Capturing the Moment

Mandarinfish School of batfish Fish of the Philippines come in all shapes and sizes. Some look like fish a child might draw but many others are like visions out of your wildest dreams. Diving in a biodiversity hotspot like the Philippine archipelago gives me a rare chance to encounter some of these strange and wild animals. Do keep in mind as you are reading this post that all the animals pictured here, no matter how different they look, are ALL fish. Blue spotted stingray Sea Moth Horned Bannerfish Ribbon Eels, Moray Eels, and Snake Eels Moray peering out from its lair Ribbon moray , Rhinomuraena quaesita     Moray eels have long been one of my favorite photo subjects. They look menacing enough with their razor sharp teeth but have yet to show any kind of aggressiveness towards me. I am used to moray eels in Hawaii and California but here in the Philippines we have a few other eels to keep an eye out for as well. Sn...

Lionfish   What a wonderful world underwater can be. Making our way out to Sulawesi Island after 2 plane stops, driving another hour to the port village, and then a 10 minute boat ride to Lembeh Island makes me wonder in amazement at travelers that would come to these places 50 or 60 years ago. The world is truly at our fingertips now. I can only imagine what travelers in 50 or 60 years from now will think about us. Maybe they will be shocked that we would spend days traveling to these places when all they have to do is teleport. Pygmy Sea Horse Common Sea Horse   Sometimes the destination makes the journey worth it and many times the journey itself is worth it all on its own. Lembeh is a bit of both. The drive across Sulawesi is through little villages and past giant volcanoes covered in forest. Ribbon Eel Snake Eel But underwater is how Lembeh really shines. The variety of fish in these waters is mind blowing. You can see a lot of reef fish you might se...