Continued Withdrawal

We've had some big rain in the last couple of weeks and the diving has been a bit murky. Here are a few shots from the archives. Hope to have fresh stuff soon.

Blue Ringed Octopus

Shane, Valeria and I had a six minute dive at Tasi Tolu this afternoon. We descended into slightly murky water but within minutes found ourselves faced with a cold, fast current of silty water. Visability went from 5 meters to 5 inches in a matter of seconds. Just before the visability went to crap, I was photographing this amazing blue ringed octopus...only the second one I've seen here in Timor.

This species is probably Hapalochlaena lunulata, although there are several species known as "blue ringed". According to the California Academy of Sciences:

When the tiny Blue-ringed Octopus is threatened, its faint blue rings become bright and vivid. The color warns predators to back off, and with good reason — it’s one of the most deadly venomous animals on Earth.

The octopus bites prey with its jaws, then injects a potent venomous saliva into the bite wound. This venom contains tetrodotoxin, one of the most potent neurotoxins known. Human death from heart and respiratory failure can occur within minutes.

But don't worry too much. I found this website offers some helpful advice for divers bitten by the Blue Ringed:

Mouth to mouth resuscitation can keep the victim alive and the poison gradually wears off after 24 hrs, apparently leaving no side effects. Such patients that have survived such an experience talk of the terror of lying immobile and conscious while people around them are convinced of their demise.

Feel better? Enjoy.

Hooked on Mantis

Check out the red hooks on this Manits Shrimp! This is a "clubber mantis" (as opposed to a spearer). And with those red hooks, there would be no escape for a stunned prey.

Demon Stingers

Two Demon Stingers this weekend. The first was at K41 in only 1 meter of water...could have easily been stepped on. The second was at Tasi Tolu at 18 meters.

Spider Crab with Eggs

This posting is for our good friend Nick, the world's biggest fan of soft corals and their spider crab inhabitants. This is Hoplophrys oatesii with a big clutch of eggs.