Tom Nic & Sounder's Excellent Adventure...

[Pez7378]

More Tourists!!

Excellent find on the Seahorse and the Frogfish! Now I'm officially envious! I searched and searched when I was diving in PI for both and didn't see either.

[airsix]

WOW! The pictures just keep getting better and better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Ben

[cardiver]

That first shrimp pic is amazing, Tom! You've got the macro working in overdrive on the Casio now! :wav:

[spatman]

keep 'em coming, tom!

[Tom Nic]

Thanks a bunch for all the kind words...

Here's a few things that you see in 5 ft. of water... with barefoot snorkelers around.

Found this guy while we were taking our fins off. ...and no, it's not a bushy rock.





The different angles on this Scorpionfish were not me trying to get a good shot, they were the surge pushing us around!

We saw this little fella twice, once when we were mistakenly about to climb up some steps into some bazillionaire's back yard on his amazing shore dive ladder. At first I thought it was a sea snake, but then I saw it "breathing" so I think it's a spotted snake eel of some kind (no ID books here!) He was poking in holes hunting.







The shallows quickly became the favorite part of the dive for me. Tons of life, although the VERY shallow you couldn't take pics because of wave action and the resultant viz drop.

We saw another one of these guys at about 20 fsw hunting on a rubble field. He was being "shadowed" by a good sized black ? jack, running right above him waiting for a fish to make a break for it so he could snap it up. Doug got some very cool video of it. But YouTube will have to wait for another day!

[Tom Nic]

Night dives bring out all kinds of critters you don't see during the day. Here is a very cool, ugly, fun looking critter, I believe called a Slipper Lobster!







I'm sure that these would be tastier than the Slipper Lobster, but not here we're in a Marine Park!



These guys during the daytime look kind of like a nest of tent caterpillars in the Pacific NW except growing on a Gorgonian underwater, and at night they open up to feed. I think it's a type of basket star, but again, no ID book.



I love coming up on sleeping Parrot Fish! Much easier to photograph at night!



These Christmas Tree Worms were thick enough to look like their very own Christmas Tree farm!



And last, but certainly not least, there were the ever present Tarpon. They shadowed us on every night dive, using our lights to hunt. It was so amazing watching them come out of the darkness, then accompany us the entire dive moving in and out of our lights. They especially liked it when Sounder spotlighted a potential meal, which with his 35 watt water boiler he could do from 30 - 40 ft. away. They would cruise up, turn on their side, and proceed to give a little fishie the scare of their life, however long or short it ended up being being determined by their agility and luck. This tarpon was at least 5' long. I hear they grow to 8'!

[Diver_C]

Great pics!!

[LCF]

Glad to see you guys are having a fantastic time!

Your comments about the shallows strike a chord for me. On our Indonesia trip, by far and away my favorite parts of the Bunaken dives were the last parts, up on top of the reef in about 15 feet of water. Brilliant sunlight, millions of fish, bright colors -- What's not to like?

[Sounder]

After 12 hours in the air, 16 total travel hours (we had REALLY TIGHT connections but fortunately we, and our luggage, made them all), we are back. I slept like a rock last night and had dreams of phantom tarpon.

We've got a TON of pictures, some of which turned out REALLY well (MANY more of Tom's than mine), and lots of video we'll be editing and posting on YouTube.

I'll be posting a full "trip report/wrap-up" after finals.

It was an amazing trip and I'm enjoying reflecting on it as I sit here in my office despite being sore, jet-lagged, cut and bruised up, and "still on island time." Fortunately, all we did was fly from one diving paradise to another.

[Jan K]

Welcome back, it sure was pleasure to follow your warm water adventure ! Enjoying your reports and PICTURES ! Looking forward to seeing MORE ...

[spatman]

welcome back, guys! it's bittersweet isn't it?

looking forward to the pics and vids and diving with you guys again.

[LCF]

Just wait until your first cold water dive at home . . . stuffing yourself into the dry suit, donning the steel tank and the weights. There's an awful moment when you wonder whether it's worth it or not

[Jabberjaw]

Just wait until your first cold water dive at home . . . stuffing yourself into the dry suit, donning the steel tank and the weights. There's an awful moment when you wonder whether it's worth it or not

Lynn,

You forgot to mention the brain freeze when your face hits that 44 degree water.

welcome back fellas