Sabang, Philippines

Two and a half week diving with Cocktail Divers in Sabang in the north of the Philippine island Mindoro. The dive base belongs to the Garden of Eden Resort and offers three dives plus a night dive per day. The dive excoursions are made with small wooden motor boats for maximum 10 people. The ride to the dive site takes about 5-30 minutes. There also are day trips with traditional Banca ships. Sabang can be reached from Manila by a 2.5 bus and a 1.5 boat ride.

Chromodoris willani — Fig. 1: A nudibranch (Chromodoris willani). Dive #350: "Sabang Point", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 5 November 2009 08:24:55

Juvenile Fish — Fig. 2: A juvenile fish. They always dancing so funny like they're on extasy. Dive #350: "Sabang Point", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 5 November 2009 08:29:13

Necklace Seastar — Fig. 3: A necklace seastar, also called pearl seastar (lat. Fromia monilis). Dive #350: "Sabang Point", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 5 November 2009 08:31:29

Anemone fisches — Fig. 4: Anemone fisches. Dive #350: "Sabang Point", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 5 November 2009 08:42:45

Young Anemone Fish — Fig. 5: A young anemone fish, guarded by its parents. Dive #350: "Sabang Point", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 5 November 2009 08:43:59

Wart slug — Fig. 6: A wart slug (Phyllidia coelestis) with coral polyps. Dive #350: "Sabang Point", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 5 November 2009 08:50:32

Anemone fishes — Fig. 7: Anemone fishes. Dive #350: "Sabang Point", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 5 November 2009 08:58:39

Anemone fishes — Fig. 8: Anemone fishes. Dive #350: "Sabang Point", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 5 November 2009 08:58:57

Ghost pipefish — Fig. 9: Dive #351: "Shark Cave", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 02:42:30

Nudibranch — Fig. 10: Dive #351: "Shark Cave", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 02:45:59

Sea cucumber — Fig. 11: A small yellow sea cucumber (lat. Pentacta lutea). Dive #351: "Shark Cave", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 02:47:53

White tip reef shark — Fig. 12: This white tip reef shark was taking a nap in a crevice until it was disturbed by divers and swam away. Dive #351: "Shark Cave", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 02:52:55

Porcelain crab — Fig. 13: A pretty porcelain crab hiding in an anemone. Eine Porzellankrabbe in einer Anemone. Dive #352: "Dungong Wreck", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 05:19:44

Mantis shrimp — Fig. 14: A mantis shrimp (lat.lysiosquillina sp.) is looking out of its hole in the ground. They have very fascinating eyes and are able to see ultra violet and polarized light. Dive #352: "Dungong Wreck", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 05:27:06

Partner shrimps — Fig. 15: Two almost transparent partner shrimps. Dive #352: "Dungong Wreck", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 05:28:53

Cleaning wrasse — Fig. 16: A cleaning wrasse (lat. labroides dimidiatus) is helping a barb to get rid of parasites. Dive #352: "Dungong Wreck", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 05:43:34

Anemone fish — Fig. 17: Two anemone fish are looking out of their anemone. They can be very aggressive when protecting their territory. Brave fish. They even bite, which doesn't hurt at all. Dive #352: "Dungong Wreck", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 06:01:48

Pipe fish — Fig. 18: A pipe fish (lat. corythoichthys flavofasciatus) is swimming over the ground. Dive #353: "The Hill", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 08:25:15

False cleaning wrasse — Fig. 19: A false cleaning wrasse (lat. spidontus taeniatus) is hiding in a pipe and waiting for its next victim. It looks almost like the real cleaning wrasse, but instead of biting off parasites, it bites the fish instead. Dive #353: "The Hill", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 08:31:13

Black frogfish — Fig. 20: These black frogfish are hard to spod. And if you found one, they aren't very photogenic. There is little to almost none contrast. Dive #353: "The Hill", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 08:44:43

Hawkfish — Fig. 21: A hawkfish (lat. cirrhitichthys) sitting on top of a stone cora. In german they are called "Korallenwächter" (coral guard). Dive #353: "The Hill", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 08:51:29

