Far Away in the Andamans

Located nearly 900 km east of India the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are some of the few remaining unexplored islands in the world. Rain forests, mangroves, and pristine beaches above water contrast with rocky pinnacles, coral reefs and thousands of fish. Some islands are inhabited by indigenous tribes that have little to no contact with the outside world. Havelock Island is one of the few islands open to and developed for tourism and is the main gateway for scuba diving in the Andamans. Around Havelock, reefs teem with marine life. From colorful soft corals and clouds of anthias, to multihued reef fish, large groupers and napolean wrasses to schools of barracuda and trevally. Get away from the chaos of mass tourism, get away from the chaos of cities and a million people, get away to the Andaman Islands where life moves at the pace you want it to.

Worm dance

Polyclad flatworms closely resemble nudibranchs in external appearance. The main distinguishing characteristic is the absence of external gills that are found on nudibranchs. This species is known for its free swimming behavior that makes it appear as if it is dancing in the water. It will actively swim in the water column to move from part of the reef to another. The worm dance may be a popular break dance move but flatworms give it a whole new meaning!

Angelface

Close up of a semicircle angelfish (Pomacanthus semicirculatus). This species is common on coral and rocky reefs in Sri Lanka, being most common on reefs with ledges and caves, as well as shipwrecks. Large angelfish are territorial, and males tend to defend a harem of several females. They are capable of making a loud clicking or thudding noise with their swimbladders and it is not uncommon for divers to hear this if a large angelfish is disturbed. Angelfish posses a cheek spine, as is visible in this photograph. This is the main distinguishing characteristic between angelfish and the closely related butterflyfish that do not posses such a spine.

West coast season begins!

The winds have abated giving us flat seas on the west coast of Sri Lanka, but the rains have persisted into late November. Visibility is still low on inshore reefs but there's still plenty to see. The nutrients have been attracting large schools of fish, and as usual the small critters are out in their numbers. This is the perfect time to get out the macro lens as we wait for better visibility and great dives in the coming months.

Macro magic: colorful, curious critters

Overlooked, ignored and unappreciated its the small critters that actually make a coral reef tick. More abundant than many other species, cryptic fish such as gobies, blennies and sandperches scurry around the seafloor in their daily routines completely ignored by most divers. Small invertebrates such as nudibranchs are also among the most colorful reef species despite their small size. To really appreciate a coral reef you need to get up close and personal with its smaller residents. So the next time your diving, stop, look and meet all the neighbors!

West Coast season begins

The sea is calm and the monsoon winds have abated. We visit the Cargo Wreck off Dehiwela and meet many familiar friends including the pixy hawkfish that scurry about the top of the wreck. Visibility is only around 10m but the sea is full of life. Hopefully it is the start of a productive new dive season on the west coast.

Damsels of darkness

Like the colorful damselfishes that bring life to a tropical reef during the day, cardinalfishes take over the night shift, emerging from their daytime shelters to hunt for small invertebrates. They may not look like it but they are truly the damsels of the night.

Sunset Waltz

Mandarinfish are small colorful reef fishes (often 3-5 cm in length) that are known for their elaborate courting behavior. At dusk, males and females begin an elaborate courting ritual before swimming together off the reef substrate in a final mating embrace.

Return to Deranagala

We return to Deranagala for a relaxed weekday dive. The sea is calm but visibility is only around 15m due to the heavy rain the previous day. But its a great dive, with lots of schooling fish and old friends from previous dives like the large porcupinefish, moray eels and lionfish. We then explore Goda Matthegala, which is a typical Negombo reef with lots of small fish and macro life. Cleaner shrimps, gobies, hermit crabs and sea shells abound providing plenty of opportunities for macro photography.

I'm watching you

In the line of duty

Cleaner wrasses perform an important function on reefs by removing parasites from larger fishes. Many types of fish seek out the services of cleaner wrasses and in some instances may lead to the establishment of "cleaning stations" where larger fish will queue up to be cleaned by several cleaner wrasses. Many of these cleaning stations are permanent and most fish will return to the same place to be cleaned. Cleaner wrasses advertise their availability by swimming in a quick jerking motion which is recognized by potential clients. In this symbiotic relationship of trust and mutual benefit the small wrasses will even enter the mouth and gill cavities of predatory fishes, just as this wrasse has done with a large honeycomb moray eel.

A macro paradise in Negombo

Yesterday we explored Deranagala and Tantirigala off Negombo. The first is a narrow ridge with prolific fish life. In addition to the usual reef dwellers there are schools of snappers, trevally, barracuda, large sweetlips, stingrays and moray eels . Many of the shallow reefs off Negombo have an abundance of small fish, shrimps and nudibranchs and provide great opportunities for macro photography. Photographing macro subjects underwater requires a a good eye, patience and a good understanding of fish behaviour, especially when working with small animals that are difficult to approach. And as with any type of photography a healthy dose of good luck always helps!

The sand people

Sandperches are small benthic fishes found on reefs and adjoining sandy areas. They are territorial fishes and feed on small invertebrates and fishes. Males often maintain a harem of several females. Sandperches are extremely common but are often overlooked due to their small size and cryptic behaviour. This one was photographed at Degalmeda reef off Mt. Lavinia, Sri Lanka.