UAE East Coast Temperatures

[hedonist222]

Dived a few dives yesterday at alaqah, including a night dive.

The temperature was 27 on average.
Much warmer compared to the 24-25 Celsius in early October.

Finally found the coral whip shrimp I've been hunting for the past year / one hundred dives.

It has a year shaped body, small bulbous head and was translucent. It was the exact color of the (purple) coral whip.
About a quarter the size of a finger nail.

 

[hedonist222]

Also found a emperor shrimp in a large anemone

It had the same starry-night shell but was pale green and egg white color.

Spectacular.

Also found a pair of shrimp that I cannot identify.

It was pistachio green with pink leopard-like patterns all over it.
Looked slightly horned as well.

 

[hedonist222]

Saron shrimp
That's it

 

[Searcaigh]

Nice finds

Just back from Fujairah, did one dive on Gunther's wrecks only as ear issues prevented me from descending further than two meters on the second dive.

27C water temp at 25m.

Only found one seahorse. However, I came across the two largest cuttlefish I've ever seen, close to a meter in length.

Pics to follow, I just got home, it rained too as we crossed the mountains, and I need beer

 

[hedonist222]

welcome back!
I got back this morning - was sunny but I see in the news that its rainy up north in the uae-scottish highlands

we also saw two crabs engaged in a mating dance

I don't think I've seen cuttlefish longer than 70 cm

I miss seeing squidlets of Khasab (west coast side)

 

[Searcaigh]

Finally found the coral whip shrimp I've been hunting for the past year / one hundred dives.

Is this the Zanzibar shrimp you are referring to? I've only seen one at Deep Reef off Fujairah.

That Emperor Shrimp photo is awesome, what camera / lens set up are you using?

 

[hedonist222]

Is this the Zanzibar shrimp you are referring to? I've only seen one at Deep Reef off Fujairah.

That Emperor Shrimp photo is awesome, what camera / lens set up are you using?

my online search also lead me to the Zanzibar shrimp - but not it didn't look like this
I saw the zanzibar shrimp in Sulawesi
The one I saw today looked different.


Sorry searcaigh if I mislead you but those are not my photos.

 

[Searcaigh]

Sorry searcaigh if I mislead you but those are not my photos.

No problem

my online search also lead me to the Zanzibar shrimp - but not it didn't look like this
I saw the zanzibar shrimp in Sulawesi
The one I saw today looked different.

I'll try to find the pic of the one I found a few years back. Once I know what dive it was from my log book I can locate the photo from my albums.

This was the larger of the two cuttlefish

There's a few nice lionfish on Gunther's Wrecks too.

And of course the common reticulated filefish (Stephanolepis diaspros) around these parts

 

[Searcaigh]

Unplanned dive at Gunther's Wrecks (aka Snoopy Deep) due to a massive oil patch over our planned site of Inchcape 2

The oil patch was all the way past Sharq Island and close to Car Cemetery 1.

A quick phone call to Pierre at Sandy Beach confirmed that it was clear around that area so we headed to Aqah.

We were the only boats on the mooring at Gunther's wrecks (Barracuda's BDC2 and BDC3), however there was a hell of a surface current and I missed the mooring line after being dropped up current but I managed to catch a line on BDC2 and haul myself to the mooring.

Vis was good, nearly 5m but temps are now dropping here at 24C.

Seahorse of the day

Also came across an electric ray, and quite a few crocodile fish around too.

Second dive was at Sharm Rocks and we had a nice leisurely dive for 61 mins. Came across a small turtle and there were plenty of shrimps around to keep me busy with the 105mm lens.

My favourite shot of the day though is this pipefish.

 

[hedonist222]

Looks like an overall nice day

I am just getting getting to bed

We planned on diving martini wall and then sharq island but also learned of the spill

So we dived dibba rock and turn artificial reef
Dibba rock was great as always

Artificial reef: I how to never go back
Nothing wrong with the site
Abundant with fish but felt unnatural

This evening we dived inchcape one and because we were on nitrox, it was a pleasant thirty three minute dive

Saw the usual pygmy lion fish
Huge resident moray eels
Resident puffer fish

I can't remember if I mentioned this but a few night dives ago the puffer fish couple were in a mating ritual
What as mesmerizing ritual
Like Swan like ballet

Saw a massive flounder
Must've been at least 75 cm

I also saw a fish I've never
Two of them in fact

Half buried in sand
Look light the star gazer
But orange and much smaller