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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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.
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Heading out at sunrise to swim with bottlenose dolphins. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
Marty’s photo of the day #4915: This is a Pacific bluetail skink. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
Last month, when Deb and I sailed on the Katharina in Indonesian New Guinea, the first thing I did was apologize to my international shipmates for Donald Trump and his bigoted, vindictive, hateful behavior. One other American was on the boat with us. She (a professor from Columbia University) arrived a little later than we […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4914: This is an orange anemonefish (sometimes called an orange skunk anemonefish) with a Merten’s anemone. If you have access to “Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific” look it up. The photo in that book is virtually identical to my photo taken last month in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New […]
Many of the smaller islands in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea are “bat islands.” I shot this series of photos as we approached one of those islands. It was teaming with flying foxes. Since we were returning from a stop at a waterfall, I only had my underwater camera with me. I would […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4913: This is a blackpatch triggerfish. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
Marty’s photo of the day #4911: Moorish idols are plentiful in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea. Photographing them, however, was difficult, because they’d turn away at the last moment, and their mouths were often out of focus or lost in the shadows. It wasn’t until my last snorkel (roughly #30), that I captured […]
While in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea, I often explored crevices in the volcanic rock formations along the ocean shore. My usual finds were colorful crabs and lizards, but I also found this sea krait (a venomous snake with a paddle-shaped tail). Sea kraits must leave the water to digest their meals, so […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4910: For yesterday’s photo of the day, I featured a bluespotted grouper that produced the illusion of bioluminescence. Today’s photo is even more extreme. These redfin butterflyfish appeared to be bioluminescent near their pectoral fins. But again, it’s an illusion. Instead, they have fluorescent pigments in their skin that absorb […]
