Blackwater

Larval Ornate Octopus, Callistoctopus ornatus

Night Drift: Our Kona Blackwater Diving Adventure

August 17, 2021

Almost four decades after seeing Chris Newbert’s portrait of a larval long-armed oceanic octopus, we finally saw one for ourselves. We joined our friend Steven Kovacs for ten nights of diving in Kona, Hawaii, where blackwater diving began.

Sleeping filefishes Indo-Pacific and Caribbean

In the Grip of Sleep

July 2, 2020

One of our favorite suggestions for fish watchers in the Caribbean is to look for small one-to four-inch Slender Filefish, Monacanthus tuckeri, hiding out within gorgonian bushes, where they shelter from predators, feed, and even more delightful, sleep or rest at night by biting down on polyps for stability – especially helpful when the current runs. This behavior turns out to be a common family trait. In the Caribbean, we have also observed the Whitespotted Filefish, Cantherhines macrocerus,  Orangespotted Filefish, … Read more

photo of a larval Crocodile Toothfish, family Champsodontidae

Pacifico Azul’s Blackwater Magic

April 2, 2020

Following the lead of veteran blackwater photographers, we headed for Anilao, Philippines for seldom-seen larval fishes and invertebrates.

Red Blenny, Parablennius ruber - Blennywatcher's 2016 Review

BlennyWatcher’s 2016 Review

January 21, 2017

BlennyWatcher’s 2016 Review: We didn’t post as much here last year as we would have liked though as diving goes, 2016 was a pretty good year. We added quite a few species to our life lists (including a blenny or two) and in our continued commitment to making at least one dive trip a year that is out of our comfort zone, we ventured into the cold water in the Azores. That led to a new experience – dry suit … Read more

Bumblebee shrimp crawling over octopus

Blue Heron Bridge Visit

September 28, 2015

Two weeks ago, I posted about a dive at the Blue Heron Bridge where I watched a female box crab molt while in the grasp of a male. Ned had good luck too. Bumblebee shrimp are known to feed on the tube feet of echinoderms, so we usually see them on or under urchins and sea cucumbers.  He had stopped to watch an octopus feeding on a gastropod whose shell was too large to fit into the den. Imagine his … Read more

Ambon Jellyfish night drift Ned DeLoach BlennyWatcher.com

Black Water Drift Dive

May 15, 2013

April 2013, Ambon Indonesia ~ Ned loves night dives. I do not. So when Marcel Hagendijk, manager of Maluku Divers, started talking about the cool creatures that drift through the harbor at night, I started sliding down into my chair.  “You know we could put you out there on a line and let you drift,” said Marcel casually. Ned perked up; that was all he needed to hear. The next night, he and our guide, Semuel Bukasiang, drifted in the middle … Read more