Scuba Adventures
Banda Sea, April 2014 ~ This algae covered decorator crab, found by Ned on a night dive off Pantar, Indonesia, is one of my favorite images from our April trip around the Banda Sea. We boarded the Dewi Nusantara in Ambon and dived our way down through and around the southern perimeter of the Banda Sea and across through the Alor region, ending in Flores. And oh, what a trip! Last year, I posted about the little bryozoan goby that … Read more
This is my entry for this week’s Photo Friday topic: Perspective. One of the things that makes diving so appealing on the island of Bonaire is the access to sites from shore. The story is a little different on the east side of the island, where the shoreline is rough and in most places, high above sea level, making entries difficult. The camera, placed in a rather small hole, creates an interesting perspective; the ancient coral reef, long exposed to … Read more
This is my entry for the Photo Friday: Delicious! challenge. Aboard the Dewi Nusantara, fresh green coconut was one of my favorite after-dive snacks. Nothing processed, no additives – just fresh and succulent, right out of the husk. The crew demonstrated how to eat the coconut meat by cutting off a small part of the green husk to create a scoop. Delicious!
Photo Friday: Activity is the challenge this week. Our favorite activity underwater is “critter hunting” – the search for unusual fish and invertebrates. Finding cool critters like this crocodile fish above and the rare melibe nudibranch below are what keep us diving.
We were lamenting leaving home during our favorite season, late spring, until we woke our first morning in Indonesia to the sun rising over Manado Bay. Just around the corner we found little mudskippers, from the goby family. Mudskippers have adapted to life in shallow, muddy areas by breathing through their skin. These occasionally made a funny little flip, presumably to wet their skin for protection from the very hot sun.
Isn’t this Yellowhead Wrasse from Bermuda gorgeous? Even though Bermuda shares many of the same species with the rest of the western Atlantic, the island’s geographical isolation has led to some interesting variations. For example, in Bermuda the terminal phase Yellowhead Wrasse has a red back – as can be seen in the photo above. In fact, their common name for this fish is Redback. Earlier this year, our friend Ron Lucas sent news about the Bermuda Reef Life HD … Read more