Unspoiled Reef in the Red Sea

Unspoiled reef in the Red Sea

by B. N. Sullivan

This is the kind of scene that divers' dreams are made of: a pristine reef in a remote location.

We have been asked many times to name our favorite dive destination.  While it's difficult to choose just one location, we would have to include the Brothers Islands in the Red Sea among our top choices.  The remoteness of these two tiny specks, situated about 67 km (about 42 miles) off the eastern coast of Egypt, has helped to keep their lush reefs unspoiled.  The middle-of-nowhere location also attracts many large pelagic fishes of the sort not often seen around near-shore reefs.

The only way to get to the Brothers Islands is via a live-aboard dive boat.  It takes a full day (or overnight) at sea for the boats to reach the Brothers from coastal ports like Hurghada, Safaga or Quseir.  The voyage to the Brothers and back to the coast can be punishing due to rough seas, and dives there can be challenging due to unusually strong currents and choppy surface conditions.  But for experienced divers, the reefs along the near-vertical walls on the flanks of both seamounts (Little Brother and Big Brother) afford some of the most spectacular underwater scenery on the planet.

I photographed this dreamy, tranquil reef scene at Little Brother Island.   We think it illustrates why this location, in our experience, is a contender for Diver Heaven.

All Tucked In: Clownfish in a Carpet Anemone Mantle

Orange Skunk Clownfish (Amphiprion sandaracinos)

by B. N. Sullivan

This cute little fish really didn't want to have its picture taken.  It was hovering above the tentacles of a carpet anemone when we first spotted it, but as we approached, the fish dived under the anemone's mantle to hide.

I settled in at close range, selected the settings on my camera, and just waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally the little clownfish peeked out (as we knew it would) and I got my shot.

The fish is an Orange Skunk Clownfish (Amphiprion sandaracinos). I'm not sure of the anemone species, but I believe it belongs to the genus Stichodactyla. I took the photo at  Pulau Mantehage, one of the islands in Bunaken National Park, a marine park in Indonesia.

A Fish with Camouflaged Eyes

Crocodile Fish (Papilloculiceps longiceps), Red Sea

by B. N. Sullivan

Many animals in the sea have evolved colors and forms that allow them to blend in with their surroundings. Some animals use their camouflage to hide from predators — and some predators use camouflage to fool their prey.

The critter in the photo above is a Crocodile Fish (Papilloculiceps longiceps), a bottom-dwelling ambush predator from the Red Sea.  The mottled coloring of this fish matches the sandy areas were it likes to lie in wait for its prey (usually other fishes).  Its body shape, including its head, is quite flat. This "low-rise" profile also makes it less noticeable to fishy passers-by.

Sometimes an animal’s eyes are the one feature that will interrupt the camouflage effect and give it away, but these images illustrate how even a critter’s eyes can be somewhat camouflaged. Take a good look at the eyes of the Crocodile Fish and notice the lappets — the small irregular fleshy flaps that partially obscure the eyeballs — a part of its disguise.

Below is a macro image of the eye of a Crocodile Fish who was nice enough to stay very still even when I came in very, very close to take the photo!  The photo is of a different individual than the one in the image at the top of the page, but it is the same species.

Macro photo of eye lappets on a Crocodile Fish

Note: A portion of this article was published previously in Photosynthesis on ScienceBlogs.com.

Living on the Wreck of the Zenobia: A Mediterranean Moray

Mediterranean Moray (Muraena helena)

by B. N. Sullivan

This is a Mediterranean Moray (Muraena helena).   We discovered this individual while diving on the Zenobia, a large shipwreck in Larnaca Bay, Cyprus. The eel was living in an algae-encrusted drain near what had been one of the big ship's lifeboat stations.

The Mediterranean Moray is known to be territorial (like many other species in its family, Muraenidae).  Thus, we were not surprised when the local dive guide who was escorting us told us that this particular Moray had been residing there for quite awhile, and usually could be seen poking its head out of the same hole on any given day.

This is a carnivorous species.  A nocturnal hunter, the Mediterranean Moray preys on fishes and crustaceans.  This eel also will scavenge dead animal carcasses.

Note:  The photo on this page was taken in 1992, during one of seven dives we made on the wreck of the Zenobia. In 2008,  I wrote about those dives in a series of articles on The Right Blue.  If you are interested, you can have a look at these posts about our dives on the Zenobia:

• Diving the Wreck of the Zenobia - Introduction
• The Wreck of the Zenobia - A Brief History
• First Dives on the Wreck of the Zenobia
• Bottom Time on the Wreck of the Zenobia
• Diving Inside the Zenobia's Parking Deck
• Final Dives on the Wreck of the Zenobia

Finally, here is a link to a recent documentary video about the Wreck of the Zenobia.  The underwater videography is good, and the wreck itself looks much the same as when we saw it years ago.  It looked to us as though many more fish now call the wreck home -- but, alas, we saw no sign of our Mediterranean Moray.

UPDATE:  Okay, we just looked at the film again, and guess what we saw: A moray! [at about 23:24 minutes].  There's no way to know if it's the same moray, or another of the same species, but in any case, the wreck of the Zenobia does still have a resident Mediterranean Moray.