Underwater Puppy
California sea lions are very curious and they often follow divers throughout the dive. The young pups are usually more curious and playful. It’s not unusual for them to swim up to us, stop just out of reach, and look at you with those big round eyes just like a playful puppy would. It is amazing how quickly they can turn and zoom by us. It is something many divers look forward to seeing when diving around the Channel Islands.
Busy Little Hunters
Here is another image from Ocean Safari’s 2016 Komodo Dive Expedition that shows the amazing marine life of the Coral Triangle. This was from a morning dive. The fusiliers are so busy hunting in the sea fan and coral that they hardly noticed I was there taking pictures.
These Fish Can Change Colors!
It took me 6 shots to get the sun in the right spot and angle with these crescent-tail bigeye (Priacanthus hamrur). After each shot the flash from my strobe made the scatter, but after about a minute of waiting quietly they would gather again. I saw some of them change color to more silvery color then back to red. I wondered if stress causes them to change color so I looked it up later. I found out they have ability to rapidly intensify or fade color and markings.
Congregating Under the Sea
Convict surgeonfish (Acanthurus triostegus) are found throughout the indo-pacific region. They commonly form large schools like this in shallow protected lagoons and around jetties.
Another Pretty Scene from Komodo
A pretty scene with a couple of threadfin butterflyfish and glassfish swimming around black coral in Komodo. It is one of my favorite places to dive. The concentration and diversity of marine life in Komodo is simply amazing. Ocean Safari is planning a dive trip to Komodo in September 2019!
