Capturing the Moment

Tiny free swimming bobtail squid   While searching for nudibranchs in the waters off Tulamben, we found a lot of other wondrous creatures to keep the camera firing. Our local dive guide Tisnu spotted a tiny swimming speck which turned out to be a baby bobtail squid. I fought for a few minutes trying to focus on and snap a picture. I will say it was a hundred times easier when the squid landed on a nearby hydroid. Pipefish Camouflage Crabs blended in with their surroundings and shrimp found interesting homes on the underside of sea stars and on a single piece of wire coral. While most of these methods of camouflage are for defense, the giant mantis shrimp needs no such thing. Sea Star Shrimp   The giant mantis shrimp looks like a medium size lobster when totally out of its hole. But usually prey won't get that chance to see that. This giant shrimp sits deep within its burrow, with only its two complex eyes poking up, stalking the possible prey nearby. G...

Sea Slug Eating a Poisonous Sea Pen Wondrous Eyes of the Mantis Shrimp    Strange and Wonderful Critters  Complex eyes peer up at you out of a burrow in the sand, poisonous feathers zap the uninitiated hand, slugs come in every color of the rainbow, and the tiny cousin of the infamous giant squid zips around at night challenging even the strongest of eyes to see. These are just a few of the mysterious creatures you will find when heading away from the coral reefs and exploring the muck diving side of Indonesia's scuba scene. Bobtail Squid (Pinky Fingernail Size) Tiny Nudibranch Next to Pointer Stick   On the island of Bali, the place for muck diving is Amed and Tulamben. These small villages sit on the northeast coast of Bali under the imposing shadow of Mt. Agung, a 9,944ft volcano. Agung last erupted in 1963, sending the hulking wreck of the US Liberty tumbling off the beach down the steep slope to its present day submerged resting spot. Having...

Peacock Mantis Shrimp Crabs, shrimp, and lobsters can all be big finds for an underwater macro photographer. Some of these crustaceans can give nudibranchs a run for their money when it comes to bold colors. Take this peacock mantis shrimp for example. It has so many shades of colors that it is named after a peacock!     Other crustaceans rely on small size to escape notice. Luckily our local divemaster had a great eye for some of these tiny critters that I would have swam right by. Still others rely on camouflage. This tiny wire coral shrimp was the same exact color of the wire coral until I flashed him with light from my strobe. Even then it would be hard to pick him out unless you zoom way in like this.   Alot of the reefs here are covered in soft coral. This soft coral waves back and forth in the surge and give the reef alot of movement which we don't see in Hawaii. I always think the soft coral would be a great place for creatures to hide but fo...