Capturing the Moment

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...

              Nudibranchs of Puerto Galera   One of the main reasons the Philippines has been so high on our scuba dive radar is the diversity of nudibranchs that can be found in the waters here. Sea slugs that come in every color imaginable and all different shapes and sizes dot the reefs and rocks just offshore. When we told our divemaster, Amil, that we were hoping to see lots of nudibranchs his eyes lit up. Apparently Puerto Galera is a nudibranch lovers paradise. Nembrotha chamerlaini Pseudoceros bifurcus   13 dives and we saw nudibranchs on every dive! Some were absolutely tiny and needed a very trained eye to see, even if someone was pointing right towards them. Others caught the eye with their wild colors making them stand out.    Some of the nudibranchs were similar to those we have in Hawaii like these two pictured here. But small differences show how the isolation in Hawaii ...

A Loving Couple On the search for a mate    Mission accomplished! Ever since first seeing a photo of a rare fish called a mandarinfish, ( Synchiropus splendidus ), I have wanted to see one for myself. I had high hopes for seeing them in Lembeh, Indonesia last year but both Heidi and I came down with sickness that kept us from scheduling a mandarin dive. That just made me double my efforts at my next dive destination, the Philippines. I wasn't sure where in the Philippines these fish could be seen but I committed myself to the mission.  First a little about the mandarinfish and why it is such a rare fish to encounter. It lives in tropical waters in the Pacific, and is a bottom dweller spending most of its time hiding in rubble or coral. One might think that their bright colors would make them easy to spot but their small size, about 6 centimeters, makes it tougher still. The best time to find and take a photo of these timid fish is right after sunset. This is ...

Scorpionfish standing guard over the reef at Isla Verde   Isla Verde, the Green Island    Isla Verde was incredible. It is Puerto Galera’s ship rock or molokini. An offshore pinnacle just breaking the surface goes down   to an untold depth just a quarter mile off nearby Verde Island. Soft corals, hard corals, huge gorgonian sea fans, massive barrel sponges and millions of fairy basslets cover the steep wall. Leaf scorpionfish and an incredible amount of nudibranchs also dot the wall. I was pretty amazed that no big megafauna comes by but I hear from Amil that it is very very rare. Still an incredible two dives. The boat ride over from Puerto Galera takes about 45 minutes and we lucked out with a calm smooth crossing both ways.    The currents here can be quite tricky. Amil told us of being caught in a down current here that took him from 10meters down to 50meters. He was kicking as hard as he could but still was pulled down in the cur...

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...