The Yellowbar Angelfish (Pomacanthus maculosus)

Yellowbar Angelfish (Pomacanthus maculosus), Red Sea

by B. N. Sullivan 

If you dive near tropical reefs in the Indian Ocean or the Red Sea, you may encounter the Yellowbar Angelfish (Pomacanthus maculosus).  Often you will see them nibbling on a sponge,  or pecking at corals and algae-covered rocks.  In our experience, they don't seem to be fearful of divers, often swimming right up to have a look at us.  They are known to be territorial, so perhaps they approach divers to judge if they are friend or foe.

The adult of this species, pictured above, grows to a rather large size (for an angelfish!) -- up to about 20 in (50 cm).  The bright yellow patch on their flanks makes them easy to recognize.  Legend has it that the splash of yellow depicts a map of Africa.  That may be a bit of a stretch, but it accounts for the fact that an alternate common name for this species is Map Angelfish.  In any case, the exact shape of the blotch is unique to each fish, rather like a fingerprint.

The individual pictured above was photographed in the Red Sea, near Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

A Splash of 'Velvia' Color on a Sipadan Reef

by B. N. Sullivan

In the days before digital photography, we shot all of our photos as transparencies (slides).  From about 1990 onward, my preferred film for use underwater was Fuji Velvia (ISO 50).  We jokingly referred to it as "Disneychrome" because it rendered such dazzling colors.  Also, it was developed using the E-6 process, available just about everywhere including on many live-aboard dive boats.  No more having to send the Kodachrome off for processing and waiting, waiting, waiting for the results.

I do not miss most aspects of film photography.  I certainly don't miss having to return to the boat or shore to change film after, say, 36 shots [you can't change film underwater!], nor do I miss having to wait until the film was developed to see if the images I captured were the ones I wanted.  But, once in awhile I get nostalgic for the incredible color saturation and fine grain that only Fuji Velvia seemed to yield.

The photo above was shot using Fuji Velvia.  The transparency was later scanned for online use.  The subject was an unusually 'fluffy' crinoid -- species unknown -- posing for us near a stand of equally fluffy-looking and very colorful Nephtheid soft corals. The location was Barracuda Point at Pulau Sipadan, Malaysia.

Why Underwater Photographers Need Rearview Mirrors

Whitetip Reef Shark sneaking up on a diver

by B. N. Sullivan

This underwater photographer was so completely engrossed in setting up his shot of some tiny creature that he was oblivious to the two sharks approaching him from behind.  The curious sharks ultimately swam right above the diver, as if to have a look at what he was doing, then continued on their way down the reef.  The diver never did see the sharks.

Lesson: While you are in the deep, it might be a good idea to look up, down, and over your shoulder from time to time -- if only to see who (or what) is looking at you!

The sharks are Whitetip Reef Sharks (Triaenodon obesus), photographed at Pulau Sipadan, off the coast of Borneo.

Stony Corals in the Red Sea

Red Sea hard corals

by B. N. Sullivan

This is one of my favorite reef photos.  It was taken in the Red Sea at an area of Ras Mohammed known as Shark Observatory Wall.  When I took the photo, it was a sunny day and the water was very clear.  I was not very deep beneath the surface, but I was positioned below the corals. I was shooting up toward the surface with a wide angle lens, using the sun as a back-light for the coral.  Pictured are several species of stony corals common to the Red Sea, of the genera Acropora and Stylophora, and some Millepora (which is actually a Hydrozoan).