龍年快樂!!!.....

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly.....

Tiny To Big Big Nudibranch @ Pulau Hantu.....

Yesterday, I was out diving with The Hantu Bloggers again! We did two dives at the South Jetty. The visibility was about 2-3m. Haha.....as usual, my search subject would be the Nudibranch! And we saw quite a few! Ranging from tiny tiny one (about 3mm) to big big one(about 150mm)!


This is the tiniest of them all. About 3mm! It looks like a Goniodoriella nudibranch (Goniodoriella sp.)


Wonder if this Dermatobranchus nudibranch (Dermatobranchus sp.) is a different species from the ones that we usually see?



The Tambja nudibranch are still in season although much lesser than that we had come across fortnightly ago.


Found a Snakey Bornella nudibranch (Bornella anguilla) on a Sponge.


A elegant looking Bullock nudibranch (Hypselodoris bullocki).


An Eyed Phyllid nudibranch (Phyllidia ocellata).


A Black-margined nudibranch (Glossodoris atromarginata).


And this is the biggest nudibranch that I encountered during yesterday's dive! It was slightly more than the size of my palm! It was about 150mm from front to back when I measured it with my pointer!



Here are its underside and frontal shots. It is likely to be the Bumpy Dendrodoris nudibranch (Dendrodoris Tuberculosa). Wow! Finally saw it underwater after many sightings during intertidal trips!


And guess what? There were TWO! This one was just next to the one above but part of it was hidden underneath a crevice. It could be much bigger that the above one! Wow!

There you have it, tiny to big nudibranch sightings! Other than nudibranch, these are the other creatures that we saw at Pulau Hantu!



Allied Cowries on Sea Fans!


A yellow Wing Oyster on the Hydroids.


A tiny Basket Star on a Sea Fan.


A curious Filefish that swam forward to check out what was that thing pointing at it!


On the other hand, this False Scorpionfish was a bit camera shy!


Came across a pair of Ocellate Pipefishes (looks like)! Most of the time, I only saw solitary ones!


Saw this big Red Claw Cuapetes Shrimp (Cuapetes tenuipes)? under a crevice.



Reddish Gorgonian Shrimps can be seen on the Sea Whips/Sea Fans if you look carefully!


Thanks to our volunteer guide, JG, we get to see these Ocellated Tozeuma Shrimps? on a Giant Hydroid! Their colour matched the Hydroid underwater rather than orangy like this in the picture. Thus, making them look like part of the Hydroid's "branches"!


Here's a close up on one of the shrimps!

Sargassum Nudibranch @ St John's Island!.....

Was out checking the shore on St John's lsland yesterday evening. The Sargassum seaweeds are back in season! Most part of the shore were covered with the seaweed and it makes walking among the seaweed pretty difficult. We have to be very careful not to step onto the seaweed as we do not know what lies underneath it! Maybe there's a Stingray or a Stonefish?!?! Scary......


Haha.....I can't help but to look carefully at the Sargassum as I was looking for a nudibranch that was found among the seaweed. The last time I have seen the nudibranch, was 5 years ago at St John's Island! And finally, I get to see it again! Can you see it in the picture? It looks like part of the Sargassum!

We saw four of them! Here they are:





These are the Crosslandia nudibranch (Crosslandia sp.). We also called it the Sargassum nudibranch/sea slug. They feed on tiny Hydroids that live on the Sargassum.


A close up on one of them.

Besides the nudibranch, we saw other creatures too!


There were a few of these Pygmy Squids!



As the night falls, Octopus big and small came out to hunt/explore the reef!


Only saw this Flatworm while we were heading back.




Lots of small fishes around!


Found a big Hermit crab in this big Topshell.



Lots of Shrimps/Prawns too!


A Red Egg Crab. One of the most poisonous crab you get to see in Singapore.

Another Good Vis Day @ Pulau Hantu.....

Same as last month dive, I enjoyed another good visibility dive at Pulau Hantu with The Hantu Bloggers on Sunday! It was about 5m and we did two dives at the South Jetty!


The vis actually looked better than the pic shows. :p


Came across quite a number of Cushion Stars!


Lots of little Brittle Stars on Sea Fans!


Found a Basket Star on a Sea Fan too!


Haha.....luckily I spotted this well camouflaged Scorpionfish before I put my fingers on the substrate for support.*Phew*


Found the Winged Pipefish on the usual pillar.



Found a couple of Sea Pens on the seabed.


Allied Cowries are still around to be seen.


Have been seeing these kind of Flatworms on such Ascidians.



Found this small Anemone. Its body column has spotted pattern. Hmmmm.....wonder if it is an Alicia sp.?


The Dermatobranchus nudibranch (Dermatobranchus sp.) are in season.


The same goes to the Snakey Bornella nudibranch (Bornella anguilla). CT said she saw at least 10 of them!


A Gymnodoris nudibranch (Gymnodoris sp.).


A few Eyed Phyllid nudibranch (Phyllidia ocellata) were seen.


A Cuthona Nudibranch (Cuthona sibogae).


A Red-lined Flabellina nudibranch (Flabellina rubrolineata).


The unknown Doto nudibranch (Doto sp.) on a Hydroid.


It has been some times that I see the "Godzilla" at Pulau Hantu! It's the Slender Ceratosoma nudibranch (Ceratosoma gracillimum)!


Looks like a Chinese Chromodoris nudibranch (Chromodoris sinensis).



Lastly, we saw two kinds of Glossodoris nudibranch. Top: a Black-margined nudibranch (Glossodoris atromarginata) and bottom: a Girdled Glossodoris nudibranch (Glossodoris cincta).