Robust Ghostpipefish

Almost 6 months since my last post, thought I’d better do something about it. I originally hoped to do a post every week, thought I had plenty of ideas, but found that it is actually quite hard to keep a blog going.

I’m just back from a week diving and relaxing at Cocotinos in Manado. After a couple of years diving elsewhere in Indonesia it was nice to be back there. The diving was a great mix of drifting in the current along the colourful walls of Bunaken and mucking about looking for interesting critters on the sandy slopes on the mainland side. On the last dive our guide Henki spotted this small Robust Ghostpipefish, Solenostomus cyanopterus. A nice way to finish a week’s diving.....

Pygmy Seahorses

This species of pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus pontohi) was a recent discovery when we visited Manado some years ago. Due to their size of just about one centimetre and their incredible camouflage they blend in with the background so well they went unnoticed on the walls of Bunaken for many years. Our guide Vanus knew where to find some on a divesite called Lekuan II and took us there on the first day of our stay. He found us an individual and I tried my luck, however its size and the fact that I only owned a 60mm macro lens didn't make it an easy subject. However I was happy to have seen the new species and gave it my best.

Two days later we returned to Lekuan II and found a few individuals in the same area. One of them was feeding on the hydroids they live in and I watched and took some photographs. At 21 meters depth and on the 3rd dive of the day, my computer soon warned me my no-deco time was running out. I knew I had to go up, but stayed a bit longer to watch the feeding behaviour.

Just when I started to go up I saw something move near where the Pygmy I'd been watching was. I looked again and couldn't believe my luck when I saw another seahorse had joined the first one. With my computer still beeping I repositioned my camera and managed to take 3 or 4 more shots before I had to join my buddy already waiting for me a few meters up.