There is a changing of the guard as night falls. Many of the diurnal inhabitants seek shelter within the safety of the reef, and slowly the nocturnal dwellers begin to emerge. As the last rays of light slowly begin to fade, every inch of reef and sand boils with life. Unearthly creatures begin to venture forth under the cloak of darkness.

Traveling throughout the reef requires an adept set of senses. Some use a highly evolved sense of smell, others have vision capable of working under the faintest moonlight. But as nature prescribes, both predator and prey are gifted with these senses and no one is granted a free pass.

Slowly moving along the shallow reef, I search for a gold mine of creatures. My veins brimming with ebullience as the beam from my flash light uncovers the mysteries of this watery world.

Scanning the top of the reef with my light, I catch the sparkling eyes of an octopus on the hunt. With its psychedelic-colored cape, which is intertwined between each of its arms, the octopus envelopes patches of the reef; a behavior known as tent feeding. Its eight arms writhing underneath in search of any tasty morsel. Should its prey attempt to make an escape, it will find itself ensnared in the octopus’ trap. But the octopus must be cautious as it hunts, for its archenemy, the moray eel, hides within this reef.

But it’s not just fish and mollusks that are the predators, the reef itself is a menagerie of mouths awaiting a drifting meal. Like bugs to a light, the beam from my flash light attracts an abundance of planktonic creatures. Holding my light near the corals ensnare many of these minuscule creatures within the gorging mouths of the sticky, coral polyps.

Close relative of the octopus, a caribbean reef squid hovers above the reef. A maelstrom of metallic reds, browns, and yellows swirl the length of her body in excitement. She is attempting to communicate via a kaleidoscope of chromatophores in her skin, but the message is indiscernible to me.

I attempt to interact by mimicking her play of tentacles with my fingers, all the while she holds steadfast. In a moment that breaks the protocol of predator and prey, the squid reaches out and grasps my hand ever so gently with the tips of her tentacles. The suction in each minute sucker attempting to distinguish what I am. Her body slowly inches closer and begins to tremble. Seconds slow to minutes in my mind as I hover spellbound in this unusual encounter.

In a glimpse, she disappears into the dark of night leaving in my palm a curio of earthly delight. My mind quickly recognizing this opaque, cylindrical-shaped object as squid eggs. For minutes I gaze in wonder at this miracle of life affixed to my hand. Somehow appointed to me by an imperceptible connection between two unlikely species. The onus left to me to safely secure it to the reef away from any potential predator.

With the time limits of my dive approaching, I slowly ascend to the surface. My body colliding with a constellation of lights emitted, not by some celestial body, but by the chemical make up of a magnitude of living creatures suspended in the water column. Basking on the surface in a pool of green and blue florescence this once terrifying dark ocean becomes a mesmerizing and magical world.

View more underwater photos.

One of the most difficult tasks of a wildlife filmmaker is the patience required to capture the right moment. Inspired by my friends who had filmed a pair of seahorses mating the previous day, I set out to spend every single breath of my air tank to capture similar imagery. Of course, nature does not follow any specific schedule. Things can happen at any given moment.

Studies have shown that many species of seahorses are monogamous throughout the breeding season and their courtship dance can last up to eight hours. Their amorous ways can repeat for multiple days. Armed with this bit of information, I was hopeful to capture the seahorse’s mating behavior. To do so I was prepared to spend some quality time watching these two love-stricken seahorses.

I linger a comfortable distance from the seahorse’s post twenty feet below the ocean’s waves; a depth that would grant me plenty of bottom time. Meanwhile, the seahorses glance at each other ever so tantalizing. Had nature gifted them with eye lids, certainly there would be a lot of winking involved.

Minutes roll across my dive computer, but still the seahorses do not budge. I second guess myself numerous times wondering if it is not in my best interest to swim around in search of other marine treasures and leave the rest up to fate. After all, my time underwater is limited by my air supply and the ocean’s tidal flow. I decide to give in to my uneasiness, at least partially, and begin to comb the nearby area for creatures that fancy my attention. All the while I glance up to observe the seahorses every few seconds.