Blue dragon — Fig. 22: This nudibranch is sometimes called "blue dragon" (lat. pteraeolidia ianthina). It has the phenomenal capability to grow algae in its body which create sugar from sunlight. Therefore this nudibranch requires very little food. There are many different colour variations ranging from blue to brown/green, depending on its age and type of algae breeding. (ref. Sea Slug Forum). Dive #353: "The Hill", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 08:57:23

Razorfish 1 — Fig. 23: A small group of striped razorfish (lat. aeoliscus strigatus). At this time there was a rather strong current, but those fish were doing synchron swimming with head down and tails up. Dive #353: "The Hill", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 09:06:14

Razorfish 2 — Fig. 24: A small group of striped razorfish (lat. aeoliscus strigatus). The visibility was not that great. I was ca 2-3 m away when I took this picture. The contrast was strongly enhanced in this picture. Dive #353: "The Hill", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 09:06:24

Razorfish 2 — Fig. 25: A small group of striped razorfish (lat. aeoliscus strigatus). The visibility was not that great. I was ca 2-3 m away when I took this picture. The contrast was strongly enhanced in this picture. Dive #353: "The Hill", Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 09:07:28

Hermit crab — Fig. 26: A pretty pink-yellow hermit crab is looking out of its snail shell. Dive #354: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 10:49:29

Nudibranch A sea slug of family Chromodorididae (or chromodorids — Fig. 27: . The exact name I haven't found yet. There's also some backscatter in the water that needed to be cleaned on the image. But the picture isn't that pretty anyway. Dive #354: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 10:58:00

Hermit crab — Fig. 28: A hermit crab is hiding between the rubble on the ground. Dive #354: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 10:59:42

Three Mandarin Fish — Fig. 29: Some jewels hidden between all the coral rubble. These here are called Mandarin fish (lat. synchiropus splendidus) and only 3-4 cm in size. They come out only for ca 1 hour during the dusk. Dive #354: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 11:08:46

Two Mandarin Fish — Fig. 30: Some jewels hidden between all the coral rubble. These here are called Mandarin fish (lat. synchiropus splendidus) and only 3-4 cm in size. They come out only for ca 1 hour during the dusk. Dive #354: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 11:11:24

Three Mandarin Fish — Fig. 31: Some jewels hidden between all the coral rubble. These here are called Mandarin fish (lat. synchiropus splendidus) and only 3-4 cm in size. They come out only for ca 1 hour during the dusk. Dive #354: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 11:17:08

Mandarin Fish — Fig. 32: A jewel hidden between all the coral rubble. These here are called Mandarin fish (lat. synchiropus splendidus) and only 3-4 cm in size. They come out only for ca 1 hour during the dusk. Dive #354: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 11:18:18

Decorator Crab — Fig. 33: Decorator crabs are glueinng anemones and various stuff on their back and legs for protection and hiding. Dive #354: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 11:38:17

Flat Crab — Fig. 34: This flat crab is trying to hide in a crevice between stone corals. Dive #354: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 6 November 2009 11:40:34

Puffer Fish — Fig. 35: This giant puffer fish didn't want to be photographed from the front. Dive #355: Coral Cove, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/80 s; f=24 mm; f/5.6; ISO 200; 7 November 2009 02:44:38

Barrel Sponge — Fig. 36: A small hawkfish is sitting on top this big barrel sponge. Dive #355: Coral Cove, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/80 s; f=12 mm; f/5.6; ISO 200; 7 November 2009 02:50:17

Plate Coral — Fig. 37: A yellow feather sea star is sitting on the edge of this plate coral. Dive #355: Coral Cove, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/80 s; f=12 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 7 November 2009 03:00:08

Reef Top — Fig. 38: On the top of this reef one finds lots of corals, feather sea stars and anemones. Dive #355: Coral Cove, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/80 s; f=12 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 7 November 2009 03:02:00

Mantis Shrimp — Fig. 39: This mantis shrimp (lat. lysiosquillina sp.) is hiding in its hole and looking curiously at the divers swimming by. They have very fascinating eyes. Dive #356: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 200; 7 November 2009 08:30:18

Partner Shrimp — Fig. 40: One can see the eggs inside this transparent partner shrip sitting on a tentacle of an anemone. Dive #356: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 200; 7 November 2009 08:52:40

