One of the great pleasures of life afloat is that our garden is the sea, usually nicely warm at around 29°C and invariably exceedingly clear. We have both been water babies all our lives and started scuba diving forty years ago. Di now has problems clearing her ears so is limited to snorkeling which is no problem as Dave only dons the full gear for excursions at significant depth. In fact, the most interesting marine life generally resides at depths of less than 10m.
We have a diving compressor aboard which means Dave finds lots of buddies and can dive extensively in remote areas, which is often where the best marine life is found. Memorable dives in places such as Tobago, Los Roques, Bonaire, San Blas, Galapagos, Tuamotos, Tonga and Fiji would have be difficult if not impossible without it.
The current camera is called a Reefmaster, comprising a stout, yellow, plastic case good to depths of 50m, housing a pretty basic 35mm wet film, automatic camera with a red compensated flash. Getting good results is hard work, as framing a shot underwater of what is usually a moving target presents quite a challenge, especially as the optimum distance to the subject should be between 60-120cm (2-4ft). Initial results are usually discouraging with most fish either only partially within the frame or way off in the dim distance. However, as in most things, perseverance along with scanning followed by computer image processing sorts things out. We are now looking at the much more ideal solution of a digital camera, as 40m housings are just becoming available.
Well, that's enough of the chat so on with the show of over thirty examples of mainly tropical marine life, beginning with some of our all time favourites, angel fish :-
These are wonderful creatures of distinctive shape and markings. Generally, they are relatively approachable, being often seen in pairs which one would like to believe are stable male/female relationships.
This variant and it's French cousin at around 45cm long are much bigger than the average fully developed members of the specie. This is due to the upwelling of a cold current rich in nutrients and food which flows up the east coast of South America, surfacing close to the north coast of the lovely island of Tobago.
This specie is much less common than the French or Grey in the Caribbean but more often seen in the Pacific. They are always much more difficult to approach, hence the retreating view.
These creatures with distinctive feelers to pass food to the central mouth, are found in remote areas of the Pacific, this example is from the island of Malolo Lailai in western Fiji. Growing to lengths of 2m with girths around 50mm in diameter they were much exploited for export to the Far East in earlier times.
West of Cabo Cruz, coastal Cuba is surrounded on the southern side by enormous areas of reefs interspaced with small islets. The shallow waters are largely untouched by human intervention so are a haven for hundreds of species of reef fish.
We did not see clams of this size (30cm+) until we reached the Pacific, where they are held in place by coral growing around the base. Their mouths are decorated by fleshy, vividly coloured veils ranging from red through green to purple.
These ungainly creatures on the right of the image above have around fifteen arms (or legs) and live by lowering their stomach to consume the living coral beneath them as they crawl over the reef. It is just possible to discern a lighter colour to the coral on the area they have passed over.
One of the most exciting experiences is to be swimming amongst large numbers of fish which in a shoal seem much more tolerant of one's presence. These are relatively large reef fish but often one may be amongst millions of smaller fish which waft to and fro in total unison around you. It is also not uncommon to find a number of fish following you, usually basking in your shade, quite content to accompany you until you leave the area.
No matter how often the cry of 'Dolphin' rings out, we can hardly wait to get on deck to greet them and try to communicate. It has probably happened over a thousand times now but each occasion seems unique and very special. They typically come in pods of six to twenty with pairs cavorting around the bow and diving under the hull. Our most dramatic encounter was in the Caribbean on passage between St Vincent and St Lucia in very rough conditions where there were around ten pods totaling over a couple of hundred dolphins. This was most probably a combined fishing operation where a large shoal of fish like tuna was the target.
The durgeon appears not to be very common but this may be because it is very wary when we are around. We have seen them more frequently in Pacific waters where they appear to be larger. Most tropical species of fish are common to both Caribbean and Pacific but have evolved separately since the Isthmus of Panama formed as an unbroken land mass many thousands of years ago.
These amazing hybrids skim across the water for distances often in excess of 200m. They seem to be triggered by the approach of our hull or perhaps by other submerged predators. Di had quite a shock in a lagoon on the Testigos Isles, Venezuela once when a flying fish struck her directly in the face as her head came out of the water. After night passages we often find them on the deck and given that there are enough of sufficient size they can make an excellent breakfast. On the 3000Nm crossing of the Pacific from the Galapagos to the Marquesas, they were often accompanied on their death flights by squid, the combination making for a truly gourmet experience.
You may notice that the resolution of this image is just a tad better than that you have being seeing so far. We must admit to it not being a true underwater picture. Sure enough, the fish is underwater but in a tank in a chandlers in Papete, Tahiti. If you get the angle of incidence right and the tank is clean enough, you can just about get away with it!
This is a very typical sight diving in the tropics, a small shoal of reef dwellers, seeking company to reduce the effectiveness of a predator's attack. Denizens of a reef are very territorial such that from day to day and week to week the same fish are on the same rock even though there may be hundreds more to choose from in the immediate area.
The Poor Knights Marine Reserve has some excellent diving with species quite different from the warmer waters of the tropics to the north. The big attraction for Dave was the fact that most of the creatures were unafraid of divers, in fact they were so inquisitive at times, they came too close to the camera.
