Periclimenes Shrimp at Dili Rock

Detail of the Dragon Shrimp

You might need to click on this to see a slightly larger image and the amazing detail of the Dragon Shrimp.

Frogfish

Dwarf Scorpionfish

Eubranchus - Super Macro

I screwed on an old diopter to my 100mm macro lens today and headed out to Tasi Tolu for a morning dive. My mission was to get a close-up photo of a Eubranchus (not sure what species) that I had found yesterday. The diopter seemed like a good idea, letting me get super close to the Eubranchus. But wouldn't you know it, today the conditions at Tasi Tolu were absolutely stunning, with crystal clear water and visibility like I've rarely experienced there. I saw a huge barracuda and four reef squid laying eggs, but I couldn't photograph any of it. Having said that, here's the photo of the Eubranchus hanging out on a stinging hydroid. It's about 1cm and almost full-frame.

Lacy

Octo Redux

I went back out to Tasi Tolu today and found the mimic octopus that Diane had spotted on Saturday. Much to my surprise, the octopus was only a few feet from where we last saw him.

Shy Frogfish

This is a very shy frogfish that's hiding in a patch of leather coral at Tasi Tolu. There is a small school of damselfish in the area that are constantly harassing the frogfish, backing into him and smacking him with their tales.

Diane Finds Mimic

Diane found this mimic octopus sticking its head out of a hole at Tasi on Sunday. We tapped our pointers around the hole and the octopus came partially out a few times to investigate.

Swimmer Crab

Brown-Banded Pipefish

This Brown-Banded Pipefish (Corythoichthys amplexus) was actively hunting on the Dili Rock reef today. This individual (~6cm) was very easy to approach and photograph, unperturbed as it searched for benthic invertebrates in small crevices and coral polyps.

Eye . Spotted Toby

Juvenile Ceratosoma

This is a juvenile Ceratosoma tenue, recognizable by its perforated purple margin. Adults can reach 11cm, but this little guy was only about a centimeter.

In Search of Dragon Shrimp

Thanks to Greg from DTL for joining me at Tasi Tolu this morning. We were in search of two Dragon Shrimp Phyllognathia ceratophthalmu that I had a spotted a few days ago. Although it was blustery above water, the dive conditions were surprisingly good.

Blue Line Triggerfish

This is Pseudobalistes fuscus

Dart Goby from TT