Best of Mike #234

He's a Hawksbill turtle.

Well I guess I don't know that.... it could be a she.

I don't know how to tell the difference.

If I go that route.... I will have to use "it" in the rest of my story.

And that, just seems wrong.... for a creature so majestic.

He's been to the surface.... and gotten the breath he needed.

And now he's headed back down to the deep.

That breath is going to last him a long time.... but how long, does depend on what he is doing while underwater.

It could be 20 minutes to 2 hours when he is active.... or 4-7 hours if he is resting or asleep.

There was a time when divers and swimmers thought it was great fun to grab onto a shell.... and hitch a ride.

That practice is very much frowned upon now.... and that's a good thing.

Just like us, a turtle that is trapped or panicked can lose their breath very quickly and drown.

Best of Mike #233

I am reasonably (but not totally) sure that this is a Sargassum Swimming Crab.

The body color (golden) and the size (about 3") seem right.

But there are supposed to be a pair of rear legs.... that have developed into paddle-like appendages for swimming.

I didn't know about the special legs.... until well after I shot the pixture.

So it could be that we just don't see those legs.... so, take a better pixture next time.

Or it could be careful identification.... of the wrong species.

Best of Mike #232

Like a lot of things.... an appreciation for what you are seeing underwater grows with time and repeated encounters.

In the beginning.... a Hermit Crab is just a shell with an interesting shape.

Then.... it's a shell that one day you see walking.

And then....it's the red speckled legs that catch your attention.

Until at last.... you discover, one very magical day, that they have blue eyes.

From that day on.... it's not really a good Hermit Crab encounter, unless you see the eyes.

At least until the day that you learn that they.....

Best of Mike #231

The human eye is a wonderful instrument.

It can deal with great variations in light levels, contrast and depth of field.... giving you mind a completely clear idea of what you are seeing.

I am often reminded of this when I review the pixtures I have taken.

A scene that was nice but unremarkable when seen with the naked eye .... can require considerable "adjustment" in Lightroom to get something even close to the same clear image.

This is a Lesser Electric Ray.

Fairly common in the Caribbean.... it  is happy to lay on the bottom, in sand, gravel or sea grass.

Generally unconcerned with the approach of a diver.... it can deliver a mild (14-17 volt) electrical shock, if it thinks you have gotten too close.

Best of Mike #230

Ok, the truth is.... it's not the "travel" part of scuba travel that I enjoy.

It's our habit to travel right after Christmas each year.

Because it's a great time for us to get away, as Linda's business is slow then.

But I can tell you it does not make the travel any easier.... in fact, quite the opposite.

December of 2012 was a particularly, unenjoyable, trip.

Apparently it comes as a complete surprise to American Airlines.... that we have winter here in America, each winter.

You can probably tell I am still just a little bit mad about how poorly they handled things.

Starting with the "Hi it's Christmas Day.... your flight is cancelled" call. 

And, if you can imagine it, getting worse from there.

But when you finally do get there and get settled in.... the scene above is what you see from the balcony of your room.

And the scene below.... is where you wake up to the next morning.

And things begin to get better.... lots better.

Best of Mike #229

We get to see a lot of anglefish when we dive.... this one is a Grey Angelfish.

I really do mean that as a statement of pleasure.

They are big enough.... that you always notice them.

They are bold enough.... that they will often swim directly at you.

They are brave enough.... that you don't have to sneak up on them, to get a pixture.

They are shaped a bit like a dinner plate.... so if you don't get something of a profile there really isn't much of a pixture there.

But that works for me.

As those of you that follow me know.... I am pretty much always up for, getting in close and making a "portrait".

I read somewhere that the Grey Angels, in particular.... were a solitary fish, most often swimming alone.

There must be some sadness in that.... as they always have that yellow tear running down their cheek.

Best of Mike #228

We get to see lots of lobsters when we are diving.... this one is a Spiny Lobster.

And I am lucky enough to have lots of pixtures.... taken from just about every angle I can think of.

And, I have to tell you.... everyone of them looks like something that was put together from "spare parts".

Parts that didn't really match.... using directions that were being held upside down.

Spiny Lobster are known in some parts of the world as Langouste lobster and in other places as Rock lobster.

They can be distinguished from true lobsters by their very long, thick, spiny antennae and by the lack of claws on the first four pairs of walking legs.

You might also hear the difference.... as they are also known to make a rasping sound,  in order to repel predators.

They make this noise by rubbing their antennae against a "file" near the base of the antennae.

Best of Mike #227

I might take most of my pixtures underwater.

But if I took all of them there.... I would be leave out a lot of cool stuff.

This might look like a pretty ordinary palm tree.

But in fact.... it was the one right outside our bedroom window.

It was the one.... that whispered us to sleep every night.