This is quite a big fish (60cm+) so when it appears out of the darkness like this, one does have to be committed to getting a picture!
The Poor Knights were so named by Captain James Cook who saw their high white topped cliffs and was reminded of the desert pudding of that name. They are amongst the hundred or so places Dave has come across so far that claim to be amongst the world's top ten dive sites. He's only half way round so reserving his judgement.
These eels have serious teeth, so its best not to stick your hand anywhere near where they might be lurking. If they do get a hold, your only recourse is to chop off whatever they have a grip on! They are rarely seen on the open sea bed between holes but we did once see one swimming in the surf along a Fijian beach. This one was off Klein Bonaire in the Netherlands Antilles.
Snappers are common in most areas with this particular specie being seen most often in the Los Aves islands off the Venezuelan coast. Dave does have a couple of spear guns so when needs must we hope to come across another one just like this 45cm specimen.
Parrot fish are amongst the most common reef dwellers and come in a wide variety of colour schemes, including the 'stoplight' with appropriate square patterned markings. They eat the algae which forms on coral with such powerful teeth and jaws that one can actually hear them feeding as one swims by.
These are relatively rare creatures, this one turning up deep off the island of Tobago in the Caribbean. They are about 40cm long.
This is one of a group of around twenty rays that appear to order at around 10am every day for the benefit of the punters on a trip boat in this most beautiful of tropical paradise lagoons. Needless to say they are fed liberally to ensure their cooperation. The water around is only around 2m deep so its easy to join in the party from your own tender.
Whilst on Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, we were heading back to the boat from the beach when we spotted this ray gliding past, just below the surface. Look at the length of the tail.
This island in Fiji's Lau Group boasts the most magnificent anchorage at Qilaqila (Bay of Islands) that we have ever come across. There are many shallows of pristine, clear waters with ferns, sponges and soft corals.
The Galapagos sea lions are legendary for their antics which though friendly are sometimes unwelcome. Like when they climb into your tender at night leaving a vile smelling legacy of their sojourn. They are however irresistible, especially when they join you to cavort together in the water.
Typical of the attention they pay you was the experience Dave had whilst holding onto a cliff, decompressing after a dive in the Galapagos. The sea lions kept swimming up between his arms and the rock with such precision they never touched on the way through. A bit scary the first time though!
There are snakes in the sea, some of them very poisonous. We don't think this is one of them but in Tonga, the black ones with bright yellow spots that slithered on the surface across our bow were seriously dangerous. The one above was seen at about 23m in the Jacques Cousteau Marine Park off the west coast of Guadaloupe in the Caribbean.
Now we get to the serious creatures! Sharks were not really an issue until we were well into the Pacific. They were supposedly common in the Marquesas but the water was never really clear enough to see them. However, once into the crystal clear waters of the Tuamotus they became a regular feature of every snorkelling trip. Generally they were pretty small, 1.5m or less, so unless you has speared a fish in what they considered their territory, they generally showed an interest in we other large creatures but kept their distance.
Nurse sharks though quite large at times (this one about 2m) are thought to be a docile specie. In general the threat from sharks increases as one moves further westwards across the Pacific. We had our first worrying time in Beveridge Reef in the Cook Islands when Dave speared dinner and in spite of raising it out of the water above his head within seconds, had four reef sharks of about 1.7m circling around him. Di was asked to get a bucket from the tender to hold the catch, a task she performed with great valour, approaching to within throwing distance before retiring at great speed. A week later we were in Tonga when a local guy was taken by a tiger shark and barely survived.
This rather large specimen of over 2m would have appeared quite menacing had Dave not been concentrating on the photo opportunity. Sharks can tail you in the water but rarely approach as close as this. Just in case, we try never to take our eyes off them, searching for any clue of unusual movements such as arching of the back. Don't assume you are safe in shallow water either. We have seen sharks swimming close to sandy beaches and over the top of reefs in around 30cm of water with their dorsal fin well out of the water.
Sharks viewed at this aspect don't look too bad, however when they turn toward you exposing those steely eyes peering from an oval shaped head, they take on a decidedly menacing persona. As we move further west towards Australia, we expect sharks to become more menacing and there will be the added danger from sea crocodiles. So, we had better make the most of the next few years but still keep a sharp eye out!
Now for something much more placid, a Porgy fish around a giant sponge at one of the world famous dive sites on Bonaire. The water there is wonderfully clear but in late 2001 there was still a lot of reef damage to be seen from hurricane Lenny that swept through two years earlier.
These starfish typically have more vivid red or orange colouring but at around 25cm across are easy to pick out on the sea bed.
Urchins are usually nowhere to be seen or they are there in great preponderance. This one is unusually exposed, as normally they are built into holes in the coral so you cannot see them as you pick your way ashore. If you do get a spine into you, there is little to be done other than douse in hydrogen peroxide await natures slow and painful response.
These wonderful creatures are from the dolphin rather than the whale family. On this occasion a pod of around ten appeared about 400m away in a huge natural harbour. They allowed us to motor over slowly towards them, with some coming over to explore Amoenitas's underwater profile. The cow and calf above had just surfaced in front of our bow having swum beneath us.