Capturing the Moment

Blue Dragon Red Spotted Nudibranch  Over the course of three dives Heidi and I found ourselves in nudibranch heaven. We didn't even have to go to some far off land, just right off our own coast here in Hawaii. We scoured the waters of the Big Island and a couple of spots on Lanai, but it seems that Maui is the hotspot for nudibranch hunters. Many of these nudibranchs are the 'usual suspects' which we often look for. These pictures are from Wailea Point, Turtle Town, and Dai Mar&Heidi's Reef (a site which Heidi stumbled across while researching old nudibranch surveys and we explored together.)     Over the years we have seen many rare and unusual species of nudibranchs around the world. Just the other day we spotted some of first Atlantic Ocean nudibranchs so the search continues. The bright coloration and amazing patterns never cease to amaze me. Orange Blob Tom Smith's Nudibranch Trembling Nudibranch Imperial Nudibranchs Imperi...

Kahuna nudibranch  After our first successful nudibranch search at Honolulu's Magic Island dive site we decided to head back to see what else we could find. The water viz is usually pretty low at the entrance, around 15ft, but opens up to 30-35ft as you round the corner. We explored the Ala Wai boat channel, which you can see to the right of Magic Island in the aerial picture, on our first dive. This time we skipped most of that and jumped in almost all the way out of the channel. Indian Nudibranch Kahuna Nudibranch ( Thorunna kahuna)   Before rounding the corner of the breakwall we stumbled upon our first nudibranch finds, a Kahuna nudibranch. This beautiful nudibranch is white with a brilliant purple fringe. We have found it a few times already here on Oahu, however it was very rare to see on Maui. It's funny how shifting 80 miles away can have a noticeable impact on wildlife. Heidi spotted an Indian nudibranch shortly after. These are one my favorite nudib...

              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 ...

 Heidi and I made an amazing discovery in our favorite tidepools the other night, something we have been searching for time and time again, a nocturnal nudibranch called a Spanish Dancer. It has a similar name to the spanish shawl nudibranchs that we were used to seeing in California but this nudibranch can be over a foot long! However this night was very special, because our spanish dancer happened to be a juvenile. The colors on the juveniles are so vibrant. This animal personifies what makes nudibranchs so highly sought after. They also share a certain skill with the spanish shawls of California...the ability to swim! As this one undulated back and forth through the water I was able to snap a picture just as it reached the surface of the tidepool, making it look like it is kissing its reflection. Reaching out to its reflection