New mooring on Inchcape 2

[Searcaigh]

Thank you whoever put the new mooring line on Inchcape 2 last week, the old one was sadly missed the week before, not only by myself and the group of divers with me on a trip with Divers Down, but I am sure of the family of filefish that lived in and around parts of the old mooring.

Viz was pretty good at 10M on Friday morning, I found the seahorse on the upper starboard bow in the blue coral (which is not really blue) exactly where Paul said it would be Shukran habibi, what species is it?

Also found an interesting nudi Thecacera pacifica, already recorded at Inchcape 2 previously.

 

[Quero]

Viz was pretty good at 10M on Friday morning, I found the seahorse on the upper starboard bow in the blue coral (which is not really blue) exactly where Paul said it would be Shukran habibi, what species is it?

Hippocampus guttulatus maybe?

 

[decompression]

That's great news! I had some really nice dives on it and inchcape 1.

 

[Searcaigh]

Hippocampus guttulatus maybe?

Hi Quero,

I checked on Google but most examples of H. guttulatus appear to have lots of spiny appendages.

I plan to dive there again tomorrow, using the 60mm lens so should be able to get some better photos, and will have a buddy too to try to help manipulate it into a better position.

One of the problems I had yesterday was that the current was pushing me on to the wreck so I had to hold myself in position with my pointer, and as I use manual focus I had to prefocus first and move the camera to focus on the seahorse, somewhat challenging at times.

Another shot of the head

 

[Quero]

I understand, Gordon, but not all of the H guttulatus appear to have pronounced "manes." I was going by the general lumpiness of it, and the speckles. Take a look at this photo. I don't dive there, though, so it's just a guess on my part.

 

[aquamarin]

You're welcome.............we installed the mooring (again), so let's see how long it stays there this time )

According to one of our guests, who is really good at fish id, it's a Lichenstein's Seahorse (H. lichtensteinii) - with a bit of luck I'll be diving Inch 2 Tuesday and have a look myself. Our divers had a lovely dive there this morning again There's a very pregnant male one on Inch 2 as well, but the tiger shrimps seem to have been eaten by a big decorator crab. New types of shrimp though, but the record of 11 different nudibranchs in 1 dive still hasn't been broken ))) Paul is taking me to Anemone deep Tuesday as well - for some larger seahorses

Have a lovely Sunday out there
Karin

PS: Marcia, aren't you supposed to be enjoying life on a live-aboard??

 

[Quero]

According to one of our guests, who is really good at fish id, it's a Lichenstein's Seahorse (H. lichtensteinii) - with a bit of luck I'll be diving Inch 2 Tuesday and have a look myself.

Hmm. I've looked for photos of this fish online, and there is some resemblance to the shape of the head in Gordon's shots. In looking at my Seahorses and Pipefishes book (Kuiter), though, the H. lichtensteinii picture looks nothing at all like Gordon's two shots. And fish base gives a maximum size of 4 cm for this fish (Kuiter says just 25 mm), which is way smaller than Gordon's report of 5 inches (which is about 13 cm). I have to admit, though, that the distribution Kuiter lists for my earlier suggestion of H. guttulatus doesn't look like it reaches as far east as you guys are there, so that's probably wrong, too.

However, Kuiter's photo of H. fuscus is practically identical to Gordon's picture, from the lump on the top of the head to the blotchy skin, and even the speckles. Online photos of H. fuscus don't help much, on the other hand. At least fuscus gets to the right size at a maximum length of 15 cm.



fftopic: (sorry, guys, but I just have to reply to my friend....)

Marcia, aren't you supposed to be enjoying life on a live-aboard??

No, not a liveaboard... I just got back from Bali and a few days of diving with Shortdivemedic/Mike at Pemuteran. He continued on to Tulamben and I came home to catch up on work. He says he's thinking about heading over to you again next month....

 

[Searcaigh]

Thanks all for the help in identifying this seahorse, I am more of an Opistobranch man myself, but I do like to see seahorses that are not in a Chinese medicine shop.

Another close of up of the head today, so difficult to focus on the eye as;

1. It always wants to look away - can't blame it as it must need a set of RayBans by now

2. The front part of the head is darker than the body.

I will persevere though, I may need a mid week dive solely to just focus on this one.

 

[aquamarin]

Gordon: Paul and I want to fundive Anemone and Inch 2 at some point this week (on nitrox) - we haven't dived together once since we've been back here!! Let us know if you'd like to join us - we're flexible with the day, as long as it's midweek.................

See ya
Karin

 

[Searcaigh]

So tempting Karin, I am flying on Thursday and Tuesday is already busy leaving only Wednesday.

Can let you know at the end of today