Numerous creatures begin to appear from a desolate-looking landscape. Hiding beneath a shell, a squat lobster the size of my finger nail is poised with its elongated claws like a chivalrous knight defending the castle.  A psychedelic-looking nudibranch, close relatives of terrestrial slugs and minuscule in size, glides up and down the equivalent of mountainous algae tufts. The nudibranch’s vibrant colors signaling to other creatures of its unpalatable qualities.

I swim over a bleak prairie of sand painted with the dappling rays of the sun. Scanning this sandy patch of ocean, my attention is captured by a small pattern in the sand that did not match the sand’s ensemble. A leopard-like pattern begins to manifest itself as I carefully fan the sand from above this unknown creature. Its image slowly begins to reveal itself. A diamond-like shape unequivocally leaves me guessing it is in the ray family; a clearnose skate (Raja eglanteria) to be exact.

The skate awakes in an explosion of sand as I attempt to take its photograph. Fifty yards pass before this creature finally gives haste to my chase. By now my air supply has taken a drastic hit and my mind whirls as I prepare both of my cameras to capture the skate’s image. The red light on my underwater video camera blinks as the clearnose skate begins to move along the bottom in a slow and steady pace. But something is different about its movement.

Unlike most rays who use their pectoral fins or “wings” to propel themselves, this remarkable creature has somehow adapted to “walking” along the ocean floor. He does not need to use his pectoral fins for locomotion. Instead, using a pair of modified pelvic fins, internally shaped very much like a thigh, a calf and a foot, the clearnose skate has evolved the ability to walk along the benthic environment in which it lives.

What purpose does this evolutionary quirk serve the clearnose skate that would make him evolve differently than many others in his elasmobranch (sharks & rays) family? Being a sand dweller who hunts using a set of electroreceptors in its body, perhaps this means of locomotion allows him to finely hone his ability to detect and approach his prey. Conservation of energy is certainly another possibility.

Such tetrapod-like limb movement even challenges the evolutionary theory of the first animal to clamber on to the land from the sea; considering that elasmobranchs have been on Earth for close to 500 millions years. Modern day animals such as this clearnose skate might provide a clue to our evolutionary past.

Capturing the natural history of an animal at the right moment offers many challenges to a wildlife filmmaker. While the rewards of capturing the true, wild nature are partly self-indulging, there is also the possibility of glimpsing into our own past, and certainly our future, in the animals we film. While we might not get exactly what we’re after, nature seems to alway hint at us at all her secrets and splendors.

Leaving out of Key West, Florida, we will travel 70 miles west to a cluster of seven islands originally discovered and named by Ponce De Leon in 1513 as Las Islas Tortugas (The Turtle Islands) for its abundance of sea turtles. The area is known for its famous bird and marine life, its legends of pirates and sunken gold, and its military past.

The 46 square mile Research Natural Area in the Dry Tortugas National Park protects this precious natural area from the pressures of fishing and anchoring. It is here that we will get to dive and see nature at its grandest. Most dive sites rise to 50 feet from the sand 80 feet below and are home to over 250 species of fish, thousands of invertebrates, sharks, rays and turtles.

But the adventure doesn’t stop there. We will spend part of a day exploring the famous Fort Jefferson on Garden Key. This engineering marvel of the 1800′s is nothing short of breathtaking. Consisting of over 16 millions bricks, the largest masonry structure in the western hemisphere, Fort Jefferson was originally built by the U.S. Corps of Engineers in 1846 and construction continued for over 30 years—although it was never finished. This fort, which covers 11 acres of the 16 acre Garden Key, was originally designed to control navigation to the Gulf of Mexico and protect Atlantic-bound Mississippi River trade.

During the Civil War, the fort was converted into a military prison for captured deserters. Among its prisoners were four men convicted of complicity in President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, the most famous being Dr. Samuel Mudd.

