San Miguel of Fiji!
Diving the Bligh Waters of Fiji is a different experience than the usual Fiji diving. The water is a little colder and the current is stronger, but the sights you encounter is simply breathtaking. The offshore atolls of Fiji are completely covered with soft and hard corals, sea anemones, and tunicates. All around these colorful pinnacles, you see a dense swarm of red, pink, orange, and yellow anthias (those colorful goldfish-like reef fish) just like in this picture. After a few dives we said to each other, "This is like San Miguel of Fiji!" This comment will make sense to the hard-core California divers!
Fuzzy Table Coral at Banda Sea, Indonesia
When you are diving, sometimes you have to remember to stop and look up. Take this image I took in the Banda Sea for example. The surface of the water, with the silhouette of the boat and the sunlight filtering in, becomes a wonderful backdrop for the table coral (Acropora paniculata) with the reef fish swimming above it.
Dreamlike Kelp Forests
Photo by Gabriel Lu
Like a captivating dream, gliding through the dense kelp forests of the Southern California Channel islands will leave you breathless. Sunlight filters through the thick canopy, trickling down to the marine life below. These lush forests are among the most dynamic ecosystems on earth.
Orange Skunk Clownfish Territory
Photo by Gabriel Lu
An orange skunk clownfish darts out from the reef to charge an approaching diver. These cute little fish can get aggressive when protecting their family.
Up Close with Great Whites
Photo by Gabriel Lu
Here is another picture from our recent shark trip to Guadalupe on the Nautilus Explorer Belle Amie dive boat. He was less than three feet from my camera. Close enough for us to reach out and grab each other.
