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Marty’s photo of the day #4935: I went through all my identification books and couldn’t find a sea cucumber that matched this one. Eventually, I concluded that it must be a blue variation of the “black tarzan sea cucumber.” But if that’s the case, why not just call it a “blue tarzan sea cucumber”? (Photographed […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4934: This brown tang has found the end of the rainbow! Above the water, it was a beautiful sunny day. This rainbow was an underwater phenomenon only. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)
Marty’s photo of the day #4932: This is a coconut crab. Listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN, they are the largest terrestrial arthropods on Earth, reaching a weight of nine pounds. One wild theory for why Amelia Earhart’s body was never found was because it was dragged away and eaten by coconut crabs. […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4931: While visiting the Raja Ampat, Deb and I saw multiple species of rabbitfish. The ones in this photo are masked rabbitfish, and, like all rabbitfish, they possess venomous spines in their dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins. The venom is painful to humans, but not deadly. Rabbitfish are shy herbivorous […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4930: I found this on a wall snorkel. When I photographed it, I thought it was a nudibranch (sea slug). After all, it was less than two inches high. Later, I combed through my identification books and learned it was a robust sea cucumber. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4929-D: Today is sea star day. Here’s the fourth of four. All photographed last November in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
Marty’s photo of the day #4929-C: Today is sea star day. Here’s the third of four. All photographed last November in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
Marty’s photo of the day #4929-B: Today is sea star day. Here’s the second of four. All photographed last November in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
Marty’s photo of the day #4929-A: Today is sea star day. Here’s the first of four. All photographed last November in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
I love the challenge of underwater photography—even when some challenges ultimately fail. I’ve been an above-water wildlife photographer for most of my life, but an underwater photographer for only nine years. Those nine years include about seventy times in the water and three different cameras. Each time, I feel like I’m getting better at my […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4927: You are looking at what might be my favorite place on Earth. Last November, while sailing on the Katharina in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea, we dropped anchor and took a dinghy to an island with a narrow sandy beach. On the side of the beach to […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4926: Let’s start this year off with one of my favorite photos from last year’s trip to the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea. This is one of many varieties of anemonefish (also called a clownfish).
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.
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, 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, the largest species of fish to ever exist on Earth. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea.