Anemone Fish Baby — Fig. 41: A tiny small (ca 1cm) anemone fish. Fun fact that Disney didn't tell us: Anemone fish are born male. When the dominant female of a group dies the oldest male changes its gender and turns into a female. Dive #356: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 200; 7 November 2009 08:53:50

Cylinder Rose — Fig. 42: Close-up photo f the tentacles of a cylinder rose anemone. Dive #356: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 200; 7 November 2009 09:00:01

Trigger Fish — Fig. 43: A small green trigger fish. Probably a juvenile form of a bigger species. Dive #356: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 200; 7 November 2009 09:15:53

Juvenile Dragon Wrasse 1 — Fig. 44: This is a juvenile rockmover or dragon wrasse (lat. novaculichthys taeniourus). It was hiding in a bunch of sea grass in low water and imitating the movement of the swell. It was pretty difficult to take a picture of it, because it was always hiding quickly when it saw me. Dive #356: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 200; 7 November 2009 09:24:32

Juvenile Dragon Wrasse 2 — Fig. 45: This is a juvenile rockmover or dragon wrasse (lat. novaculichthys taeniourus). It was hiding in a bunch of sea grass in low water and imitating the movement of the swell. It was pretty difficult to take a picture of it, because it was always hiding quickly when it saw me. Dive #356: Sabang laguna, Mindoro island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 200; 7 November 2009 09:27:59

Pavel — Fig. 46: My dive buddy with its frog inmidst of orange anthias and behind yellow crust anemones. Dive #357: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/5.0; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 03:28:25

Gorgony — Fig. 47: My dive buddy hiding behind a giant gorgony. Dive #357: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/5.0; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 03:30:36

Anthias — Fig. 48: Yellow sponges, crust anemones, coral trout and many orange antias. Dive #357: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/5.0; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 03:32:54

Gorgony — Fig. 49: A nice big gorgony. If you look very closely, you can see five pygmy sea horses of 0.5 pixel size. Dive #357: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/5.0; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 03:33:25

Corals — Fig. 50: Swarms of anthias hiding in corals. Dive #357: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 03:39:07

Feeding Orgy — Fig. 51: Those butterfly fish must have been very hungry. Dive #357: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 03:43:44

St. Scubadus — Fig. 52: The patron of all scuba divers with his glowing halo. Dive #357: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 03:47:32

Reef Top — Fig. 53: On the top of this reef are many corals growing. Dive #357: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 03:57:20

Reef Top — Fig. 54: On the top of this reef are many corals growing. Dive #357: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 03:58:08

Barrel Sponge — Fig. 55: A big barrel sponge, with by many white sea cucumbers and some feather seastars. Dive #358: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/80 s; f=10.5 mm; f/10.0; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 05:20:20

Lion Fish — Fig. 56: Not so easy to take a picture of a lion fish and the sun with a fisheye lens. I think I should have closed the f-stop a bit or reduced shutter time so that the sun isn't blurred that big. The shadow on the bottom is from the camera housing. Dive #358: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/80 s; f=10.5 mm; f/10.0; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 05:46:17

Nudibranch — Fig. 57: Picture of two green sea slugs taken with the fisheye lens. I had to remove many scratches and reflections afterwards because the sun and the strobe were lighting directly into the dome port. Dive #358: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/80 s; f=10.5 mm; f/14.0; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 05:49:31

Reef Scene — Fig. 58: Reef scene with anthias and an blue sea star. Dive #358: Verde Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/80 s; f=10.5 mm; f/10.0; ISO 100; 10 November 2009 06:05:12

Bat Fish — Fig. 59: On the wreck of the Alma Jane one usually encounters a group of longfin batfish (lat. platax teira). The two dark ones on the top are juveniles. Dive #359: Alma Jane Wreck, Sabang, Mindoro island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=22 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 11 November 2009 02:40:53

Cargo Bay — Fig. 60: Inside the cargo bay of the sunken Alma Jane wreck. Dive #359: Alma Jane Wreck, Sabang Mindoro island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=12 mm; f/5.6; ISO 400; 11 November 2009 02:45:10

Bat Fish — Fig. 61: On the stern of Alma Jane wreck there is this stationary group of bat fish. Dive #359: Alma Jane Wreck, Sabang, Mindoro island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=15 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 11 November 2009 02:56:41