A Caribbean vacation without the wind.... is not a good thing.

The trees don't sing.... and the bugs get a little too friendly.

Best of Mike #226

It's always kind of exciting to be see a Green Moray.

They are one of the bigger dudes that we run into down there on a regular basis.

But they are one of the things that looks quite cool underwater but.... very ordinary when you come home with their pixture.

Somehow the vibrancy of their green, the way their body ripples with muscle when they move and their size never seem to translate to the photo.

This particular one was laying down and looking so amazingly boring.... that I actually rotated the pixture, in Lightroom to try and give it some small amount of pazzazz.

Best of Mike #225

Living and working amongst the tentacles of the Giant Anemone is a Spotted Cleaner Shrimp.

Their translucent bodies are decorated with bright colored spots.

To attract passing fish in need of a cleaning.

The Shrimp is immune to the stinging properties of the Anemone's tentacles.... and tolerated by the Anemone.

Because every once in a while.... that fish gets just a little too close and becomes a meal for the Anemone.

Best of Mike #224

My grandson, Tristan, just looked over my shoulder, saw this picture.... and told me a story about spiders.

So I guess there is a pretty strong resemblance.

But somehow Arrowcrabs are.... considerably less creepy.

The coloring.... a nice golden color with the blue claws seems nicer than black.

The way they move, slow and gangly vs a skitter.... is so much nicer.

Maybe even bordering on stately.

Then there is their ability to put themselves in places with a pleasing background. 

Put that all together, with the fact that they are so darn small.... that good focus is always a challenge.

And, you have the recipe for lots of pixtures.... in an attempt to get the perfect one.

Best of Mike #223

Look .... up there in the water column.

It's a bird, it's a plane .... no it's a Hawksbill Turtle.

Still,  after more than 700 dives.... a turtle can "make" my dive.

So clunky in their appearance.... and yet so graceful in their movements.

I don't often "shoot" up from below.... no real reason, just something that doesn't occur to me.

But this was Cozumel.... so we were drifting with the group from our boat when we came upon this guy.

I never wanting to be "that photographer" who bulls their way to the front.... just because there's a pixture to be taken. 

So, by the time it got to be my turn, he was ready to be on his way to the surface for a breath.... and this was the only shot that was available to me.

But, I kind of like it.... and will look for more of these opportunities, in the future.

Look closely at his eye. 

He may be heading to the surface in a leisurely and seemingly uninterested manner.... but he knows exactly where I am and what I am doing.

Best of Mike #222

There are a number of fish that "inflate" as a defense against predators, including this little guy.... a Sharpnose Puffer.

It's the larger (and uglier) Burrfish, Balloonfish and Blowfish that are most often pictured when these stories are being told. 

Pufferfish are generally believed to be the second-most poisonous vertebrates in the world.... after the golden poison frog. 

Certain internal organs, such as liver and sometimes the skin are highly toxic to most animals, when eaten.... nevertheless, the meat of some species is considered a delicacy in Japan.

The puffer's unique defenses help them to compensate for it's slow movement. By using all of it's fins for locomotion.... it is highly maneuverable. But it is not fast and therefore an easy target for predators.

The puffer's tail fin is mainly used as a rudder but can be used for a sudden evasive burst of speed.... that shows none of the care and precision of it's usual movements.

This burst and it's excellent eyesight are it's most important defenses against predators. 

But it has a backup. 

It's extremely elastic stomach can be filled with water (or air when outside the water) until it is much larger and almost spherical in shape.

Best of Mike #221

It was the last day of our January 2011 visit to Bonaire.... a non-diving day.

We had stopped at the bar on the end of the pier, right in the center of town.... to whet our whistle.

Our table was right next to the water and there was a low wall, along the edge of the pier.... to make sure that we didn't pitch over the side.

This guy, came walking down the side walk.... with the rest of the tourists, then hopped up on that wall to walk down the pier.

 When he was standing right next to where we sat.... he struck a pose.

Seemed like the obvious and right thing to do was to get a pixture and tell you the story.

Best of Mike #220

This is a Juvenile Slender Filefish.

But I wouldn't blame you if you're thinking.... big whoop, another fish.

Now look at the little finger of your left hand.... this guy is only about 1/2 the length of that finger.

The brown fuzzy stuff in the background are the branches of a soft coral. 

Each one is about the size of your arm and there are dozens of these on this one coral.... all waving in the current.

Notice how close the coloring of the fish is to the coral around him and notice how he is trying to position himself at the same angle as the stalks on the coral.

Please understand, this particular coral (about the same size as that bush in front of your house) and put it down in the midst of a whole bunch that look exactly like it.

Then take the whole "coral garden" and stick it in the ocean.

