Water time
Redlip blenny bicolor variant
As long as weather permits, we are in the water to visit our underwater friends. I’ve been enjoying working with my macro lens on my Olympus mirrorless camera in an underwater case, that allows for both portrait and close-up macro focal distances.
Squat shrimp
Green turtle
Sometimes it can be hard to get the fish in frame - Lol.
The waters have been warm and clear this year. Even so, I wear a full 2.5mm wetsuit to stay warm and extend my snorkels, typically lasting 90 to 120 minutes. This is one of those activities where you easily lose track of time and it feels like just a few minutes have passed.
Juvenile saddled blenny
I also wear a “SCAP” (scuba cap) on my head to prevent the sunburn I used to get on my forehead, which is now causing dermatological issues. It also saves a lot of my hair getting ripped out in my mask straps and probably retains body heat as well.
Laura got a couple of photos of me one day in my gear, watching this cute, juvenile saddled blenny.
Speaking of blennies, no dive would be complete without them. The saddled blennies are very abundant here in the southern Bahamas, and are such great posers.
Saddled blenny
Rosy blennies are everywhere too. They are somewhat plain colored in the Bahamas compared to other countries, and take on yellow/green tones when colored.
Rosy blenny
A highlight was seeing several redlip blennies swimming around, feeding in Conception Island during a recent dive. They were all of this bicolor variant, with beautiful yellow ventral fins and striking poses in their respective lookout posts, when they stopped their frantic darting.
Bicolor redlip blenny
Another thing I love to look for when photographing underwater are the little cleaner shrimp that hide in anemones and corallimorphs.
The spotted cleaner shrimp and Pederson cleaner shrimp are abundant, and you’ll often find a fish floating next to an anemone to get a cleaning by one of these cuties.
They might even swim out to the camera or hands if they mistake me for a fish wanting a cleaning.
Spotted cleaner shrimp
Pederson cleaner shrimp
The same goes for cleaner gobies, who are often seen on groupers providing their cleaning service.
Cleaner goby (E. genie)
Patterns in nature always catch my eye. There is a never-ending variety of shapes, textures and colors to be found underwater.
I’ve also recognized fluorescence more often, where colors appear to shine brilliantly in certain sponges and anemones.
We were blown away by the clear water we found in the Crooked Acklins Islands, where Dustin found remains of an old shipwreck probably dating back to the 1800’s.
Fisherman’s anchor from shipwreck
Snorkeling in Crooked Acklins and Conception was also an exciting chance to visit a few new fish friends, including the elusive red-spotted hawkfish, the only hawkfish in Atlantic waters.
Our latest underwater trek was in Dean’s Blue Hole in Long Island. Despite a bit of current and silt, the water was clear and contrasting in the bright afternoon sun.
We had a fun swim with the Olympus Tough TG-4 and I was excited to see a barred hamlet, since hamlets are not very common in my experience in the Bahamas.
Barred hamlet
Hoping to get some more snorkeling in, as well as birding this spring!!