Near Fort Jefferson, Bush Key is home to an amazing richness of migrating land birds and seabird colonies. Over 100,000 Sooty Terns call the Dry Tortugas home during the nesting season. Nearly 300 species of birds have been spotted here!  The history of this fort and its surrounding fauna will leave you breathless.

For those who just love diving wrecks then you’re in for a special treat as we do two dives on the Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg wreck. This 522 feet long wreck sits in 140 feet of water and comes up to 40-50 feet. Home to an astonishing 113 species of fish according to R.E.E.F. surveys, the Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg is a haven for marine life and divers alike.

Trip Itinerary:

August 31st: Board the Spree at 7:45PM in Key West, FL.
September 1st – 3rd: Enjoy 3 days of diving, exploring, and fun!
September 4th:  Disembark at 9:00AM

Trip includes:

All food, beer, wine, weights, tanks & NITROX!
Not Nitrox certified? Get Nitrox certified with Allison for $75 (regular price $150). Includes book & certification card

Cost of the trip: $850 per person plus 6% tax & gratuity

Contact us for more information or book online via the M/V Spree web site.

Learn more about the M/V Spree live aboard.
Learn more about the Dry Tortugas National Park.

The opportunity to swim with manatees is one of the many pleasures of exploring the aquatic world. These gentle giants will leave you with an everlasting smile and memories you will never forget. Our manatee adventures in Crystal River, Florida will give you the opportunity of swimming with manatees and much more.

Join us on our two day adventure as we visit some of the best places in Florida to have a wild manatee encounter. Best of all, no experience or scuba certification is required. Our years of experience and knowledge will help you have the best encounter.

But the manatee experience is only half the fun. Join us on a dive through the cavern at King’s Spring. If you are scuba certified you can enjoy a guided tour through this beautiful cavern down to 50 feet. King’s Spring has large schools of mangrove snappers, tarpon, and numerous other fish. There are manatees here, too! You can snorkel around King’s Spring if you prefer not to dive.

The fun is not over yet! Drift along the magnificent Rainbow River. The crystal-clear springs of Rainbow River are loaded with fish and aquatic plants. Search for turtles hiding in the sea grass. Come face to face with the odd-looking gar fish. You can choose to either dive or snorkel this part of the adventure.

To help you remember and cherish this special manatee trip we will include a free copy of your underwater adventures produced by TheLivingSea. Most importantly, TheLivingSea will be making a donation towards the conservation of manatees on behalf of this year’s manatee trip.

We have put together a complete package which includes two full days of activities. These include:

 
Day 1: Jan 28th

Snorkeling with manatees in Crystal River
Dive in King’s Spring
Dive or snorkel in Rainbow River

Day 2: Jan 29th

Snorkel with manatees
Optional trip to the wildlife preserve

This trip includes 2 nights accommodations at the Bella Oasis hotel. Free continental breakfast is included. Rates based on double person occupancy.

The price for this manatee adventure is just $250 plus tax per person.

Contact us if you have any questions or if you would like to book your spot.

Discover the wonderful world of the manatees in Crystal River, FL.
 
View more photos of our manatee trips
 
View last year’s manatee trip video:

North of us we could see hundreds of birds diving into the water; a sure sign that there was a lot of action going on beneath the waves. One diver, in an attempt to find some blue water, mentioned the possibility of doing a blue water dive in a couple hundred feet of water. Everyone on board agreed and so we motored out into the abyssal blue with no ideas as to what we would find.

At around 230 feet of water we jumped in and hovered around 20 to 30 feet. At first, the hazy blue water seemed devoid of life, but it wasn’t long before life began to make its grand appearance. Moon jellyfish, who have very numerous this year, drifted in the water column. That was my cue to begin my search for the rare and unique, for many animals hitchhike amongst the many pelagic jellyfish that circle our world’s oceans.

I looked closely at each one in hopes of finding the rare argonauts, a type of pelagic octopus, that the strong east winds tend to bring off the Gulf Stream. Within minutes a sight I had never seen before appeared before my eyes. A fish, smaller than the palm of my hand, hovered near the stinging tentacles of a moon jellyfish.

