Day 76 - Thurs, Underwater Photography

Duly inspired by the success and wonders of the day before, after a beach clean of sunset rocks, I decided to use the morning to setup my camera. (I will try to include some video here).I went snorkelling on 'house reef', the small reef outside our front door. The day dawned sunny and hot but by 10am when I got in the water it was drizzling. Turned out to be a brief event however and I got out of the water into bright sunshine again.

I think the pale one is a wrasse.

The camera worked beautifully.  I on the other hand am a dunce as I could not find the right underwater settings despite having read about them. When I did find some for underwater they turned out to not be the best ones. Having spent 15 mins messing about with the camera in shallow water and rain while dodging the Cambodian Cleg, I finally swam the reef. 

It was so great I swam back and did it again. The pictures were mostly not so great this first time, though on Auto some turned out ok. Amazing camera really. I also saw the flying fish again as I was leaving the water. 

There was a torrential downpour at lunchtime, just before we were due to dive. I also had numb hands again.

In the afternoon I was diving with Mark and Kerwin (on his last dive). My 11th and 12th dives. 

We dived Corner Bar again and visibility was good again, as I had hoped it would be. I got some great shots! Dived to 13.1m and 9m. I saw my Spadefish again and this time got photos and video! 

Mark and Kerwin's fin.

Here is my Spadefish, on the second occasion I saw it.

Also saw Trevally, jacks (often confused), butterfly fish, Sargent fish (so common, so cute here!):

squirrel fish (big ones!) two angel fish having a fight, groupers lying in wait, another scorpion fish that I got the credit for spotting, though I was not sure I did 'spot' it ! One of the things that took me by surprise is how the same species of fish do actually come in different sizes, depending on how old they are! So, unlike birds for example, you can't readily distinguish between fish of similar colour by size.

Fusiliers.

Cleaner fish.

Saw a coral that i thought might be a nudibranch (sea slug, brightly coloured) but wasn't. Parrot fish, wrasse (checkerboard and triple tail) damsel fish etc., and loads of beautiful coral.

Other or chocolate grouper, lying in wait...

Chocolate grouper?

Damsel fish, or possibly blue lined grouper or possibly parrot fish. 

Parrot fish, feeding.

Crescent wrasse, just leaving.

Checkerboard wrasse.

Eight banded Butterfly fish

Long beaked coral fish (always seem to be in pairs)

Me! The scuba diver.

Later went to a leaving Do at Tiger's. Ali, (the younger)' Freddie, Maren and Kerwin were leaving the next day.  Drank (whisky teapot - whisky, redbull and coke) and danced and played a drinking game involving dive signs for various fish. An amazing day.