enough to see and photograph most of the different behaviors these creatures display. The...

Anna's Chromodoris Chromodoris lochi    There are over 3000 species of nudibranchs throughout the world's oceans. For scuba divers and marine biologists, nudibranchs form the essence of the underwater treasure hunt. It can take a lot of patience and a trained eye but the reward is definitely worth it. These sea slugs can be tiny but with striking forms and every color imaginable. They are one of my favorite underwater photo subjects for this reason. Colorful Hypselodoris Creamy Chromodoris   We were looking for nudibranchs on every dive during our stay in Lembeh, Indonesia. The muck diving here provides many opportunities to cross paths with these colorful creatures. For the sheer number of nudibranch species that can be found here I consider Indonesia to be one of the best places in the world to find nudibranchs. Crested Nembrotha Gabriela's Tambja The beautiful colors and patterns on the body of a nudibranch are often accentuated by the frill...