For what is likely my last post of 2025, here’s an underwater scenic shot of a beautiful reef in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea. That’s a bluespotted ribbontail ray near the center.
Reef Scenic
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Month: December 2025
Blackspotted Pufferfish
Marty’s photo of the day #4925: This is a blackspotted pufferfish. If reincarnation wasn’t another human myth, blackspotted pufferfish would become pugs in their next life. Either that, or pugs would become blackspotted pufferfish. I guess it would depend on the whether the fish or dogs lived good or bad lives. Photographed last month in […]
Encountering the Belizean Fangs-O-Death
In the Belize chapter of my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, I tell a story about getting up before sunrise for a solo rainforest hike. When I accidently hiked into an enclave of orb weaver spiders, I humorously called them “Belizean fangs-o-death.” Ever since that moment, all orb weaver spiders, […]
A Perfectly Placed Christmas Tree Worm
Marty’s photo of the day #4924: This perfectly placed Christmas tree worm cracked me up. Each coral-dwelling Christmas tree worm has two crowns (trees) that filter water and trap food. What do you see? Is the worm simulating an owl, a snowman, or Elton John? Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New […]
Crested Nembrotha
Whether I’m walking in a rainforest or floating over a coral reef, I love seeing unusual creatures that appear to be from another planet. This is a crested nembrotha, which is a type of nudibranch (sea slug). It’s easy to imagine a giant spacefaring version of this nudibranch attacking a red-shirted crewman in an old […]
Tiger Orchid
Marty’s photo of the day #4923: This is a tiger orchid. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea.
Looking Into the Eye of a Whale Shark
Looking into the eye of a whale shark, the largest species of fish to ever exist on Earth. Well, sort of. Humans are so small compared to whale sharks that they didn’t even acknowledge our presence. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea.
Looking Down the Back of a Whale Shark
Looking down the back of a whale shark, the largest species of fish to ever exist on Earth. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea.
Whale Sharks and Birds-of-Paradise
Marty’s photo of the day #4922: When Deb and I booked ten days sailing on the Katharina, the two main attractions were the possibilities of snorkeling with whale sharks and observing birds-of-paradise. We accomplished the whale shark snorkel early in the trip. The birds-of-paradise took more work. Twice, we went on sweltering rainforest hikes to […]
Early Morning Goodbye
Even though our ten days sailing the Raja Ampat on the Katharina was an unforgettable experience, one of the best things Deb and I did was extend our New Guinea visit by adding five days at the tiny two-cabin Raja Ampat Eco Lodge. There, the staff took great care of us, and we bonded with […]
Unrushed Snorkeling
During the past ten years, Deb and I have snorkeled in the Sea of Cortez, off the coast of Bonaire, off the coast of Belize, and in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea. Some were organized outings with other snorkelers, and others were on our own. One thing we’ve found is that we enjoy […]
Even Brighter
The colors of these two boring giant clams are even brighter than the one I featured for my photo of the day. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea.
More Stunning Colors
Marty’s photo of the day #4921: More stunning colors from last month’s adventure in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea. This is a boring giant clam. You can see how it got its name. It bored right into the coral.
Freckled Goatfish
Marty’s photo of the day #4920: Look closely. Freckled goatfish hunt using their chin barbels to probe the sand for worms, crustaceans, and mollusks, and other prey. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea.
Christmas Tree Worms on Christmas
Marty’s photo of the day #4919: See the orange fuzzy-looking things? They are Christmas tree worms! There are some blue and green ones too. Also in this photo are sea squirts and coral. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea.
Distracted By Fish
I didn’t get a bluegirdled angelfish photo that was good enough to print or make my photo of the day, but I’m sharing it anyway, because I’m doing the final-final-final-final read-through of my latest novel, The Silver Squad Rides Again, and am easily distracted. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New […]
Crab Migration
Marty’s photo of the day #4918: While Deb and I were returning from a night hike on the island of Waisai, we noticed dozens of crabs on the wall of a shed and on the path in front of us. As we learned later, they were part of an annual nighttime migration to the ocean […]
Unbelievable Colors
Marty’s photo of the day #4917: I remember the first time I tried snorkeling. It was early in Deb’s and my marriage, and it didn’t go well. One thing I remember from my brief time in the water was all the incredible colors, brighter than I’d ever seen before. Now that I’m comfortable snorkeling, I […]
Here Come the Bottlenose Dolphins!
Here come the bottlenose dolphins! Deb and I swam with bottlenose dolphins last month. Getting up early, we took the dinghy from The Katharina to an area where the dolphins were known to hang out. For most of the time the dolphins were shy. They sank into the murky water and only surfaced when necessary […]
The Foxface Rabbitfish Challenge
Marty’s photo of the day #4916: I love the challenge of wildlife photography, whether it is on land or in the water. Even among all the colorful and unusual fish on the reefs of the Raja Ampat, foxface rabbitfish stand out. They weren’t a common sight, and when I saw them, they were frustrating to […]