Yesterday, when we dove this same sight Lydia "thought" that she was seeing something in this group of corals. But it  was playing peek-a-boo with her and she never got a good look at it.

So today .... just because she's that kind of talented.

She took us back to the same ocean, the same dive site, found the same coral patch, the same coral head and then found this 1/2 finger sized critter.... so I could get a pixture of it.

That's why you want to dive with my girl.... if you need a good spotter.

Best of Mike #219

We have had the opportunity to see many wonderful things underwater.... some of them many times.

One of my favorite recurring sights is schooling fish.

They say what we see now pales in comparison.... to what divers saw years ago.

But groups of fish, like this school of Horse-eye Jacks.... get my heart pumping every time I see them.

On one trip to Bonaire we were getting in to dive under the Salt Pier.... on a whim I decided to back-roll off a pile of concrete blocks at the shore line.

I landed in the middle of a what I can only describe as a "cloud" of very small bait fish.... that were being hunted by a group of Jacks.

All that I could see, in every direction, was a mass of flashing silver shapes.... wheeling and turning as they fled for their lives.

Best of Mike #218

Our incredible run of eel sightings continue right on into the next day.... Jan 6th, 2011.

Because we had so enjoyed our dives at Angel City the previous day.... we returned there again for our first dive this morning.

One of our sightings was this Sharptail Eel. 

If you ignore the big fin along their back and just watch the way that they swim.... they are clearly the most snakelike of the eels that we regularly see.

They are also the eel that we most often see out of their hole and swimming along the reef.

They like to swim very close to the bottom.... further enhancing their similarities to snakes. 

I am kind of a bottom crawler myself.... but I can't get as low as these guys.

So, I have lots and lots of pixtures of the backs of Sharptail Eels.... as I look down from above.

I had decided some time before this particular dive.... that I didn't need anymore of those kind of shots.

If I couldn't get a different perspective.... I wouldn't trip the shutter.

I was lucky enough to see this guy coming down the shoulder of the reef from above.... and was able to position myself to get this pixture as he came around a coral head.

Best of Mike #217

Bonaire is always a great place to see Eels.

This particular day, January 5th, 2011, was an outstanding day for eel pixtures.

This is a Chain Moray.

Named for the colorings on their body.... that are thought to resemble the links of a chain.

The Chain Moray is one of very few marine eels that can survive for some time out of water.

It will forage over wet rocks for up to 30 minutes at a time during low tide. As long as it remains wet, it can absorb some oxygen through it's skin.

Best of Mike #216

This was the trip when we decided that Angel City was one our two favorite dive sites on Bonaire.

We dove those two sites numerous times on this trip.

Very manageable entry with a nice long swim out over the sandy bottom to a double reef.

It's all the activity from the small critters, that makes that long swim so enjoyable.... at least for us.

There are many coral heads.... separated from each other dotting the sandy bottom.

And each seems to be the territory of a specific critter or critters.

While diving this same site, on the day before this.... I had caught a brief glimpse of this eel as we swam by.

So when we came to that same coral head again.... I went over for a closer look.

Getting this pixture.... of an eel that I had never seen before.

My research since.... has led me to believe that it is a Yellowhead Moray. 

Seems like they are pretty common in satlwater aquariums.... but not usually found in Caribbean waters.

Best of Mike #215

Often.... underwater photography is a game of peak-a-boo.

Especially.... if you like to shoot in tight and close up like I do.

Many, many times.... I don't win that game of peak-a-boo.

Ending up.... with something in the pixture that I really didn't want.

Most of those pixtures get deleted.

But every once in a while, I have a keeper.... even with the coral head, I didn't plan for.

Best of Mike #214

For most of our 9 trips, to Bonaire.... we have stayed at Buddy Dive.

Our favorite thing about staying there is stepping off the dock.... making a short swim out to a great reef.

And we do that a lot.

It's a popular feature of this resort.... and makes for busy entry/exit point.

I generally use the short swim back in to fold up my camera.... so that when we get to the bottom of the ladder, I can just climb out.

But there is a lot going on underwater, at the bottom of that ladder.

On this day, I didn't pack up but instead spent some time shooting all those small critters,.... between the comings and goings of the divers.

The water was very shallow.... so, the sun from above and the flash from my strobes, made for interesting light in this pixture.

Best of Mike #213

The Pederson Shrimp is small.... with a clear body and blue, violet markings on the body and long white antenna.

This shrimp lives in association with a sea anemone. 

The anemone have stinging tentacles, so the shrimp must acclimate itself.... by pressing it's body and appendages against the tentacles for increasing periods of time.

After this it is able to move between the tentacles without getting stung. 

But if it is separated from it's host for a few days, it will need to repeat the immunizing procedure.

The shrimp offers cleansing services to passing fish.... attracting them by waving it's antennae.