Having a closer look at this tiny creature, I could make out a gorgeous set of appendages. Trailing from its dorsal and pectoral fins were a slew of intricate-looking decorations. As it swam towards me, its pectoral fins reminded me of the elaborate design of the leafy sea dragon seahorse found in Australia. I dared not pass up the opportunity to photograph this wonderful looking creature.

Most of the dive was spent following this tiny fish, who I later was able to identify as a larval lookdown fish (Selene vomer), all the while looking around me in this vast blue abyss for other creatures who might escape my attention. One almost did if not for the weary eyes of another diver who pointed it out to us. Out from the hazy distance, a tiny three foot apparition darted towards us; a silky shark. Curious to know what strange, noise-making animals were intruding on his environment it took one quick look around, swimming around each of the divers, and just as quickly as it appeared it disappeared again. We would only see it one more time during the long and exciting forty-five minute dive in the blue abyss.

While conditions were far from ideal for a dive, thinking outside of the box sub made what would have likely been another regular dive into something extraordinary. The ocean never fails to excite and enthrall. Never give up any opportunity to experience nature in its raw form, no matter the conditions.

We have also started an online store where we hope to offer a variety of unique items. What we are most excited about is the opportunity to bring you along on our diving adventures. Make sure not to miss the Dive With Us pages where you can join us on our latest scuba diving adventures or get your scuba certification if you’re not yet certified as a scuba diver.

Lastly, I would like to welcome the lovely Allison Knox to TheLivingSea team. Allison is not only our certified scuba instructor, but she is also an integral part of TheLivingSea team. You will see her patiently modeling in many of the photos on the web site. We hope you enjoy the new web site and the many new additions that will follow.

Expect the unexpected

Heading three miles south from the Lake Worth inlet, in sixty feet of water is one of the most popular reefs in Palm Beach — Breaker’s reef. This reef lies a mile offshore of the famous Breaker’s hotel. An inshore ledge runs north and south with small fingers every couple of feet veering west and east. The top of the reef sits in forty-five feet of water.

Breaker’s reef is adorned with soft corals, hard corals, and sponges in every color of the rainbow. Add to this a very healthy mix of fish life. But it doesn’t stop there, in fact, rarely can you dive Breaker’s reef that you will not come across a sea turtle. If it’s sea turtle nesting season you’re likely to think you’re at a Jimmy Buffett tailgate party for turtles.

Rare encounters are something of a regularity on this reef. On days where I’m stuck doing office duties there is no worse torture than having to listen to all the dive boat radio chatter as it echos throughout the office walls. Elasmobranchs of all kind such as great hammerheads and spinner sharks, with their dazzling aerial display, are often encountered. Even the more common nurse sharks show up in unimaginable numbers every season in order to mate.

Of all the amazing and rare encounter it was perhaps a humpback whale inshore of Breaker’s reef in 40 feet of water that held the title for the unexpected. But Breaker’s reef was to up the ante once again.

Before beginning my guided dive I drew up a profile of the reef along with some cartoon fish characters on a white board. Drawing these briefings allow the divers not only to get a visual of the dive site, but also to make them believe I have a couple of remote controlled critters running around Breaker’s reef. You will find a nurse shark and a stingray on the last finger of the reef, I tell the divers. I get a look of disbelief every time, but some things on Breaker’s I can almost predict with certainty. I’m not sure why they do it, but the nurse shark and stingray are almost always there.

The captain navigated half a nautical mile south past the end of Breaker’s reef so my group of divers could enjoy a north-pushing drift dive across this coral oasis. Tropical fish of all shapes and colors enveloped the reef. Forty-five minutes into the dive only two divers remained with me. It was at that time when we reached the jump point to Turtle Mound — a large patch coral just a couple minutes swim from the end of Breaker’s reef. Aptly named, Turtle Mound is named because of the large number of sea turtles that congregate in this area; using the shelf-like ledge as a kind of underwater bunk bed.

