Underwater

Lord of the Shrimps

Lord of the Shrimps

(Underwater photo of a yellow moray eel surrounded by several types of shrimp.) I got down near the sandy bottom to approach the coral head, then looked up into a crevice in the rock. Inside, a yellow moray eel was watching me. The many different types of shrimp around seemed to have eyes only for the eel.


Flamboyant

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

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.


What Are You?

What Are You?

(Photos of Peacock Mantis Shrimp.) There are several types of mantis shrimp in the Lembeh Strait, and most are easy to see and not easily intimidated by divers. The so-called “peacock” or “harlequin” mantis shrimp is beautifully colored in brilliant blues, green, red, and orange.


Horses in the Sand

Horses in the Sand

(Two photos of common seahorses) Seahorses are pretty common in the Lembeh Strait. They are often seen just out on the sandy bottom, with nothing nearby to which they might plausibly attach.