BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS in KOMODO!

Liveaboard trip 26/08 2008 – 04/09 2008

Bali - Komodo
INDONESIA

Mermaid I

So, finally, my number came up, and there it was − a rare Blue-ringed Octopus! I HAVE seen one before, but that was eight thousand dives ago. And I didn‘t have a camera at that time... Of course, showing up at a completely unexpected location, only made the encounter even more exciting!

We were diving Takat Makassar, in Komodo National Park, enjoying the Mantas playing in the current. At some point, I needed to adjust my reef hook (a must for these kind of dives...), and − voila! − there it was. Out in the open, swimming, feeding and posing for several minutes. Now, there is nothing wrong with watching six Mantas dancing, but I have to admit I completely forgot about them for a while!

In the Nudibranch department we were also very lucky. Apart from the elusive Thecacera Pacifica (a.k.a. "The Bunny"), we saw the beautiful Magnificent Ceratosoma, several members of the Tambja family as well as Nemrothas, Pleurobranchus, Discodoris, Gymnodoris and Hexabranchus, just to mention a few.

Nightdiving was really special on this trip. Starting with a Stargazer already on the first night, we followed up with Cat Sharks, juvenile Batfish, Zebra Crabs, Skeleton Shrimps and a strange little Octopus, only 10 cm across, running around with a piece of bark and a shell, that it used to close himself in with!

Having very little current the first dive at Takat Toko (which was pleasant enough!), things picked up a bit a few days later, when we got the chance to dive this wonderful site again. This time, the sharks were here. Plenty of Grey Reef and Whitetip Sharks patrolled the depths, with Unicornfish, Surgeonfish, Sweetlips, Jackfish and Tunas hanging out in the shallows.

Rounding off this Komodo Safari, we did a very pleasant dive at Angel Reef, Moyo Island. A last go with the Pygmy Seahorses, before heading for the Leaf Scorpionfish, Blue Ribbon Eels, Pink Squat Lobsters and the huge field of Spaghetti Eels.

PJ Widestrand

Video-Pro
Mermaid I

Live-aboard trips to Thailand, Myanmar, Bali - Komodo and the Andaman Islands.