25 Apr 2023
Good morning!
This is Komba, an active volcano!
It used to erupt every 10 minutes or so, just small spurts, but now it’s just steaming:
Dive #25 – Komba Timur
Our first dive will be off the corner of the volcano, where the seascape alternates between reef and rocky spills:
Map by Nora Niggs
Ovalspot butterflyfish, swimming out of view:
Giant clam:
A young Phyllidiella pustulosa:
Elysia ornata:
Signalfin(?) goby- these guys blend into the rubble quite well!
A pair of Pennant bannerfish:
Another entry for nudibranch vs coral:
Answer: nudibranch! Phyllodesmium briareum, I think.
Anemonefish in a knobby anemone:
That speck of debris ruined one of the few decent shots I managed to get of a soldierfish:
Threespot dascyllus:
Crinoid squat lobster:
Crinoid shrimp:
A Slantbar(?) goby:
Again, I was always a split-second too late to catch his helper shrimp 🙁
Pennant bannerfish:
Believe it or not, this lumpy, velvety blue fellow is a nudibranch!
I was photographing the guy above when my guide signaled me that he found another:
Coriocella nigra:
A little blenny hiding in his hole:
Dive #26 – Kombastic
Similar topography to the first dive, just around the corner:
Map by Nora Niggs
Juvenile Freckled hawkfish:
they become less red as they get older
Pennant coralfish:
A grinning lizardfish:
Two wire coral shrimps!
Princess anthias:
Scythe triggerfish:
Princess damselfish:
Yellowbelly damselfish:
Brown tang:
Regal angelfish:
Coral grouper being cleaned:
Peacock razorfish (initial phase):
Redtoothed triggerfish:
During lunch and our surface interval, the boat drove around to the front of the volcano so we could see it smoldering:
It would be cool to see it erupting (but just small, safe-to-watch-from-the-boat, eruptions):
But still neat regardless!
Dive #27 – Kombastic Corner
Basically, the site between the two morning sites 🙂
Map by Nora Niggs
Reticulated sandperch:
Blackbelt hogfish:
Sixband grouper:
Iridescent cardinalfish:
One of the whitest Phyllidiella pustulosa I’ve ever seen:
usually they’re more pink-ish
Goniobranchus geometricus:
another new-to-me nudibranch!
Hello there Mr. Moray eel!
Eyestripe triggerfish:
normally when I see triggerfish, their dorsal fin is flattened, but this guy’s was open and more colorful than I expected!
A pair of Humpback red snapper:
Goatfish!
I saw these guys almost every day, but they were so skittish!
Juvenile Oriental sweetlips, scooping up sand in his mouth:
Neon damselfish:
Oh, this Yellow-spotted scorpionfish was deep inside this coral and did not want to be photographed- I ended up popping off one of my strobes and manually holding it where I needed the light to go:
Redfin anthias party:
A few last looks at the volcano as we sailed away:
Farewell, volcano!
And a few more views as the sun sets:
And another night spent sleeping beneath the stars!
