This is one of the more common characters that we see along Caribbean reefs.... a parrotfish.
To be a little more specific, he is Rainbow Parrotfish. And, to be even more specific yet.... this coloring means that he is the terminal phase of his life.
As he gets older his head becomes blunter and this tips of his tail grow longer.
After seeing me, I am sure that he wrote in his blog.... "that with age the diver will grow balder and wider and his wetsuit will become tighter".
But that's how things go with all of us old fellows.
Look.... it's an Eagle Ray.
Kind of a dark and murky pixture.... as he is far away.
I am an underwater photographer that is generally set up to shoot the small stuff close up. So, when I encounter Senor Big.... it is exciting but not something that I generally get a good pixture of because my photo gear will not reach out as far as my eye will to capture the event.
I did think that this pixture was worth sharing as it does give the non-diver a pretty good idea of what the profile of one of these graceful giants looks like.
I have talked in the past about the challenges of identifying the different turtle species.
Specifically, not being able to tell the difference between a Hawksbill and a Green Sea Turtle.... unless I can see the top and back of their head.
Well.... I can tell you for sure that this one is a Green Sea Turtle.
Look at the "plates" on the top of his head, forward and between his eyes.... there are only two there (you are only really seeing one because of the angle of this shot) and they are sort of a rectangle shape.
If he was a Hawksbill, there would be four plates there and they would be closer to the shapes that you see further back on his head.
You well know by now, that the Juvenille Spotted Drumfish is one of my favorite subjects.
It is one of the many subject that I photograph regularly.... in pursuit of the "perfect pixture".
This one is pretty close to that perfect pixture. Not so much because I got close to the fish but because I got a pixture that was sharp enough to let me blow it up and still see the detail.
Look really closely and you will even be able to see the transparent fin that runs along his back.
Often you see Bearded Fireworms that are much brighter in color.
But I liked this pixture because it clearly shows their tufts of white bristles.... the beards.
Innocent enough to look at but not something you want to touch.... these tufts are what will give you a sting, if you get too close.
Balloonfish are not fast swimmers and they are pretty plentiful where we dive.... so they are not a hard pixture to get.
They are kind of like a puppy or a small child.... so darn cute and they seem to always be posing.
So they are a pretty tough subject to pass up.
They will inflate if you molest them, causing the spines that you see all over their body to stand up as their defense against whatever is annoying them.
One of the rules for any animal photography is.... that you have to get the eye(s) and they have to be in focus.
I think that one of the rules for hiding, at least amongst fish is.... if he can't see my eye(s) then I must be hidden.
This can lead to some pretty good games of hide and seek.... which was the case for this Smooth Trunkfish and I.
But in this case, I must have won.... because there he is and there is his eye (just barely).
I don't speak Caribbean Reef Squid.
I have never heard them make a noise ut I imagine their changing colors and patterns that they are capable of of, along with the various different postures that they adopt in the water has to be a form of communication.
I can only imagine what the story here must be but don't you think it has to include.... "and then the elephant trumpted, just like this". speak Caribbean Reef Squid.
I have never heard them make a noise ut I imagine their changing colors and patterns that they are capable of, along with the various different postures that they adopt in the water has to be a form of communication.
So, I can only imagine what the story here must be but don't you think it has to include.... "and then the elephant trumpted, just like this".
It's always and extra treat to be able to observe some of the behaviors that go on under the sea.... in this case, it's a cleaning station.
The Creole Wrasse is laying on the bottom and has it's mouth open.
A posture that apparently tells the Pedersen Cleaner Shrimp I won't eat you, if you will be good enough to clean the parasites off me.
And.... it’s even ok to clean inside my mouth.
The Lettuce Slug is named for the skin ruffles on their back that resemble leaf lettuce.
The ruffles are extremely variable in color.... often green, blue or pastel.
They eat algae and are most often found on the reef or rocks in water to 40ft.
These two dudes are Garden Eels.
They are part of a whole crowd that live together in a colony spread out across the sandy bottom.
They extend only their heads and upper bodies from their burrow in the sand.
They are continuously moving in a graceful wave like motion to catch the plankton that is floating by in the water.
Kind of a cool sight, seeing the whole colony doing that dance.
But they are tiny, so getting close is necessary for a good pixture and they are pretty shy, retreating into their burrows as divers approach.... so a pixture of a just a couple was the best I could do.
Most of the time a turtle will make you work for the pixture.
I suspect that it is because we often notice them when they are swimming and on their way to the surface for a breath.
A Green Sea Turtle can hold it's breath for up to 5 hours. But when you gotta breath you gotta breath.... so you can't be hanging around while some diver takes your pixture.
But every once in a while we catch them on their decent and if they are on their way to a spot to lay down or feed.... they are more than happy to let you tag along and take pixtures.
This guy was doing just that. We saw him as he swam towards us and lay down to rest very near to where we were.
Once he was in place he was more than happy to pose for pixtures. I took more than a dozen different shots.... and only really stopped because I could think of another angle to photograph from.
The Barred Hamlet always catches my attention.
They are plentiful along the reef but I really enjoy the delicate and eye catching turquoise highlights around their face and on the front of their body.
