22 Jan 2020
We headed north to Penemu and dove the famous Melissa’s Garden, which was packed with so many fish I didn’t know where to look! I decided I was going to photograph one of every fish I saw- I think I got maaaaaybe 5%… get ready for fish-overload!!!
Dive #27 – Melissa’s Garden – Penemu
Phyllidiella pustulosa:
Red-breasted wrasse:
Clown Triggerfish:
?Juvenile humphead wrasse?
Yellow trumpetfish:
African coris:
Vagabond butterflyfish:
Bignose unicornfish:
Bleeker’s parrotfish:
Goatfish, moving sand around:
Sailfin Tang:
Bicolor? damselfish being cleaned:
Mirror butterflyfish:
Yellowband parrotfish:
Golden damselfish:
Juvenile sunshinefish?
Trumpetfish:
Midnight snapper:
Sweetlips:
Baramundi:
Sharpnose puffer:
Checkerboard wrasse:
This poor surgeonfish has led a rough life 🙁
Juvenile midnight snapper:
Phantom bannerfish:
Yellowfin? parrotfish:
?
Diver over coral
Bluegirdled angelfish:
Swarthy parrotfish:
Parrotfish being cleaned:
surgeonfish:
Goldengirdled coralfish
Bluespot grouper
Triangle butterflyfish
snapper
?
Pair of schooling bannerfish- these guys were part of a giant school!
This guy’s got teeth!
Singular bannerfish:
Damselfish:
Love this orange guy!
Parrotfish:
Vermiculated Angelfish:
Saddled Butterflyfishes:
grouper
Swarthy Parrotfish:
parrotfish
parrotfish
Dive #28 – Keruo Channel – Penemu
Doublebar goatfish:
Ribbon eel!!!
This one is an adult male- juveniles are black with a yellow strip and females are range from bluish-greenish to yellowy.
Lamarck’s angelfish:
Singular bannerfish… x2
Epaulette Soldierfish:
I don’t know who these guys are, but they sure were pretty!
Grumpyfish!
Blacktip grouper:
pretty
damselfish
masked puffer
grouper
Red-breasted wrasse:
GIANT nudibranch, hand for scale
Another giant Phyllidia varicosa:
This little nudibranch reminds me of a cow (Nembrotha chamberlaini)
Moorish Idol:
Tailspot Squirrelfish:
Bluegirdled angelfish:
This anenome was full of little ghost mushroom pipefish!
Spadefish:
Dusky batfish:
Map puffer:
Yellow-stripe sweetlips:
?
Lined surgeonfish:
I liked this guy hiding out under a shelf of coral
Dive #28 – Batu Rufus – Penemu
Cool swim-thru!
Doublebar goatfish
Juvenile ribbon eel!!!
Two-lined monocle bream
Sea star
?
Tailspot Squirrelfish
Regal angelfish:
Lamarck’s angelfish (male):
My, what large teeth you have!
Keyhole Angelfish:
Blue spiny lobster:
Nembrotha cristata:
Wobbegong (bearded shark) surrounded by glassfish:
Look at that face!!!
“Pikachu” nudibranch (Thecacera pacifica):
This little guy wound not stay still- he’s a juvenile bicolor parrotfish:
Baramundi hiding out under some coral:
lobsters!
Slingjaw Wrasse:
During our surface interval, we visited Piaynemo, a look-out over the lagoon!
Super-official “check-in” area- we essentially just yelled our boat name as we cruised by 🙂
Holes were cut in the steps to allow the trees to grow freely
What a beautiful view!
Proof that I was here:
Helge, Me and Dan, who introduced me to this trip!
Dive #29 – Batu Rufus – Penemu
Spot the hidden cuttlefish
Guys, that there is a blue-ringed octopus!
He was so tiny!!
So cool!
Nembrotha kubaryana:
Little crab hiding in a coral:
A seriously puffy sea star:
Pseudoceros lindae:
Spot the octopus?
He’s really trying to hide!
and he’s off!
Another puffy sea star:
Coryphellina exoptata