Snapper — Fig. 62: A swarm of yellow bigeye snapper (lat. lutjanus lutjanus) is hanging in the current above Alma Jane wreck. Dive #359: Alma Jane Wreck, Sabang, Mindoro island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=24 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 11 November 2009 02:59:51

Mast — Fig. 63: Corals are growing on the mast of Alma Jane wreck. Dive #359: Alma Jane Wreck, Sabang, Mindoro island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=12 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 11 November 2009 03:04:50

Puffer Fish Eye — Fig. 64: Close-up picture of the eye of a puffer fish. Dive #360: Sabang Point, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 11 November 2009 07:57:30

Lizard Fish — Fig. 65: A small lizard fish is sitting on a stone coral. Dive #360: Sabang Point, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 11 November 2009 08:07:22

Jaw Fish — Fig. 66: A yellowbarred jawfish (lat. opistognathus sp.) is looking out of its hole. One can recognize this spiecies from the yellow spot on the iris. The males keep their egs for approximately 5-7 days in their mouth until they hatch. Dive #360: Sabang Point, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 11 November 2009 08:14:21

Goby — Fig. 67: A small goby is sitting on a stone coral. Dive #360: Sabang Point, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 11 November 2009 08:31:16

Nudibranch — Fig. 68: A colorful sea slug. Dive #360: Sabang Point, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 11 November 2009 08:37:02

Nudibranch — Fig. 69: A colorful sea slug. Dive #360: Sabang Point, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/350 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 11 November 2009 08:48:39

Neon slug — Fig. 70: This nudibranch is called neon slug or dusky nembrotha (lat. nembrotha kubaryana). Dive #361: Sinandigan Wall, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 02:22:34

Wart slug — Fig. 71: After taking a picture of this wart slug (lat. Phyllidia coelestis the strobe no longer worked because the flash shoe slid away. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 02:29:08

Bat Fish — Fig. 72: A portrait of a bat fish which was swimming by the wreck in Sabang's lagoon. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 07:30:40

Bat Fish — Fig. 73: A portrait of another bat fish which was swimming by the wreck in Sabang's lagoon. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 07:36:07

Coral Catfish — Fig. 74: A swarm of young coral cat fish. They look funny how they swirl through the sand, but they're poison. They have a sting on their dorsal fin. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 07:45:04

Coral Catfish — Fig. 75: A swarm of young coral cat fish. They look funny how they swirl through the sand, but they're poison. They have a sting on their dorsal fin. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 07:46:21

Coral Catfish — Fig. 76: A swarm of young coral cat fish. They look funny how they swirl through the sand, but they're poison. They have a sting on their dorsal fin. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 07:46:31

Razor Wrasse — Fig. 77: Unfortunately the razor wrasse on this picture has a cut-off tail fin. It already had disappeared when trying to take the next picture. They are fast. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 07:49:22

Snake Eel — Fig. 78: This black-finned snake eel (lat. Ophichthus melanochir) is sticking its head out of its hole. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 07:51:32

Mantis Shrimp — Fig. 79: A swimming mantis shrimp. Unfortunately not entirely sharp but at least one can see how this animal is swimming with its fins on the belly. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 07:54:50

Sea urchin — Fig. 80: Macro image of a sea urching. The round thing is not the eye. It's the butthole. Some sea urchins have light sensitive cells on their skin so they can distinguish between light and shadow. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 07:57:14

Gurnard — Fig. 81: An oriental fying gurnard (lat. Dactyloptena orientalis) is spreading its wonderfull coloured pectoral fins. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 08:00:10

Gurnard — Fig. 82: An oriental fying gurnard (lat. Dactyloptena orientalis) is creeping over the ground using its fin extensions. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 08:00:40

Gurnard — Fig. 83: An oriental fying gurnard (lat. Dactyloptena orientalis) is creeping over the ground using its fin extensions. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 08:00:45

Pufferfish — Fig. 84: This whitespotted puffer fish (lat. Arothron hispidus) is feeding off the sea grass. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/9.5; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 08:04:23

Sea Turtle — Fig. 85: Once you are diving with a 105mm macro lens on the house reef you might encounter a giant sea turtle eating the sea grass. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/91 s; f=105 mm; f/4.8; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 08:11:27

