2. Underwater

What's That?

Odd- or cool-looking underwater creatures (some common, some not-so).
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Saba Underwater -- A scuba diver should always look carefully at the reef. It took me a while to identify the three-row sea cucumber that was cleaning this clustered tube sponge, amid several types of coral and fishes. © Rick Collier
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Saba Underwater -- A scuba diver should always look carefully at the reef. It took me a while to identify the three-row sea cucumber that was cleaning this clustered tube sponge, amid several types of coral and fishes. © Rick Collier

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  • A squirrelfish pauses atop a reef outcropping, next to a sea whip coral. St. Eustatius (Statia), Netherlands Antilles.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> "St. Eustatius" "Saint Eustatius" Statia Netherlands Antilles "Lesser Antilles" Caribbean SCUBA dive diver sea bottom sea floor rocks coral hole reef sand bottom sea floor seafloor sea bed tube sponge fish Tomtate coral sea whip
  • The flying gurnard fish crawls along the bottom using lower fins and eats small prey on the bottom. The gurnard spreads its 'wings' when startled or alarmed. St. Eustatius (Statia), Netherlands Antilles.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> "St. Eustatius" "Saint Eustatius" Statia Netherlands Antilles "Lesser Antilles" Caribbean underwater diving ocean SCUBA dive sand bottom sea floor fish flying gurnard
  • An electric stingray rests on the sand bottom, while its companion blue runner fish cruises above. Taken while scuba diving on the "Santa Rosa Wall" dive site in Cozumel, Mexico. © Rick Collier
  • A pair of spotted eagle rays cruise past the drop-off at the edge of a Caribbean reef. Taken at while scuba diving the "Chasbo's Corner" dive site at Turneffe Atoll, Belize. © Rick Collier
  • St. Eustatius (Statia) Underwater - A black coral sea fan. © Rick Collier
  • St. Eustatius (Statia) Underwater - While scuba diving, I came across this pair of fish (yellowhead wrasse) who seemed to hold their mating kiss, hovering above the reef for minutes while I set up a picture. © Rick Collier
  • St. Eustatius (Statia) Underwater - Scuba divers usually hope to spot this unusual-looking blue-headed fish (a trumpetfish), which is a regular at "hangover reef." © Rick Collier
  • St. Eustatius (Statia) Underwater - As I moved in to take a shot of a moray eel (about one foot below me as I took this shot), I was startled by the quick movements of this baby fish (a juvenile queen angelfish). © Rick Collier
  • St. Eustatius (Statia) Underwater - Scuba divers in the Caribbean become accustomed to this fish. Trumpetfish usually hide by floating vertically, head down in vertical plants or soft corals to look like part of the larger reef structure. © Rick Collier
  • St. Eustatius (Statia) Underwater - During one scuba dive, I was delighted to find a pair of small puffer fish (goldface tobies) that seemed willing to pose for me in their patch of reef. © Rick Collier
  • St. Eustatius (Statia) Underwater - A scuba diver can often find an octopus by looking for a mound of empty shells (the discards from the octopus' past meals) piled up around a rock overhang to make a cave. This one hadn't quite finished filling all the gaps. © Rick Collier
  • St. Eustatius (Statia) Underwater - A scuba dive on the "Blue Bead Hole" is usually uninteresting -- lots of flat sandy bottom, with occasional rock of coral outcroppings. I was surprised to see this unusual looking fish (a good-sized jackknifefish) patrolling back and forth in front of a small patch of reef. © Rick Collier
  • St. Eustatius (Statia) Underwater - I finally saw one of these fish for the first time during a Caribbean scuba dive. This is my first-ever jackknifefish, spotted unexpectedly patrolling in front of a very small rock outcropping on the otherwise mostly empty sandy bottom. © Rick Collier
  • Saba Underwater - Any scuba diver in the Caribbean has seen this fish in this situation. A trumpetfish adopts its customary hiding posture amongst fan corals above the reef. But this one has chosen a poor background that doesn't hide it very well. © Rick Collier
  • Saba Underwater -- A scuba diver should always look carefully at the reef. It took me a while to identify the three-row sea cucumber that was cleaning this clustered tube sponge, amid several types of coral and fishes. © Rick Collier
  • Saba Underwater - A scuba diver here need look no further than the "hot springs" dive site to find a seahorse near the sandy bottom. This lined seahorse is a well-known inhabitant of the site. © Rick Collier
  • Saba Underwater - This lined seahorse was easy to find during a scuba dive along the sandy bottom at the "hot springs" dive site, off the Caribbean island of Saba. © Rick Collier
  • Diving Bonaire, Netherland Antilles -- Beautiful and a bit unusual for its unusual yellow chain link pattern, a chain moray eel peers out from its hiding place. ("Witch's Hut" dive site -- also known as "Weber's Joy") © Rick Collier<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Bonaire; "Netherlands Antilles"; Caribbean; tropic; tropical; vacation; destination; underwater; scuba; diving; dive; "scuba diving"; reef; coral; "coral head"; "Witch's Hut"; "Weber's Joy"; eel; moray; "moray eel"; "chain moray"; "chain moray eel";
  • Diving Bonaire, Netherland Antilles -- Sharptail eels are not too uncommon, often seen moving around the reefs and bottom around Bonaire. ("Karpata" dive site) © Rick Collier<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Bonaire; "Netherlands Antilles"; Caribbean; tropic; tropical; vacation; destination; scuba; diving; dive; "scuba diving"; underwater; reef; "Karpata"; eel; "sharp tail eel"; sharptail; "sharptail eel";
  • Diving Bonaire, Netherland Antilles -- A school of reef squid paces the diver in the shallows. ("Karpata" dive site) © Rick Collier<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Bonaire; "Netherlands Antilles"; Caribbean; tropic; tropical; vacation; destination; scuba; diving; dive; "scuba diving"; underwater; reef; "Karpata"; squid; "reef squid"; reef; shallow;
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