
Bulbonaricus pipefish
April 2016 ~ We’re on shore in Kaimana, a small port in eastern Indonesia, awaiting reprovisioning of our dive boat, Dewi Nusantara, before we head back to Triton Bay for another 11 days of diving. We woke yesterday morning to a splendid sunrise, seven hornbills overhead and a feeling that our last dives of this first trip were going to be special.
And they were. The little pipefish above is one we have wanted to see for a long time. It belongs to the genus Bulbonaricus but I’m not sure which species – brauni or davaoensis. About two years ago, I decided to get serious about trying to find it and started asking our guides to look in its habitat, Galaxea coral. But until this morning, the cryptic little fish remained elusive. Last week, I asked our guide Yan Alfian to look for it and of course he found it. Armed with the search image, Richard Smith found more on the second dive, so no telling how many we’ll find next week! This is my favorite of the several shots Ned managed to get of the very cryptic, toothpick-sized fish.
Another Triton Bay surprise was this Sailfin Anthias, Rabaulichthys altipinnis, normally found at much deeper depths. We were after flasher wrasses at Flasher Beach, timing our dive for late afternoon when the flashers are courting and spawning. Mixed in with all the flasher wrasses were these fish. It was quite a frenetic scene, flashers flashing, the anthias flaring their dorsal fins and everything chasing everything.
We’re heading back out of Internet range soon, but will be back in a couple of weeks with more images from Triton Bay.







Great post, Anna! So exciting – can’t wait to see these “guys” with you in a few days! Thanks as always to you and Ned for sharing the terrific photos and marine life wisdom.
Thanks Paul! We’re looking forward to finding more of these and loads of other cool things with you. See you soon!
Thanks Anna and Ned. Something really special on every report. Look forward to reading more.
Thanks Liz, We’re hoping for more ocean treasures over the next two weeks!
Achei muito lindas essas imagens, eu adoro a natureza principalmente o mar e tudo que nele se encontra.
Obrigada, Maria Izabel
You guys keep raising the bar, it’s so high now I can’t even see it anymore!
Thanks Carlos! It’s a team effort – good guides and dive operators included!
Wow it just keeps getting better and better. Thanks for sharing your amazing photos and blog.
Thanks Darcy! It was quite an adventure!