Sea Turtle — Fig. 86: The sea turtle swam to the surface for taking a breath. I had to enhance contrast and colours for this picture because the water wasn't clear and I had the wrong lens for this kind of subject. Dive #362: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/91 s; f=105 mm; f/4.8; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 08:14:53

Greyface Moray Eel — Fig. 87: A small greyface moray eel (lat. gymnothorax thyrsoideus) is snaking through the coral blocks at night for hunting. Dive #363: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/13.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 10:46:42

Scorpion Fish — Fig. 88: This scorpionfish is lying on a stone coral, spreading its beard and hopes that I don't see it. Dive #363: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/19.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 10:51:52

Mandarin Fish — Fig. 89: Two mandarin fish (lat. Synchiropus splendidus) are doing their love dance in the dusk. Dive #363: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/19.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 10:53:25

Bobtail Squid 1 — Fig. 90: Or maybe it's a new species: Pygmy Architeuthis? This bobtail squid is only about 1 cm in size. It raises its tentacles for threatening like an adult. A guide discovered it during a night dive. Was pretty tricky to take a picture of it with the macro lens. Dive #363: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 11:17:28

Bobtail Squid 1 — Fig. 91: Or maybe it's a new species: Pygmy Architeuthis? This bobtail squid is only about 1 cm in size. It raises its tentacles for threatening like an adult. A guide discovered it during a night dive. Was pretty tricky to take a picture of it with the macro lens. Dive #363: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 11:19:56

Snowflake Moray Eel — Fig. 92: This snoflake moray eel (lat. Echidna nebulosa) is snaking through the nightly coral reef hunting for something to swallow. Did you know that moray eels have two sets of jaws just like H. R. Giger's alien from the sci-fi movie "Alien"? Dive #363: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 12 November 2009 11:26:54

StargazerA whitemargin stargazer (lat. Uranoscopus sulphureus — Fig. 93: digging into the sand. It is pumping up its body and sinking bit by bit more into the sand. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 02:41:59

Stargazer — Fig. 94: A whitemargin stargazer (lat. Uranoscopus sulphureus) digging into the sand. It is blowing out the tentacles in its mouth while pumping up its body. The tentacles are used to attract bait once it is completely dug into the sand. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 02:42:02

Stargazer — Fig. 95: A whitemargin stargazer (lat. Uranoscopus sulphureus) completely dug and hidden in the sand. Only the eyes and the edge of the mouth are visible. It can easily be overseen, even by humans. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/18.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 02:44:00

Goby with Pistol Shrimp — Fig. 96: The pistol shrimp and goby are living together in a symbiotic relationship. The shimp is good in digging tunnels, but it is blind. With one of its antennas it always keeps in contact with the goby, which watches out for danger. If one gets too close, it wiggles its tail and the shrimp disappears in the tunnel. If one gets even closer, both disappear in their tunnel for several minutes. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/18.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 02:47:58

Coral Fish — Fig. 97: The little coral fish always hiding between the branches of a table coral are just sweet. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/18.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 02:52:01

Coral Fish — Fig. 98: The little coral fish always hiding between the branches of a table coral are just sweet. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 02:54:58

Moray Eel — Fig. 99: A white eyed, also called greyface, freckled or slender moray eel (lat. Gymnothorax thyrsoideus) is hiding underneath a block of coral. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 02:58:13

Black Frogfish — Fig. 100: The black frogfish is usually not very photogenic and mostly appears as a black, structureless blob on pictures. One needs a strong flash and light it from the side to see the structure of its skin, which is all covered with little knobs. This technique is also used inside of optical instruments to reduce stray light. Here one can see its fishing rod which is between the eyes and mouth. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 03:15:30

Swarm of Coral Catfish — Fig. 101: A swarm of young striped catfish (lat. Plotosus lineatus) swirling through the sand like a cloud in a food orgy. The scenerey and swarm dynamics are fascinating to observe. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/18.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 03:22:42

Blotcheye Soldierfish — Fig. 102: Two blotcheye soldierfish (lat. Myripristis murdjan) which are hiding underneath a ship wreck. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/10.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 03:30:51

Lionfish — Fig. 103: A lionfish that I could surprise with my camera before it turned its back to me and tried to hide. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/10.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 03:34:51

