Kelp forests of Southern Pacific have their smiling face. It’s Eastern Kelpfish Chironemus marmoratus hiding in the shadows of the forest in shallow water. The fish is a bottom dweller, it’s heavier than water, it often sits on the bottom or kelp “leaves”. I usually notice slight movement at the edge of my field of […]

Tiny translucent shrimps (Palaemon affinis) were marching there and back on the submerged railings of Ti Point Wharf at high tide. They looked like alien warriors on vacations … not worried, not getting ready to battle, without any obligations except one … to find something for lunch. Keywords: shrimp shrimps translucent crustacean crustaceans common shrimp […]

Mahurangi Harbour does not look attractive to divers, actually, I don’t know anybody who dives there. When I talk to local divers they usually recommend to get to either Te Haupa Island or better Motuora Island. They are right, if somebody wants to hunt / collect sea food the harbour is not the place … […]

When I was living in Europe I loved that shallow man-made lakes of south Slovakia. They were full of weeds, often reaching to the surface forming ceilings, arches, walls. When I was diving among them I felt as if I entered a forest … not an ordinary one but a forest of fairy tales. When […]

You have that experience, you think you know the behaviour of a certain species, but then you meet an individual that behaves in a different way, the way is so different you have that strange feeling something is wrong. My usual experience with leatherjackets is they are very inquisitive, come close to divers, but when […]

It’s easy to get fascinated by undersea world if you snorkel in tropics. The water is usually clear, warm and full of life. It does not have to be a first class coral reef. Even if you snorkel in a shallow sandy bay with a occasional coral block you can see a lot. If you […]