As we began our lazy swim across the sand to Turtle Mound, I noticed a dark figure resting in the sand. This area is always full of surprises such as sea turtles, large stingrays, and sharks of all kind. I wasted little time to navigate closer to see what Turtle Mound had in store for me today. With visibility ranging in the 40 – 50 foot range, discerning the dark shadow in the sand was difficult and my mind made the assumption that it was a large southern stingray. Closer and closer I approached with both divers closely behind.

When it’s shape finally registered in my mind my head swirled with emotions. I was excited beyond belief. I was simultaneously nervous — more so for the pressures of knowing that this very rare opportunity was not likely to happen to me again and I had one chance to get a photo. While my danger meter was pegged on redline I felt pretty assure of this close encounter because I had previous experience with this animal in other areas.

The two divers following me had noticed the dark shadow looming thirty feet before me. No longer did they follow me so closely. I composed myself and slowly crawled forward in hopes of not spooking this amazing animal. I took a quick, distant snapshot to proof to others of what I had encounter should I not be able to get another shot — whether from spooking it away or for becoming the recipient of the Darwin award.

Unfrazzled by me, this beastly creature did not twitch a muscle. It sat perfectly still in a trance with its eyes shut. I was beside myself as I approached within hand’s reach of it. I was ecstatic to think that right at this moment I was checking off another experience on my bucket list. If I smiled any bigger I would have certainly flooded my mask.

I continued to take photos of it; adjusting my strobes, but with a weary eye always on this seven foot creature. With my Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens attached to the camera I needed to get in really close for a dramatic shot. Less than one foot was ideal, but for safety’s sake I lingered around one to two feet.

From the back of my camera’s LCD screen with every flash of the strobe the image for my bucket list glowed in all its splendor — a salt water crocodile! I was happy as can be while my heart raced faster than a Formula One race car.

One of my divers, John Karuza, cautiously swam around to have his photo taken with the crocodile; keeping a safe twenty foot distance between him and the crocodile. The second diver, having no interest in being nominated for the Darwin Award, stayed back fumbling to reach for his dive knife.

After taking a couple more pictures, I lowered the camera down for a few seconds to admire this amazing creature when the lightbulb in my head suddenly illuminated. Hmmm.. Its jaw seems a little wide for a salt water crocodile, I thought to myself. I began to count the teeth beginning from the front of its mouth. One…Two…Three… Four? The four tooth is not right!?, I told myself. The fourth tooth on the salt water crocodiles of Florida comes from the bottom up.

This man is an imposture — a fresh water alligator! An alligator?!?!?, I puzzled through my mind. How could this be? The closest inlet, if he was swimming with the northerly current, was ten miles south of here. He’s down in sixty feet of water!

The vision of my friends laughing in full glory filled my mind. These jokers have played the ultimate hoax on me, I told myself. Somehow they found a realistic-looking taxidermy alligator and placed it on the reef where they knew I would find it, I thought. I laughed a bit and decided to play along. My fear replaced with humor as I approached closer to photograph it.

Suddenly it’s eyes opened! A protective membrane in semi-translucent, iridescent purple covered the cat-like eye that was locked on my every movement. Its front claw-filled leg swaying its step ever so slowly towards me.

Dr. Frankenstein’s scream reverberated in my head, He’s alive! There was no time to answer the many questions running through my head — it was time for action! In a split second I hit the switches on my Nauticam underwater housing and the Canon 7D was rolling video. No one is going to believe this!, I told myself.

The alligator swayed back and forth. It’s eyes still locked on me. Every piece of video footage I’ve ever seen on the Discovery channel of gators lunging at their victims played in my head like a TV out of control. My arms, outstretched to lengths that would make Stretch Armstrong proud, held the shaking camera at its very end.

With one final movement, the alligator turned away from me and with a few sways of its powerful tail it rocketed to the surface, disappearing into the hazy distance. What he left behind were three very lucky divers — lucky to have the experience of a lifetime.