Scorpionfish — Fig. 104: A well carmouflaged scorpionfish looking like a piece of coral block. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/14.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 03:36:01

Network Pipefish — Fig. 105: A network pipefish (lat. Corythoichthys flavofasciatus). At night they all gathered on top of a coral. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/14.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 03:47:21

Juvenile Oriental Sweetlip — Fig. 106: This juvenile oriental sweetlip was hard to catch with the camera. It was moving as fast as a it just had extasy. I wonder if they move always that way or just if the feel them observed. Dive #364: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/14.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 03:56:48

Giant Clam — Fig. 107: A dive site with many giant clams. Unfortunately the visibility there is not very good. Dive #365: The Hill, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/80 s; f=10.5 mm; f/9.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 08:18:38

Stone Coral — Fig. 108: A lizard fish on a stone coral. With enough back light from the sun one hardly can recognize the bad visibility. Dive #365: The Hill, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/80 s; f=10.5 mm; f/9.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 08:29:52

Table Coral — Fig. 109: A nice coral block with a table coral inmidst of a shallow sandy dive site. Dive #365: The Hill, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/80 s; f=10.5 mm; f/9.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 08:37:38

Table Coral — Fig. 110: Another nice coral block with a table coral inmidst of a shallow sandy dive site. Dive #365: The Hill, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/6.3; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 08:40:08

Frogfish — Fig. 111: A yellow-brown frog fish between sponges inmidst of a bunch of horn corals. Dive #365: The Hill, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/6.3; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 08:47:44

Frogfish — Fig. 112: A yellow-brown frog fish between sponges inmidst of a bunch of horn corals and a diver in the background. Dive #365: The Hill, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/6.3; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 08:48:44

Mandarin Fish — Fig. 113: A mandarin fish (lat. Synchiropus splendidus) looking out for a mate. Only 3-4 cm in size and shy but very beautiful. They don't like bright light and come out only during dusk. Dive #366: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/18.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 10:52:14

Mandarin Fish — Fig. 114: A mandarin fish (lat. Synchiropus splendidus) looking out for a mate. Only 3-4 cm in size and shy but very beautiful. They don't like bright light and come out only during dusk. Dive #366: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/18.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 10:52:17

Mandarin Fish — Fig. 115: A mandarin fish (lat. Synchiropus splendidus) looking out for a mate. Only 3-4 cm in size and shy but very beautiful. They don't like bright light and come out only during dusk. Dive #366: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/18.0; ISO 100; 13 November 2009 11:26:52

Pyjama Slug — Fig. 116: A pretty pyjama slug (lat. Chromodoris lochi). Unfortunately one of the antennas and the gills are not very sharp. F-stop 16 seems not enough depth of field, maybe f/32 would be better for the 105mm macro lens. Dive #366: Monkey Beach, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/18.0; ISO 100; 14 November 2009 08:16:56

Brittle Star in Soft Coral — Fig. 117: Looks like a worm with bristles, but there must be somewhere a brittle star hidden behind the branch of this soft coral. Dive #366: Monkey Beach, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/18.0; ISO 100; 14 November 2009 08:22:39

Tube Worm — Fig. 118: The gills of a tube worm living in a stone coral. If you get too close it makes *FLUPP* and they're gone. Dive #366: Monkey Beach, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/18.0; ISO 100; 14 November 2009 08:28:22

Nosestripe Anemonefish — Fig. 119: Two very nervous nosestripe anemonefish (lat. Amphiprion akallopisos), also called skunk clownfish, protecting their anemone from a dangerous photographer. Dive #366: Monkey Beach, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/13.0; ISO 100; 14 November 2009 08:41:58

Butterflyfish — Fig. 120: A butterflyfish biting on a stone coral. The advantage of a long lens is that one can take pictures of fish without disturbing their natural behaviour. But the water has to be very clear. If the distance is one meter and more image contrast is lost. The strobe light has to travel the distance twice. Dive #366: Monkey Beach, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/9.0; ISO 100; 14 November 2009 08:50:06

Long-nosed Butterflyfish — Fig. 121: A long-nosed butterflyfish (lat. Foreipiger flavissimus) is feeding of the tentacles of a coral. Dive #366: Monkey Beach, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/9.0; ISO 100; 14 November 2009 08:51:09

Anthias Females — Fig. 122: A group of female anthias are swimming against the current. Dive #366: Monkey Beach, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/9.0; ISO 100; 14 November 2009 08:53:53

Black-backed Butterflyfish — Fig. 123: Caught a swimming black-backed butterflyfish (lat. Chaetodon melannotus) with my macro lens. Dive #366: Monkey Beach, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/9.0; ISO 100; 14 November 2009 08:56:27

Anthias Male — Fig. 124: This is probably a male anthias. Dive #366: Monkey Beach, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/9.0; ISO 100; 14 November 2009 08:58:25

Blenny — Fig. 125: A blenny peeping out of its hole in a coral block. With the cute tentacles above its eyes it almost looks like a coral. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 02:41:48

Goby with Pistol Shrimp — Fig. 126: Another species of a goby and pistol shrimp, sharing their home, digging and guarding tasks. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 02:45:32

Long-spine Porcupinefish — Fig. 127: This longspined or freckled porcupinefish (lat. Diodon holocanthus) has just realized that I have discovered it in its hiding place. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 02:48:49

Clownfish — Fig. 128: This clownfish is just telling a funny joke about a mussel. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:01:05

Clownfish Family — Fig. 129: And the whole clownfish family in their home anemone. The biggest one is the female, the small ones are the males, which turn into a female if the oldest female dies. I bet not even Nemo and Marlin know this. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:01:40

Tube Anemone Swimming Crab — Fig. 130: A swimming crab (lat. Lissocarcinus laevis) eating some jellyfish in a tube anemone. From far away this small, cracked tube anemone in a field of sand looked not very interesting. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:08:22

Shrimp with Eggs — Fig. 131: One can see the eggs inside this translucend shrip. It is sharing the tube anemone with the swimming crab from the previous picture. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:11:35

Sole — Fig. 132: The skewed face of a sole. When they're young, they swim vertical and have one eye on each side. When getting older, one eye wanders from one side to the other and the fish swims horizontal. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:19:42

Sole — Fig. 133: Another sole with a tubular nose hole. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:21:56

Young Lionfish — Fig. 134: This young lionfish was very shy and squeezed itself into acorner. Probably it didn't kow yet that it was poisonous. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:26:46

Frogfish — Fig. 135: A brown frogfish with black dots, which was hiding in a ball of rope on the ground. One can see its little fishing rod that is used to attract bait. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/18.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:32:26

Juvenile Lionfish — Fig. 136: A young lionfish was trying to hide heads down on a stone. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:38:13

Sole — Fig. 137: The skewed face of a sole with very interesting eyes. It could move both of them individually, scanning the environment, like the gun turret of a tank. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:48:20

Scorpionfish — Fig. 138: A scorpionfish lying on the ground. I spent several minutes waiting for it to open it's mouth but it didn't want to do so. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:52:08

Hermit Crab — Fig. 139: A pretty red hermit crab with white dots and bushy legs is looking out of its snail shell. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 03:56:10

Pufferfish — Fig. 140: A puffersfish trying to hide under a tree trunk. It has teeth like a rabbit. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 04:00:17

Perches — Fig. 141: Are these perches coming from Lake Zurich and spending their holiday also in the Philippines? Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 04:02:42

Pufferfish — Fig. 142: Gotcha! Yet another pufferfish that was discoverd in its hiding place. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 04:08:43

Christmas Tree Worm — Fig. 143: The gills of a christmas tree worm, living in its tube in a stone coral. There weren't many of them around here. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 04:10:24

Network Pipefish — Fig. 144: A network pipefish (lat. Corythoichthys flavofasciatus) that wasn't always looking away from the camera. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 04:11:44

Sea Snake — Fig. 145: A sea snake is snaking through the corals, hunting for bait. It wasn't neither aggressive nor interested at all in us. After a while it was lying down for taking a nap. Was a small snake, only 2 cm in diameter. Dive #368: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 04:13:49

Ship Wreck — Fig. 146: One of the ship wrecks in the lagoon of Sabang. Well, perfectly shot with perfect illumination. But later I discovered that the camera was set to manual focus accidentally. With a 10.5 mm fisheye lens one doesn't see it through the viewfinder, one can only hear if the focus motor moves or not when pointing the camera in different directions. It's all blurred. Only when scaling down it looks like it was sharp. Dive #369: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=10.5 mm; f/8.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 07:19:10

