Sailfin Blenny

 

 

 

The Sailfin Blenny is only about 1-2 inches and very hard to get a photo of because it will dart from it's hole and then dart back. We found this little guy at a dive site called Tormentos in Cozumel. A little patience allowed me to photograph the rarely seen but distinctive sailfin.

 

 

Magnificent Feather Duster

Perched on the tip of a giant star coral head this large crown of radioles offset beautifully with blue water background. Although magnificent this is really a worm. The appendages, radioles, act as both its gills and a way to capture plankton, that are then moved to its mouth located in the center of the feathery crown.

Reef Scorpionfish

Nestled in a crevice we found this timid looking reef scorpionfish. You will notice the black spines of a long-spine urchin hanging over the scorpionfish. These long barbed spines are needle-sharp, just the right protection for a skittish little fish that needs to get some rest.

We tried several times to get a better shot but the reef scorpionfish kept moving around and every time my flash went off he moved to a different spot. You can’t see it but the wall was covered with long-spined urchins and every time I moved in closer the spines would rotate and point toward my hands making for a very unpleasant experience on several occasions.

I have rarely seen a reef scorpionfish that was not using a long-spine urchin for protection. I believe this may be a symbiotic relationship called facultative commensalism, which means that the scorpionfish gets a safe place to rest (smart little bugger) but the long-spine sea urchin receives no benefit from the relationship.

I really like the color and texture of this sponge. Notice the reef scorpionfish in the background.

Tipping Point

Perched precariously upon dead coral the barrel sponge (It may be a leathery barrel sponge) has grown so rapidly that it has overgrown its host. Any unprotected surface on a damaged coral head will permit a sponge to colonize it. This is one reason that dive guides ask us to be careful to not touch or hit live coral with our fins.

Overshadowing the coral the barrel sponge prevents light from reaching it and as boring sponges burrow into it from below they will eventually erode and destroy the whole coral head.

Warty Corallimorph

Below me was a large mat of beautiful underwater flowers. I put my hand over the golden wart like tentacles that radiated out from the center and felt the rubbery texture. Puzzled, I could not identify what this critter was. It looked like an anemone but the pattern told me it might be something else. I motioned to Mary and pointed, she gave me this I do not know shrug and placed her hand over the tentacles. I took out my slate and wrote “anemone?” and she shook her head with a look of uncertainty so I took a couple of quick photos to identify it when we got home.

We were diving with Kay Wilson of Indigo Dive St. Vincent at “The Steps”. This dive site is next to the shore of St. Vincent at an ancient (relatively speaking) spot where islanders would come to bath and throw their trash out. You might find a treasure of trash sunk into the sand like old bottles but more than likely, you will find a wealth of critters on this dive.

Diamond Rock

At a certain point in the day the rays of the sun glisten off this diamond shaped rock and you can literally see how it got it's name. On closer inspection the substance reflecting the rays of the sun is bird poop.

The World Looks Very Different From Up Here

Why do I stand up here? Anybody?...I stand upon my desk to remind yourself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.

Back Side of Middle Cay

Concentrating on framing a shot of a sand diver I heard a faint yet familiar sound off in the distance. Looking around somewhat bewildered about where it was coming from I looked over at Mary but she was busy searching for a critter with the beam of her light. Then I heard it again, louder yet still distant. I got Mary’s attention and pointed my finger to my ear and she looked at me with a puzzled look. I swam over to her and wrote on my slate “whale song”. She beamed a smile and began searching the abyss for any sign of the behemoths.

Sharptail Eel

Slithering along the bottom bobbing its head side to side as if sniffing a scent the sharptail eel hunts its prey. Oblivious to our presence it charges forward at a fast speed apparently sensing or smelling a meal. I move my leg as it dodges under me, it is fully intent on catching some invisible prey. Stopping abruptly just below me it sticks its head, with those tubular nostrils, in a small hole but quickly loses interest and slithers on toward another opportunity.

I Love Grouper Fingers

I like grouper fingers! I don‘t think you understand how much I REALLY like grouper fingers. There is nothing better than sitting at a table in some remote Caribbean location with a beautiful view of the ocean and a big plate of grouper fingers and French fries. YUM!

Now I am a carnivore, after all my father was a butcher, and I love to eat meat and fish but I have come to understand that many of my eating practices are not sustainable. We are over harvesting certain species that are critical to the health of our oceans and the grouper is one of them.

My Brother James - The Great Lionfish Catcher

I spoke with my brother James this week about the recent dive trip he led to CoCo View Resort in Roatan. Liz Wayne the long time manager left in February and Mitch and Deb Karlson from Texas have replaced her. James was very impressed with Mitch and Deb and he says they are doing a great job of making guests feel at home.

Pin Cushion Seastar

What do politicians and sea stars have in common? They are both bloodless, brainless critters that will eat you alive. Okay, I couldn’t resist the joke but it is true that the sea star has no head, brain or blood. Yet the politician has a head and blood but no brain, go figure.

A sea star is an echinoderm, which means “spiny skin” and literally uses water as it’s blood. The fluid within it’s vascular system is seawater with some cellular and organic material thrown in. It uses this fluid to move its tube like feet, transport food and supply oxygen and carbon dioxide to it’s body. Quite an amazing critter especially considering it’s ability to regenerate a lost limb.

Trumpetfish Comedic Master of Camouflage

Have you ever seen a kid playing hide and seek that is hiding behind a curtain with their legs and feet showing. They think they are completely hidden from you because they cannot see you, so you must not be able to see them. Well that is what I think about every time I see a trumpet fish. A comedic master of mimicry and camouflage you will see them drifting with their head down in a gorgonian swaying back and forth with the current trying to, like the child, blend in so you cannot see it. Often you will see them straddling a grouper or other large fish in the hopes of stealing a morsel or two should the opportunity arise. This is how they feed by stealth getting very close to their prey and then sucking them quickly into their mouth. The trumpet fish mouth is capable of swallowing surprisingly large prey.

Be In a Hurry

As we loaded our gear on the dive boat we saw a little old woman standing on the pier. I remember she wore a red one piece swimming suit that drooped and sagged so much I feared it would fall off her old wrinkled skin. She greeted each diver with a kind word and a gleam in her eyes and then stepped aboard with a ready to go smile as the captain handed her snorkel gear to her.

Spotted Goatfish

Sinking to the sandy bottom on a dive in Saba Mary and I settled in to watch some goatfish feed.  If you dive you have probably passed by these ubiquitous fish without a second thought.  Next time slow down and observe the beauty of the texture, shape and color of this common fish and you just might be amazed.

The spotted goatfish  can dramatically change color from white to blotched and mottled red to reddish brown when inactive.  If you are very still they will approach closely.  Look at the beautiful symmetry of the overlapping scales.  Look closer and you will see the scales have yellow tips that give the appearance of light waves rippling across the body.  Light blue dashes streak from the mouth across the eye to the tail fin as if painted on by a brush.  A row of three large brown blotches look as if an artist just dabbled her brush on the canvas of his body as an afterthought.

The Great White Wall

In the Somosomo straits of Fiji sits Rainbow Reef home of the Great White Wall. If you make it past the ripping current you will enter a tubular cave and exit at about 75 feet where an amazing site will greet you. A snow covered mountain filled with white soft coral that spreads before you like a ski slope. To say that it is breathtaking is an understatement.

Hawksbill at Punta Tunich

I told my great nephew Deacon that I would post some pictures of turtles for him.  I took these at Punta Tunich in Cozumel and they are dedicated to Deacon and MacKenzie his sister.

Stratman Trunkfish

The wreck of the tug boat Stratman sits upright in about 60 feet of water.  Intentionally sunk in Bequia as a dive site it rests on a sandy bottom surrounded by turtle grass.  I was searching for little critters around the stern when I saw Mary start to move slowly starboard off from the bow toward a curious piece of wreckage that resembled a feeding trough.  Several trunkfish, a whitespotted filefish and  porcupinefish were moving in and out of two parallel piece of steel.  Schools of brown chromis were swimming over it flitting back and forth like butterflies and a stream of creole wrasse was streaming overhead round and round like a roller coaster.

Bequia Dive Adventures

Upon arriving in Bequia we hurriedly unpacked our dive gear and headed over to check in with Bequia Dive Adventures.  We found the dive shop a couple of buildings over from the Gingerbread House.  I knew we were going to like this place because the building had so much character reminiscent of what you used to see in the Caribbean.  Painted on one wall of the small green and blue building were two mermaids being chased by an open armed scuba diver.  A couple of dogs were laying next to a green picnic table seemingly unimpressed with our arrival, a large dive flag hung from a pole out front and a walkway  led into Admiralty Bay so you can wade out to the dive boat anchored in waste deep water.  

Ruby Brittle Star

Pulling itself over the sand on its five arms was a ruby brittle star.  We were amazed at how fast it could move.  It looked to be in a great hurry, I would suspect to find a place to hide from us awesome creatures.  Having no head, eyes or ears, I wonder how it knew we were there and maybe it didn't.  Who knows, it could have just wanted to find a safe spot to hide until night time when it could come out and eat.