In hindsight, all those moments of fear were conjured up by nothing more than my overactive imagination and way too many over dramatized Discovery channel TV shows. Showing these animals out of context, only while feeding on their natural prey, I feel does them, and the many other maligned-labeled creatures, a great injustice. This experience and my many forays into the swamps of Florida to photograph alligators has drawn a different picture in my mind. Not one of an indiscriminate and voracious monster, but an admirability for a creature who has survived the tests of time.

Was this alligator taking the first steps towards a new evolutionary transformation? Who knows? Perhaps one day alligators will roam the oceans of the world, but I couldn’t help but be concerned for the well being of this alligator I had encountered. Alligators are not equipped to handle long exposures to salt water. While they do have the same salt glands of their close cousin, the salt water crocodile, these glands are not operational on the alligator; they have no way to excrete excess salt. If the alligator spends too much time in the ocean it will eventually die.

With the alligator no where in sight we radioed for some assistance from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). We were hopeful they would be able to capture the alligator and return it to its natural environment. We aimlessly searched with no success. I worried for the well being of this poor, lost creature.

The story and images of this rare underwater encounter captured the attention of many news stations. A few days after the encounter I received a couple of emails from a biologist, James Clyde Nifong, who mentioned the alligator had been captured and released back into its natural habitat. I hoped so much it was the same alligator I had encountered. A few days later an email was sent to me by the two brave men, Jason Intoppa and Harry Holstein of West Palm Beach, who captured and held the gator until the FWC arrived at the scene. Pictures of the gator confirmed it was the same one I had encountered; identified by a distinctive dark marking on the bottom left jaw of the alligator.

Expect the unexpected is a term that is replayed again and again in the amazing waters of Palm Beach, Florida. In this case, not only was the alligator encounter in sixty feet of water on the reef a very unexpected event, but to hear of its safe return back to its natural habitat one I never expected to hear.

View more alligator photos.

There is the possibility of encountering sea creatures such as the endangered and rare kemp’s ridley sea turtle and the north atlantic right whale. Sadly, an estimated 300 north atlantic right whales remain in the world. For many, the greatest attractions are of the toothy-kind: the sharks! Sharks of all shapes and sizes make the waters off Palm Beach their winter homes.

Reports of whale sharks are not all too uncommon. Spinner sharks can be seen leaping out of the water near the shore. We even encounter great hammerhead and bull sharks, too. The ones that attract the most attention are the several hundred lemon sharks that congregate not too far from our wrecks. According to Samuel “Doc” Gruber, a marine biologist working at the Bimini Biological Field Station, female lemon sharks, who have been tagged as far as the Bahamas, aggregate in Palm Beach, Florida to release pheromones to attract male lemon sharks.

With the hopes and excitement of a winter dive, a group of friends and I set off to do some diving. The ocean was moderately calm as we exited the Lake Worth inlet, but we knew this break in the weather would not hold for long. We made our way north to the Esso Bonaire, Miss Jenny, and the M/V Zion Train wrecks to dive with a south current with approximately forty feet of visibility.

Our descent onto these wrecks seemed quite common with schools of grunts huddling around the wreck and a stray goliath grouper keeping its distance from the noisy divers, but that was where the regularity of this dive ended and the next 40 minutes of excitement began. Large pompano jacks swam around us. A large loggerhead turtle walked across the sandy bottom from one wreck to another. A very large lemon shark cruised across our path at the edge of visibility. A large eagle ray glided alongside me, heading directly into the direction of my dive buddy, Mike Walker. Screaming Mike’s muffled name through my regulator got his attention so he could turn around and get some photographs of the majestic eagle ray.

