Jettin’
The Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia (also, St. Elsewhere, in the Caribbean) “Reef Squid“ Squid are ubiquitous in every ocean. On the reef, they are seldom seen alone. Usually, divers and snorkelers will notice a line stretching down the reef — squid all arranged facing the same direction, moving easily along the contour of the […]
Zebra Fans
(Two underwater images of Zebra Lionfish.) Probably my favorite lionfish in the Lembeh Strait was the small zebra lionfish. Shades of red, salmon-pink, and orange are striped with white and the fish’s fins are webbed, with spines that do not protrude very far. The overall effect is a beautiful, brightly colored orange and red fan near the dull, black sand bottom. It is often seen holding station or slowly crawling along the bottom using the hooked spines on the bottom of its fins.
Orange Skunk
(Underwater photo of a pair of orange skunk anemonefish.) I love anemonefish. These orange skunk anemonefish were the brightest, cleanest color I’d seen. Their home, a brown anemone, really offset and complimented the color of the fish.
Flamboyant
(Two photos of flamboyant cuttlefish.) We came across a number of flamboyant cuttlefish in the Lembeh Strait. This is a very small beastie; the ones we saw were 2 to 4 inches long. It adopts bright, almost pulsating shades of red, purple, and pink with that distinctive yellow border when disturbed.
Comin’ Atcha
(Mimic Octopus photos) During the week we were in Lembeh, I learned to spot the mimic octopus. What probably surprised me most about the mimic was its diminutive size; in life, this octopus is only about the size of an adult male’s hand — not at all the size that a Caribbean diver might assume from the photos we all have seen.
