Blog Log: 27 Nov 2009

December 6, 2009

You won’t believe what Hantu Blog divers saw in and around Pulau Hantu recently! Blog volunteer dive instructor Jimmy Goh plunged into the very clear local waters twice this month. A surprise for this time of the year! Jimmy visited the islands of Hantu and Jong, which is just a few hundred meters away from Pulau Hantu. Armed only with a camera and a macro lens, and scouring the reef along with 20 other pairs of eyes, here’re just some of the gorgeous critters they spotted out on the reef! (Above from left: Allied cowrie on Whip coral, Chromodoris nudibranch, Bornella nudibranch, Tambja nudibranch, and Long snout pipefish aka. Stick pipefish)

The animals in these photographs may appear very conspicuous because of their bright colours, when when you’re staring at the reef, their brilliant colours serve as a form of camouflage for them, and they magically disappear. Jimmy has a real knack for finding little critters – a good skill to have when you’re diving in Singapore waters, because the reefs here are all about its dazzling macro life! I suspect that Jimmy took the above picture of the crinoid in the hope that reviewing the photo back home might yield the discovery of a crinoid shrimp! No luck this time, though he’s spotted a few before! (Above from left: Crinoid, Phyllidia sea slug, Chomodoris nudibranch, Doto nudibranch)

To trip to the reef is complete without seeing some fish! (Above from left: Rubble pipefish, Tomatoclown anemonefish)

Despite their unassuming names, Flatworms are as exciting a find as nudibranches are! Several of the flatworms encountered on local reefs have colourful and intricate patterns on their bodies. Their flat bodies enable them to swim in the water by flapping the membrane of skin that fringes their bodies. Watching a flatworm swim can be very mesmerising. But if you are on a night dive and you think you see a flatworm in midwater, look again before swimming up to it! At night, swimming fireworms can resemble flatworms! While flatworms are harmless to humans, fireworms can deliver a very nasty sting! (Above from left: Marine flatworm, Goniopora coral, Tigertail seahorse)

More photos at the Hantu Blog Gallery

Posted in Blog Log, Photography