Bat Fish — Fig. 147: These bat fish didn't want to cross in front of the sun. Unfortunately not sharp, because autofocus was accidentally turned off. Dive #369: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/125 s; f=10.5 mm; f/10.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 07:24:04

Sea Stars — Fig. 148: An underwater meadow full of sea stars. Okay, I cheated a bit and placed some of them close to each other. Unfortunately there is a shadow of a ship in the center of the image. Dive #369: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/11.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 08:04:25

Coral Catfish — Fig. 149: A pack of small coral catfish, that was swimming over the sea grass meadow and placed nicely in front of the camera. Dive #369: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/60 s; f=10.5 mm; f/13.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 08:28:14

Lionfish — Fig. 150: A small lionfish. Dive #370: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 11:13:57

Lionfish — Fig. 151: And another small lionfish. Dive #370: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 11:16:06

Box Crab — Fig. 152: A well carmouflaged box crab (lat. Calappidae) on sand. Dive #370: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 11:22:03

Crab — Fig. 153: Another tiny crab that is a master of disguise. Dive #370: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 11:33:56

Bristle Worm — Fig. 154: A bristle worm (lat. Polychaetes) running across the sand. Dive #370: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 11:39:21

Brittle Star — Fig. 155: This tentacles probably belong to a brittle star hiding in the sand and fishing for plankton. Dive #370: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 11:45:23

Shrimp — Fig. 156: A fresh shrimp, not fried and without cocktail sauce. Dive #370: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 11:57:46

House with Antenna — Fig. 157: This hermit crab must have TV in its snail shell house. At least it has an antenna. Dive #370: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 12:05:04

Razorfish — Fig. 158: During this night dive there were about hundred of razorfish. But unfortunately they alway broke up one one pointet a light into that direction for taking a picture. Swarm dynamics is something fascinating. Dive #370: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 12:14:06

Moray Eel — Fig. 159: A yellowhead moray eel snaking through the corals at night hunting for prey. Dive #370: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 12:16:56

Hermit Crab — Fig. 160: A hermit crab taking its anemones out for a walk. Dive #370: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=60 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 12:19:48

Ghost Pipefish — Fig. 161: This ghost pipefish is tring to hide in the arms of a feather seastar. It's well hidden and one can compare it's small size. Dive #371: Bouldes, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 17 November 2009 02:17:35

Pygmy Seahorse — Fig. 162: A pygmy seahorse hiding in a gorgony at around 30 meters depth. It didn't want to look at the camera and I didn't have much time to take a picture, because there were some nasty koreans tapping on my shoulder. Dive #371: Bouldes, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 17 November 2009 02:29:09

Pygmy Seahorse — Fig. 163: A pygmy seahorse hiding in a gorgony at around 30 meters depth. It didn't want to look at the camera and I didn't have much time to take a picture, because there were some nasty koreans tapping on my shoulder. Dive #371: Bouldes, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 17 November 2009 02:29:29

Octopus — Fig. 164: An octopus hiding in a hole and looking at the divers. It's fascinating how they can quickly change their form and skin structure to blend in with the background. Dive #371: Bouldes, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/16.0; ISO 100; 17 November 2009 02:37:03

Christmastree Worm — Fig. 165: A christmastree worm in a stone coral showing its blue gills. Dive #371: Bouldes, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 17 November 2009 02:45:34

Ghost Pipefish — Fig. 166: Another ghost pipefish. Or was it the same that tried to hide in the arms of a feather seastar? Dive #371: Bouldes, Sabang, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=105 mm; f/22.0; ISO 100; 17 November 2009 02:53:45

Ship's Keel — Fig. 167: Underwater view of a ship's keel with the propeller in the lagoon of Sabang. Dive #369: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/160 s; f=10.5 mm; f/6.3; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 08:17:31

Boat Wreck — Fig. 168: The wreck of a small sunken boat. Dive #369: Sabang Laguna, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nikon D200; Δt=1/125 s; f=10.5 mm; f/5.6; ISO 100; 15 November 2009 08:31:51