Greetings from the Philippines (1 Viewer)

[RSnodgrass]

I thought some of you might enjoy seeing some photos while I'm diving in the Philippines. Unfortunately after the 18hr plane ride and putting in a working day of diving just in two days has left me land bound while I try to get rid of this cold )o:

Highlights so far are watching a gobe sharing a home with two pistol shrimp! My photos of that are terrible since I'm using a wide angle lens but it was fun to watch. For you anthia lovers... there are millions.

Blue linka starfish everywhere and all the size of your chest.

Main challenges right now other then this cold is there are unseasonable strong currents which makes it feels like an olympic event as well as poor visibility as a result.

Lion Fish on a night dive
Huge Frogfish everywhere to eat the anthias

 

[RSnodgrass]

Here is an example of the viz... for those who haven't been diving or taken photos underwater the clowns are about 5" from the lens and the divers are about 10'. Normally you can see 70-150' and not just 20'.

 

[clowning around]

Keep the pictures coming

 

[RSnodgrass]

I hope I don't because that means I'm feeling better (o;

I'll try to upload a couple every day or so... my wife's computer keeps crashing while trying to deal with 20+ mb photos.

 

[Travis Dragan]

Those pics are great!

 

[lizmomdad]

fantastic pics!!

 

[Walter84]

Awesome

 

[coldwaterreefer]

Great pictures

 

[RSnodgrass]

Thanks, I was just telling Tim that I must be in the right place because I'm having breakfast with a Nat Geo film crew and a member of the Philippines tourism board as well as several other full time photographers and editors... I won't compare my photos to theirs (o:
But they've been awesome at getting suggestions from.

 

[RSnodgrass]

Day 4, not feeling too hot but my ears are able to equalize so... diving I shall go!

Here are some teasers... at some point I'll put in some more familiar species but for now I'll throw us some of what interests me.
This is a WALL of yellow sea cucumbers at about 80'. It extended for 50 yds or so and was solid yellow. )n the opposite spectrum we were actually looking for a very rare pygmy sea horse measuring .25" tall. They only live on one type of sea fan and there is only one in the area measuring just ~2' across at 85' deep. Kicker is they are not to be found as of a few days ago so they are either lunch or some how magically found a new sea fan.

So many sun polyps.

Got crabs? I often think of the only symbiotic relationships as being a goby and pistol shrimp but everywhere (everywhere) we look there is an animal/critter that is 100% dependent on that specific coral species survival for it to exist.

 

[RSnodgrass]

Nudies everywhere (edit this is a slug because the gills are not external)... I could easily have a whole thread on all the different varieties we've seen in just a couple days.

Moorish Idols are speedy and the only time they slow down is when you're too far away for a photo... finally got one!

Lots and lots of brain corals... mostly greens, blues, and reds. I couldn't get the red to show quite right, it was brighter in person but it started looking really fake when replicating.

 

[RSnodgrass]

UNBELIEVABLE DAY!
Love is in the air on our night dive.

Incredible floro... I'm not good at photos of this yet but it's a start. There was a brilliant orange hammer but I have a very hard time getting it to show properly.

 

[RSnodgrass]

Off to the races. We didn't find the red pygmies we were originally looking for but we did find these a few miles away on a solitary sea fan! Still at about 80' and about 1/4" tall. We also saw 4 other varieties, in particular the GIANT seahorse which are close to a foot in length. I'll put one of those up another time.

And a very rare ghost pipe fish while jetting across a 40' sand bed on the way back to our boat... Maybe an inch long.

 

[RSnodgrass]

Then we went hunting for blue ring octopus as well as their mimics and one other variety of blue ring. We found a few but my photo of the mimic was the only one that showed well... Probably because it's the only one I'd get right up to.

Got my goby pair.

 

[jlanger]

Show all the octopuses!!!
They're my all-time favorite reef inhabitant, so I would look at all of those photos.
And you also got me looking with the goby/shrimp pair.

Great photos all around! Thanks for posting!

 

[RSnodgrass]

Anyone able to ID these for me? Also, if there are any other critter requests I'll do my best. This is about an inch long

This is a nurf basketball size? Would I die? I

 

[clowning around]

You should be a guest speaker with your pictures at the next speaker event.capman might be able to help you organize something. It might have a great attendance by itself or as part of a speaker event

 

[cypho]

Anyone able to ID these for me?

#1 Pycnogonida, #2 Ctenophore

Neither will kill you.

 

[Davy Jones]

Awesome stuff! Ive been diving in the reef's around Cozumel for about 25 Dives and the stuff youre posting from the indo is way cooler! Which island are you diving from?

 

[RSnodgrass]

Anilao, Philippines