Wildlife fans: Why do you go deep?

[gsk3]

I do like the big feesh :-D

 

[gkndivebum]

Deep diving here off of the Big Island of Hawaii offers the opportunity to see species of fish whose usual habitat is deeper than recreational limits, e.g. the Tinker's Butteryfly and the endemic Bandit Angelfish. Also, much of the black coral within recreational limits here has been collected, leaving only a few specimens in deeper water. Here's an excerpt of some video I shot of two Longnose Hawkfish in a bush of black coral at 195 FSW. Ambient light, red filter.

[video=vimeo;32530015]http://vimeo.com/32530015[/video]

 

[gsk3]

Nice video. It's a shame all the black coral has been harvested out of recreational depths though.

 

[Dive Bug Bit Me]

Out here in South Africa, the thing to do is go see the living fossil, a Coelacanth.

They are extremely rare and found below about 280 ft. The trip usually involves a series of dives to these depths with maximum bottom time because you are poking your head into holes and overhangs to try find the fish. No, I am not anywhere near ready for this dive so have not seen one in the wild.

From Advanced Diver Magazine;

The living fossil fish Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) is regarded as an extremely rare species. Only fossil records of Coelacanths were known until the famous discovery in 1938 in South Africa. The second fish was caught 53 years later in Mozambique, but thereafter more specimens have been caught off the coasts of the Comoros, Madagascar, Kenya, and recently Tanzania.

Underwater studies off the coast of South Africa, using submersible vessels, revealed that Coelacanths inhabit submarine caves and canyons found in slopes and walls in waters 100-700 meters deep. The adult Coelacanths can grow to about 1.5 meter long. They appear to be active at night, spending their day hovering near the ocean bottom. Scientists believe that Coelacanths can live as long as 80 years.