Alert Diver Category: Encounters

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 […]

Read one couple’s story about diving with shrimp, clams and other little critters.

Divers are a passionate bunch and thoroughly enjoy making personal discoveries each time they go underwater. Read the story of one diver witness a rare octopus in its natural habitat.

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.

Squid are fascinating sea critters. They’re colorful, playful and can be found throughout the world’s oceans. Learn more about the inky squid.

Small critters can be hard to spot and photograph — but when you slow down your speed, you can see just about anything. Here are some best tips on locating cryptic critters.

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).

In attempt to find larval fishes and invertebrates, two divers attempt to dive at dark. After several foiled attempts and an onslaught of minnows, they were able to find one cephalopod.

Anthias anthias, or the swallowtail sea pearch, is in the grouper family. Two divers were eager to see them in the wild as they are considered the “mother of all Anthias species.”

In response to the declining grouper populations, conservation organizations have paired with local government to spearhead initiatives. Their efforts have worked and populations have grown.