Fish visiting the cleaning station.... will remain stationary while their external parasites are removed and eaten by the shrimp. 

Even allowing the shrimp to clean the inside of their gill covers and the mouth.

Best of Mike #212

Eels, in this case a Spotted Moray....  like to wedge themselves into a crack or hole along the reef.

It gives them secure spot.... to watch the goings on and those that pass by.

Sometimes the whole Eel doesn't fit into the chosen spot.... so a scene like my first pixture here, is not uncommon at all.

In cases like this, Linda likes to glide in and give the tail a gentle touch.... just to see how the Eel will react.

She particularly likes to do this when I am on the other side of the coral head trying to get a pixture of the front end of that same Eel.

Generally the Eel will jump a little.... which causes me to jump a lot.

In this particular case, instead of jumping out the other side of his hole....the Eel whirled around.

Sticking his head out where his tail used to be.... now it was Linda's turn to jump.

Between the two of them and all of their jumping and whirling.... the sandy bottom got pretty stirred up.

If you look closely in the lower left corner of the frame.... you can still see some sand particles floating in the water. 

And, if you listen hard enough.... you can still hear me giggling, as I watched the whole thing happen.

Best of Mike #211

My wife is a brilliant woman.... in many, maybe even every way that you want to measure.

But in this case.... I am referring to her ability to find stuff.

Stuff for me to photograph.... especially small stuff.

On this particular day.... we were diving at Windsock on Bonaire.

We had gone there.... because the "board" at the dive shop, talked about some Seahorse sightings at this site.

And Linda will always mount a search for seahorses.

We were on our surface interval after the 1st dive.... and Linda was talking about something really small that she caught a glimpse of. 

It was in the center of small of a large soft coral.... and she never got a clear look at it.

So, we decided to make a 2nd dive at the same site.... going again in search of Seahorses and now the elusive "little guy".

My amazing spotter led us back to that very same Soft Coral.... where we were able to find a take a pixture of this little guy.

A Sharpnose Pufferfish.... maybe 1/2 the size of your thumb. 

He was in the middle of a very large and full soft coral.... which made for a splendid game of hide and seek.

Best of Mike #210

Smooth Trunkfish are just a little on the peculiar side.

Their body that looks like something of a cross between a box and a triangle.... is covered with boney plates rather than scales. 

They swim by using their small dorsal and anal fins.... moving them in a rotary motion.

I bet you will think "helicopter".... as you watch them move about the reef.

To find food.... they blow jets of water at the ocean floor to uncover the organisms that are hidden there.

But somebody thinks they are good looking.... as the males will often have a harem of females in their large territories.

Best of Mike #209

If you fall of the dock at Buddy Dive and swim north.... towards Capt. Don's Habitat.

You will in due course.... come upon the wreck of La Machca.

I'm not enough of a sailor to be able to tell you what kind of boat it was.... more than a rowboat but not much more than that.

It's upside down resting on the slope that form the face of the reef here.

And.... kind of famous for the very large Green Moray Eel that hangs out there.

So, you swim close to the bottom, poking your face into the various holes.... to see if you can spot the big green guy (Moray Eel, not The Hulk).

That's exactly what I was doing when this Grouper.... stuck his face out at me.

I'm not sure what the deal was with the open mouth.... probably nothing more than breathing.

But I can now tell you for sure.... it is possible to jump, when you are underwater.

Best of Mike #208

You might recognize this shot from a couple of weeks ago.... the full color version.

I liked that pixture but was thinking the background was too strong.... and maybe taking away from the Red Banded Shrimp.

So I tried this..... "painted out" all of the color and then "erased back in" the color of the Shrimp.

It's not the pixture I could have had.... if I had managed the depth of field better and blurred the background.

But it's interesting.... don't you think?

Best of Mike #207

For as long as I can remember.... my absolute favorite time of the day has been sunset.

And.... there is just about nothing better than sunset in the Caribbean.

This is the dive dock at Buddy Dive.... our favorite Bonaire resort.

The dive shop is closed for the day, the boats are all back on their moorings.... just out of frame to the right.

Divers have collected the tanks they need for their night  and early morning dives.... and stowed them in the locker room.

So the diving will continue throughout the night.... but for now the business operation is closed.

Tomorrow, just before 8am, one of the boat captains will stroll down the dock and dive in for a short swim out to the boats.... making his "commute" to start the work day.

But for now.... you can just about feel the peace radiating out of the pixture.

Best of Mike #206

I really like this pixture.... and wanted to use it in my Best of Mike series.

That might have something to do with the fact that we really like this dive site.

In spite of the big climb down to the beach and back up.

I thought I would tell you a little bit about this spot.... but then I realized that I had already done that in BoM #39.

So here it is.... just a nice pixture.