Headed for Pondicherry and diving

Look at that bite

My mother is here in India visiting. We’re taking a little trip to Pondicherry in what was once French colonial territory until 1954. I’m also going to get in a couple days of diving. Mom may give it a shot, too.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Shy little bastard. Come out and play.

Not very funny for a clownfish.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Creatures of the Andaman deep

A full gallery of images from diving in the Andamans. All in one place. To accompany a story on India’s nascent diving industry, the unofficial headquarters of which is on Havelock Island, smack in the middle of the Bay of Bengal.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

How do you like them clownfish?

From Anemone Reef, Havelock Island

I can't get enough

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Anemones are wicked photogenic

The home of yet another cheeky little clownfish

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Beautiful but excruciating

A prowling Common Lionfish

The visibility was lacking, but I caught this lionfish out stalking. They are solitary, predatory fish that aren’t common but usually can be spotted resting on or against the reef once or twice on a dive.

The fish has a wide of array of spined fins which deliver a powerful and horribly painful toxin, like all members of their family, Scorpaenidae. It’s not deadly but the pain can last for hours, according to divers who have been unfortunate enough to brush up against a lionfish.

During the day, they often park themselves motionless. When swimming in the open, they usually move slowly and deliberately, sometimes hovering (as above) in odd positions.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Underwater ninja loses his throwing (sea) star

They move... very, very, very slowly.

Colors underwater fade quickly. Red is the first to go and the deeper a diver goes, the more muted and filtered the light spectrum becomes.

Which makes the vivid, giant Blue Sea Star all the more spectacular because it stands out so much.

(Forgive the weird headline. I’m experimenting in what gets the most attention on Facebook.)

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,