The last time the Hantu Blog featured pictures shot by our volunteer Jimmy Goh, we received a plethora of feedback saying how brilliant his pictures were. Not only does Jimmy take great pictures, he also has an amazing knack for finding minute and fascinating critters on our reefs! Jimmy likes to refer to the above as the “lightbulb nudi” because of the bulbous appendages that stick out on its mantle. (Above: Cadlinella ornatissima) Read the rest of this entry »
As I was browsing through the stash of old theses in the lab, I came across one entitled “Human Impacts on Coral reefs in Singapore”. After reading through, I became inspired to compare the survey data obtained by William Ho (author of the thesis) with present-day data. Over a span of almost 20 years, will there be any change to the divers’ perception on Singapore’s coral reefs? Land scarcity in Singapore is the major driving force for the intensive coastal development and land reclamation, resulting in an estimated loss of up to 60% coral reefs in Singapore. In the process, most of the affected areas were either buried or destroyed; leaving the remaining reefs exposed to long-term impacts of high sedimentation and hence leading to weaker light penetration. Read the rest of this entry »
After a morning of diving, I stayed on Hantu Island as the divers departed and waited for Ria Tan to arrive at dusk and low tide with Dr. Dan Rittschof, his students from Duke University, and Chris Klock from the Netherlands.
Walking down the shore into the now drained out lagoon, it doesn’t look like there is much to be been. But as soon as you stop, stoop and look, you’re able to spot all sorts of critters that are rushing to make the most of the last moments of the tide to sneak out and grab something to eat before all the water gets drained out. Here, a crab picks detris off from amongst the algae. It scuttled off quickly into a safer place right after this photo was shot. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Biology, Blog LogComments Off on Exploring Intertidal Hantu with Dr. Dan and students from Duke
We had a really packed day at Hantu this weekend. With a full boat of divers, great fair weather, and heaps of critters sprinkled about the reefs. The visibility was very favourable at about 4meters at 15meters. That made finding stuff really easy, and it also saved me from getting claustrophobic! The dive began with us exploring the coral whips in the deep. Blog volunteer Jimmy Goh spotted this commensal shrimp on a gorgonian coral. Read the rest of this entry »
A pair of Swimmer crabs (Thalamita sp.) are observed during an inter-tidal walk at Singapore’s Pulau Hantu. The male is the one holding onto the female, and walking about. The male is attempting to access the female’s apron. When that is successful, the two would have graduated from this frontal position, and have their abdomens facing each other.
A small cuttlefish on the reef of Singapore’s Pulau Hantu, finds safety by sticking close to the coral and prefers to rely on camouflage instead of fleeing when divers approach closely. Read the rest of this entry »
A pair of Blue spotted fang blennies are found frolicking about on the reef of Singapore’s Pulau Hantu. These fish are more commonly observed hiding in crevices, recesses, and discarded bottles on the reefs. It is also referred to as Gammistes Blenny, Striped Fang Blenny, or Striped Poison-Fang Blenny. It has alternating black and yellow stripes that run the entire length of the body, and can reach a maximum size of 4.3 inches.
An intense month of diving at Hantu culminated last Sunday with some brilliant finds! The tiny cuttlefish above appears red in the photograph because of the white light of the flash that’s been cast upon it. With the naked eye however, this intelligent mollusc blends perfectly with the silty substrate upon which it rests. Note how it has distorted the texture of its skin to mimic the cluster of tiny hydroids that surround it. Read the rest of this entry »
The Hantu Blog has one of the most extensive collections of underwater videos from Singapore waters on YouTube. Recently, I plowed through the list of over 90 videos to see which were getting the most views. Interestingly, crinoids or feather stars seem to be a hot favourite:
Blog divers made some amazing finds in the Hantu Blog’s second private charter trip in the New Year, like this nudibranch which I think might be from the genus trinchesia although I’m not entirely sure. Read the rest of this entry »
March 24, 2010 
Posted in Blog Log, Photography 
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Walking down the shore into the now drained out lagoon, it doesn’t look like there is much to be been. But as soon as you stop, stoop and look, you’re able to spot all sorts of critters that are rushing to make the most of the last moments of the tide to sneak out and grab something to eat before all the water gets drained out. Here, a crab picks detris off from amongst the algae. It scuttled off quickly into a safer place right after this photo was shot.
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