Night Drifters
Recent studies have shown larval fishes to be strong swimmers with sophisticated instincts for remaining in local waters. But exactly where they go between spawning and settlement remains a mystery.
Alert Diver Category: Encounters
The Peculiar Fate of the Missing Mate
Signal gobies are cute fish and have unique courtship rituals. Read more about this peculiar affair.
Symbiosis on the Sand
Interactions between different species, whether above or below water, typically revolve around confrontations between predators and prey. At the opposite and more harmonious end of the spectrum, a scattering of unrelated species coevolved to form lifelong alliances for their mutual security. These relatively rare go-along-to-get-along partnerships provide a net benefit for both parties, improving each species’ reproductive success. The close living arrangement between weak-eyed alpheid snapping shrimp and sharp-eyed partner gobies is a classic example of symbiosis in the sea.
It’s All in the Name
In 1995, when we first explored wunderpus territory, which overlies much of the Coral Triangle, the then-undescribed octopus’ fame had spread far and wide. The newly sensational creatures attained much of their acclaim for dancing like dandies across sandy seafloors on eight unimaginably limber arms — an eye-popping feat of acrobatic dexterity well worth traveling halfway around the world to see.
The Argonaut Octopus and the Jellyfish
I don’t expect to see animals much larger than my thumbnail while I’m drifting on a night dive in the ocean. So I’m surprised when a translucent skirt of tentacles […]
Blenny Watching 101
OF ALL THE FISHES IN THE SEA THAT ANNA ADORES, blennies perch high atop her favorites list. Her fascination with the tribe of typically small, hole-inhabiting bottom-dwellers …
The Peculiar Life of Pearlfish
TO FIND THE FIRST DESCRIPTION OF A LARVAL PEARLFISH in the wild, I had to search back to the early 1980s annals of blackwater diving and Christopher Newbert’s account of […]
Small Worlds
Tiny sea creatures like shrimp and goby can be difficult to photograph. But thanks to a simple solution, one dive team was able to herd them easily and take their photos. Read more about this story.
Spawning Seas Forever
To the delight of the divers staying at Tawali Resort on the shores of Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea, Anna’s hunch turns out to be right on track.
It Takes Only One Good Fish
OUR RECENT UNDERWATER ADVENTURE began with a fanciful quest to track down an inconspicuous little fish no larger than a nickel … the seldom-seen dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae).