My recent dive trip - part one

[alcina]

OK, so it was actually only out on our boat the other day, but you know when you just have one of those days where each dive just feels great? I mean better than the normal great? Anyway, even while I was underwater I thought that these dives needed more than just a "here's a picture" so decided to write a mini-report thing. I hope I don't bore you all!

I dropped in to great visibility, fairly blue water and warmer temperature than just a week ago. But we'd been invaded on the swell that rose overnight - millions of little jelly-type creatures as far as the eye could see! They made shooting any distance, and at times even up close, a real challenge. Luckily, they aren't stingie so they are merely a nuisance, not a hazard.

For the first few minutes I simply hovered and watched all the activity, trying to decide on a direction. Then a flash of bright red caught my eye so I turned right...there was a brilliant Nembrotha kubaryana. It was huge - as long as my hand. Right out in the open, happily cruising along a patch of reef. I glided in to take a shot, hoping that being so large I would get some good detail with the Canon A75. When what do I spy with my little eye, but a buddy - a Roboastra luteolineata heading right towards the N.k. I haven't seen a lot of these and don't have very good photos, so I was excited. Then the R.l. turned and followed the N.k.!

The Nembrotha was trucking right along and the Roboastra cruised behind him for a few inches before turning around and heading back up a bit of reef. I did manage to get a slightly better photo of him for my collection - but I was still missing the Oly!

Drifting extremely slowly through a crevice I saw a flash of bright green - a good sized moray was peeking out of a hole quite a long ways. He let me take several shots...but each time he would kind of lunge out a little. He was a little beat up & looked like he didn't mind a go, so I kept a distance...

As I was changing settings, he darted out of his hole - straight over my hands on camera & under my chin (yikies) and around another bommie! I followed him and watched as he poked his nose around looking for a hidey hole. After a few seconds he found one and completely disappeared. I searched but couldn't find the exit or another better view in...but I did find a really pretty smaller eel in another hole!

He was pretty cooperative...until he decided to check my rig out a little closer than I liked

so I left him to his own devices! Again I missed the Oly - it's bigger, the better to block incoming missiles!

...stay tuned for part two...

 

[alcina]

I cruised the reef admiring the schools of pearl perch, snapper & big eyes and all the little guys darting in and out of the corals and ledges. Something caught my eye deep in a small crevice. Looked like a strange patterned sponge on a purple sponge. Hadn't seen it before so got closer for a better view. Sure looked like a flatworm to me but I hadn't seen that colour before.

Back home, the sponge isn't even purple! Strange what our eyes see underwater - the flatworm is the same as I remember seeing it at the time but I swear that sponge is purple under there! So, very cool - new thing to add to my list and to my collection of slug-type critters...

More fishes darting here and there, got passed by a group of our divers, bit of a sand storm so I stop to wait things out. Under a small ledge is a black boxfish jigging back and forth - I have some photos, but none with a really nice eye so you'll have to use your imagination here! He also spent some time with a small cleaner fish before dive bombing a sailfin catfish (endemic to Ningaloo Reef) and zooming away!

The cleaner stayed with the catfish for a time before heading off on urgent business of his own. Sorry for the sand:

...part three...

 

[alcina]

Kept wandering, bottom time was about 40 minutes by this time so was thinking of the turn pretty soon. Boy am I glad I kept telling myself "just another minute"!

First I saw the big ugly lionfish...was debating whether or not to bother, when movement caught my eye! Octopus climbing the reef. So I backed off to try to get them both in the frame...had to up the strobe power and almost missed out on anything salvageable due to that and those durn floatie jellies. Watched the occie wander around the top of that little reef for a couple of minutes and ended up on the back side of it.

Where I found another big nudibranch that I don't see on that site very often. I changed settings and went to go take a photo when the second octopus appeared and the two starting doing their mating thing. Nudi was forgotten for sex I wasn't the only one watching, either!

I stayed with these two for more than ten minutes before I really had to head back. They put on quite a show, I must say. Can't say I was too impressed with my photo skills on this event (I was having a very blonde strobe positioning day), but it was great to watch.

Sadly, I couldn't keep the other divers waiting so had to make my way back to the boat. Thankfully, with my slow dive style I don't wander too far!

I was just heading back to the anchor when another dash of colour triggered something in my brain. It was a green & red Nembotha kubaryana - again, out in the open and huge! Couldn't pass it up...just proving the rule - never pass it up, you simply don't know what you'll get:

That's my first dive of the day...sorry if I bored you I know I haven't captured half of what it was like, but it was great to relive it at least in part - hope you enjoyed some of it...and btw dive two was even better (if I don't get slapped for such a long post, I might do another for it)!

 

[verona]

Great! Thanks for this. Having just woken up to 4 inches of snow, your post has sent me off to work with a warm heart! NOt that I need much excuse to day dream of warm underwater scenes!!

 

[fergyjohn]

Nice report & great pickies.

I hope to get over to the west sometime this year, I will have to share a dive with you.

 

[ShoalDiverSA]

Great report. Thanks for the detail. Wish I wasn't sitting here in a meeting... (and yes, I am browsing Scubaboard in a meeting )

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[suthnbelle]

Those are awesome pictures!! Thanks for sharing them.

Mel

 

[El Orans]

It has definitely been a better dive than my last one (44F, 2ft viz).
Great pictures!

 

[Scuba65]

Thanks for the report and I just love all those pictures. they are all great. Man, it's incredible that you can take such good pictures with an A75. I'm now the owner of an A95 and can't wait to try it out in Bonaire in April.

 

[StingRob]

Great report Alcina, great pics I almost had the impression that you describe a dive I did )

Robert