Celeste frantically motioned us to follow her. Swimming off into the sand, above a school of at least two hundred atlantic spadefish, the image slowly materialize itself in the hazy distance. Shark fin after shark fin appeared. Attached to them were some hulking female lemon sharks, most of them measuring in at over 6 feet. By the time we were able to get close enough with our underwater cameras to get a decent photograph we were in the midst of these sharks for an up close and personal encounter. These lemon sharks, who weren’t too keen on our interruption, began to circle in frenzy. I spun in place with my eye glued to the viewfinder waiting for the perfect photograph. Flash, flash, flash! Our cameras fired as the circling sharks kicked up sand in their hysterics. All the while you could hear laughter exhaling from our regulators. We ended our first dive shortly thereafter.

While on our surface interval, Woody, fine gentleman and crew member of Walker’s Dive Charter, entered the water for a dive. Upon his return, he arose from the dive ladder appearing to have been mauled by a gang of crustaceans, for numerous lobsters were holstered under every strap on his BC. His catch bag had gone amiss and he used every means possible to bring back dinner. His amusement to others divers on the boat did not stop there for a few minutes later he ‘remembered’ he had seen a very rare sight underwater – a sunfish (mola mola).

It was decided we would do a second dive on the same wrecks. The hopes of seeing the lemon sharks was high on our list. Upon our descent we noticed that the water temperature and visibility dropped considerably. The hazy turquoise water made it difficult to discern any marine life further than thirty feet.

Celeste had wandered out of sight for a minute and upon her return she signaled to me that she had just encountered a ten foot great hammerhead shark. Cruising along the sand where we had last seen the lemon sharks, none of the sharks appeared. Instead, the large ominous shadows of two to three hundred pound goliath groupers materialized before us. Like puppy dogs they approached the divers who spent the rest of their dives amused by the grouper’s friendliness.

The ocean, like the seasons, are in a constant state of flux. Day to day, hour to hour, things change underwater. Even after ascending from my last dive my mind quickly reenergizes with the possibilities of the next dive. Who knows what mother ocean will have in store for me next?!?!

View all the photos from today.

Today was one of those days. Strange creatures occupied their own little world – engrossed in the dailies of life. The first to catch my eye was an orange feather duster worm. I have swam over this elegant creature a hundred times before, but today it would catch my attention. It wasn’t its colors or unique design, but what appeared like a pair of miniscule black pearls set atop of two feathery stalks. Strutting out of the center of its flowery ensemble these eyes must look at the world in a very distinctive way.

A tall yellow seahorse, independently focusing each eye on its miniscule prey, struck with lightning speed and accuracy. Over and over it did so and with good reason for he had a belly full of babies to take care of. After watching him for a while I couldn’t help but feel sad that in a few days this area where he lives will be demolished; man’s destructive hand at work once again.

I continued to drift with the tidal flow across the darkness of the bridge’s structure above and was welcomed back into the light by a squadron of eagle rays in formation. With their wings lifted high they maneuvered through the water like a glider soaring through thermals.

I finally came to rest at a hill top of sand and rubble where I knew the action compares to a busy seaport during the age of piracy. Here scalawags of all shapes and sizes fought for this prime piece of real estate. The most noticeable was the bluethroat pike blennies. Occupying abandoned worm tubes each blenny guards its home ferociously. Any creature daring enough to approach was warned with an agape mouth and flared fins.

A cheery blue-eyed hermit crab turned in fear to the savage-looking pike blenny. Even a much larger flounder, unswayed by the pike blennies display, was subjected to the likeness of a Chihuahua (dog) gnawing on its ankle. As I watched this comical act, in the distance, two pike blennies were in a lockjaw affair. Sand was tossed high into the water column as these two wrathful individuals fought.

I wondered how they looked upon the world around them. Certainly there was a million discarded worm tubes in the vastness of these sandy plains they could inhabit peacefully. Stopping for a moment they might realize their neighbors, both big and small, living a more symbiotic life. They might even notice the sailfin blenny giving them a standing ovation for one heck of a theatrical.

For me the whole experience offers the opportunity to slip away from my human life for a while, but still reflect on our similarities. It’s a crazy world out there… Hopefully we can all find our own little sandy plain of peacefulness.

View more photos from today.