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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 […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4909: Many of the fish I observed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea appeared to produce their own light. For most of those fish, including this bluespotted grouper, the bioluminescence was an illusion. Bluespotted groupers, however, can change colors for camouflage.
Marty’s photo of the day #4908: This is a silky owl butterfly. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
Marty’s photo of the day #4906: The key to making a dramatic crab photo is to get low and shoot from an interesting angle. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
Marty’s photo of the day #4905: This is a spinecheek anemonefish. Because the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea supports the greatest number of fish species in the world, Deb and I ended up seeing more species of anemonefish than we knew existed. One of my goals during our snorkels was to shoot a frameable […]
I’m concluding my “Bugs of Indonesian New Guinea” day with a weird sight from Deb’s and my rainforest night hike. Is it a spider molting? Is it two spiders fighting? Or two spiders mating? I’m still not sure. But it/they were big. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
No matter what kind of device you are viewing this crab on, you are seeing it at much larger than real life. Found in a hole of a large volcanic rock at the edge of the ocean, this crab is no larger than the tip of your index finger. Photographed last month in the Raja […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4903: The bright colors of checkerboard wrasses made them stand out—even among all the other colorful fish on the reef. Photographed last month in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
If you’ve read my book, Hits, Heathens, and Hippos: Stories from an Agent, Activist, and Adventurer, you know my history of not getting along with water. It goes back to a cigar-smoking childhood swimming teacher I had when I was about ten. His methods included holding the heads of his students under the water. To […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4902: Our accommodations at the tiny two-bungalow Raja Ampat Eco Lodge were quite wonderful. However, squeamish people might object to the open design that allowed rainforest visitors inside. During our five-day stay, Deb and I rescued nine land crabs that sneaked into the bathroom through a drainage pipe. Some, like […]
Deb and I got to swim 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 to breathe (photo […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4900: I love odd-shaped fish that look too awkward to swim. This map pufferfish is among those awkward swimmers. Photographed in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea.
Marty’s photo of the day #4899: Striped surgeonfish are fast and skittish, making them somewhat difficult to photograph. Their bright colors make it worth the effort. Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.
Marty’s photo of the day #4899: In addition to the amazing underwater life in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea, the above water life is pretty cool too. This is an orchid swallowtail butterfly on a peacock flower.
Marty’s photo of the day #4898: The giant clams of the Raja Ampat were absolutely stunning. This is one of my favorites. It’s hard to believe that this is a living thing.
Marty’s photo of the day #4897: The first time I saw one of these in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea, I thought they were a type of angelfish. But they are much bigger, reaching 19 inches across, and quite shy. Later, I learned they are golden spadefish. Usually, I’d only see a single […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4896: You may recognize this as a clownfish, which is just one of many species of anemonefish. The Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea supports the greatest number of fish species in the world, resulting in Deb and I seeing more species of anemonefish than we knew existed. One of […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4894: I’ve loved photography for most of my life but didn’t get into underwater photography until Deb and I spent a week on the Sea of Cortez in 2016. I’ve upgraded my underwater camera three times. Currently I prefer the SeaLife Micro 3.0 for videos and the Olympus Tough TG-7 […]
