Lankan Reef Thursday am, 20 metres, 61mins
This morning’s dive
at Lankan Reef was fun. We saw two mantas at different times cruising along the
reef, which is their behaviour when there is not much current. I also saw a
wonderful octopus who stood proud from the rock he should have been hunkering down
under. He allowed everyone to get close and photograph him. My first turtle of
the trip appeared in mid water – a small one heading for the surface.
The Giant Triton is the only enemy of the Crown of Thorns starfish which feeds on and and destroys large areas of the Great Barrier Reef.
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| Hassan Ali briefing the dive |
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| Chinese Trumpetfish, Aulostomus chinensis |
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| Christmas tree worm, Pirobranchus giganteus |
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| Clown Triggerfish, Balistoides conspicillum |
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| Giant triton, Charonia tritonis |
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| Parrot fish |
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| Maldive Anemonefish, Amphipriion nigripes on anemone |
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| Maldive Anemonefish, Amphipriion nigripes on anemone |
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| Octopus cyanea |
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| Oriental Sweetlips, Plectorhinchus vittatus |
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| Nudibranch, Phyllidia alyta |
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| Variegated Lizardfish, Synodus variegatus |
A swift current was running along the reef, so the best
place was next to the reef and in the caves.
I saw the first mantis shrimp of the trip. As soon as he saw me he
headed for a hole.
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| Sivad's dive briefing |
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| Alcyonaria soft coral |
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| Alcyonaria soft coral |
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| Bill |
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| Featherstar |
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| Featherstar on whip coral |
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| Featherstar on Gorgonian sea fan |
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| Green Mantis shrimp, Odontodactylus scyllarus |
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| Gorgonian sea fan |
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| Gorgonian sea fan |
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| Gorgonian sea fan |
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| Magenta Menella (an Alcyonarian coral) |
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| Pixy Hawkfish, Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus |
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| Pixy Hawkfish, Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus |
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| Gorgonian sea fan |
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| Slender Sweeper, Parapriacanthus ransonneti |
These fish live in huge shoals at the mouth of overhangs and caves.
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| Sponge |
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| Spotfin LIonfish, Pterois antennata |
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| Spotfin LIonfish, Pterois antennata |
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| Whip coral |
Butterfly reports have been coming in since I arrived.
Bill saw two different patterned large ones by the dive shop yesterday,
Abdullah saw a similar black and white spotted one by Adel’s villa. On the boat
this afternoon our divemaster reported another near the dive shop. No sign of
the Small Cupids I photographed in 2010 and saw last year.
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