Of course, things couldn't be perfect...the trip out was super bumpy and uncomfortable. But once at the dive sites the surface conditions were beautiful. We did have some significant current on the first dive, but there was enough to see to make me forget about it most of the time. Dive two had less current, so that was nice. The trip back to the marina sucked big time - super rough though there weren't even white caps on the Gulf. It was so rough that I got thrown off the back bench and on to the deck - where I stayed bracing myself as best I could. Today I have several bruises including a lovely six inch long one on my hip! But I was glad I went out.
These red polka-dotted crabs are always fun to see, but this one was up on top of a ridge where the current was strongest so trying to frame and time the shot was a little frustrating.
Can you see me?
Once I got home and downloaded to the computer I was so glad I made the effort because this one had eggs!
And it even came all the way out to tell me off!
This weird shrimp was tucked in to the same bit of coral
No dive would be complete without some of our usual suspects like octopus
hermit crabs
crocodilefish
sweetlips
seastars
coral trout - this one's for photographing, not eating!
bubble shrimp
wrasse
surgeonfish
nudibranchs: Chromodoris geometrica
singles
and pairs
Frilly flabellinas
There are more "bubble butts" on the mooring line - where I got to spend 8 minutes of deco (oops!)
While hanging out doing my deco stop, this little crab crawled onto my arm
Our clarkii anemonefish were darting here there and everywhere
until you got too close and they darted back in to protect their eggs. The eggs were really tucked under the anemone this time!
The bulldozer shrimp were very busy shoveling out all of the debris the current kept bringing into the burrows they share with their guard gobies
I didn't see as many turtles as usual, but this little lady steamrolled right over me, smacking me in the head as she swam to what was clearly a favourite spot on the reef ... where she sank like a brick onto the coral, then slid ungracefully off into a crevice and promptly fell asleep
2 comments:
The anemone fish eggs are great, you can really see the little guys forming in there.
Awesome shots.
How long (time) is the ride there from shore to the dive sites?
Chase - Thank you for the kind words!
Our dive sites are about 15-80 minutes by boat. For these dives I went with some friends on a small, private boat - it would have been oh so much more comfortable on one of our big dive shop boats!
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