JUNE 21 AND 28, 2009: WING BEACH
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June 21, 2009 at Wing. Due to some unusual circumstances, all I took on this Wing dive were a couple of videos (the stills in this album are all from other dives). I know: Some of you are quite turned off by the videos. And these are not any higher quality than previous ones. However, as you watch this first video, notice the sheer NUMBER of Barred flagtails (in the first segment, they seem to keep appearing magically out of the white of the waves, in the second segment, they seem to form an endless stream). Second, let them mesmerize you with their back and forth dance. I just don't know how to catch such things with stills. Yep, I prefer stills for the bulk of the album, but I'm afraid that I have caught the bug of attempting to show some of the things which stills don't capture in video. Sorry, Tom! Oh, and feel free to skip the videos, if you are so inclined. If you do watch, make sure that your SOUND is on!
Bob and Bill.
Coral hermit crabs, so easy to just pass over and not notice, totally fascinate me. They look like they should be on Sesame Street or something. By the way, this photo is brought to you by the letter "O"....... This and the next few photos were taken on June 22, again at Wing.
I think I need to start calling Rose "Nudi-Woman!" If there is a nudibranch anyplace around, she will find it. I think she can smell them or something.
As Rose and I were about to end our dive, we came upon a group of very animated Porcupine fish (Diodon hystrix). Four of them, to be more precise. They were obviously involved in some porcu-whoopie-making. They were darting SO fast that this is the only shot I got which came out decent at all.
I had to get some shots of this Day octopus as we were about to exit.
Now, jump ahead a week. Again, a dive at Wing (you may be able to tell I like Wing this time of year). Guess who found this guy? You are correct: Rose the Nudi-Woman! I'm not sure the identity of this guy. He MAY be Roboastra gracilis, but I'm not sure.
Here you get a better idea of the size of this guy, on Rose's hand. How does she FIND these things?
And ANOTHER Nudi-Woman find! I can't find this one in my books, but think he may be in the family Chromodorididae. I sometimes have difficulty seeing these guys even AFTER Rose points them out!
A Guineafowl puffer (Arothron meleagris) studies Rose for a while.
Rose also found this juvenile Porcupinefish. And no, I'm sure this was not the result of the whoopie-making we saw the previous week. That would be just way to quick!
Actually, Rose found this guy, also. Whitemouth moray (Gymnothorax meleagris).
And ANOTHER Rose find! Lionfish (Pterois volitans). OK, maybe we need to call her "nudi-porcu-moray-lion woman" (-espealidocious)!
