Mouthbrooding Fish

Indonesia and Philippines — 2013-2024

Both jawfish and cardinalfish are paternal mouthbrooders—the males incubate the fertilized eggs in their mouth until they hatch, and in at least one species, even longer. 

added 4/8/2025

Hesionid Worms Hunt

Alor and Komodo, Indonesia — 2013 and 2019

These zebra-striped hesionids, or bristleworms can be found on Indonesia’s black sand slopes where their hunting and feeding behavior can be observed. 

added 4/8/2025

Dragonet Dance

Anilao, Batangas, Philippines — 2018

Longtail dragonets are well camouflaged against the sand and usually lie still when divers approach, hoping not to be noticed. However, when a male intrudes on another's territory, you might witness quite a dramatic display. 

added 3/30/2025

Worm Snails Feed

Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and California — 2016-2018

Vermetids, or worm snails, are gastropods with tubular shells that are cemented to the bottom or other fixed hard surfaces. Since they can’t crawl around, they feed by casting out mucus nets, then reeling them back in. 

added 3/25/2025

Diving Komodo, Indonesia on the Damai I

Komodo, Indonesia — December 2024/January 2025

On this short trip to Komodo aboard Damai I we spotted everything from mantas to ladybugs—though we didn’t see as many color variations of the adorable amphipods as on our previous New Year’s trip. We also did a few blackwater dives where we were visited by squids, a baby blue-ring and a very cool larval dragonfish.

added 3/14/2025

Raja Ampat on the Damai II

Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia — December 2024

What better way to spend Christmas than on the luxury liveaboard Damai II diving the beautiful, fishy reefs of Raja Ampat? And who can resist all the adorable blennies peeking out of holes in the shallows? Not me! Blackwater dives under the boat provided a nice selection of subjects as well.

added 3/3/2025

Diving Lembeh Strait with NAD Lembeh Resort

North Sulawesi, Indonesia — December 2024

We returned again to NAD Lembeh for another round of critter hunting on its sand and rubble slopes. We encountered pretty much all the usual suspects this trip, with an especially impressive array of photogenic gobies and interesting shrimps.

added 2/11/2025

NAD Lembeh Blackwater Week

North Sulawesi, Indonesia — December 2024

A week of two-a-night blackwater dives provided a wealth of fascinating, strange and beautiful subjects for our group of blackwater enthusiasts.

added 2/11/2025

Macro Diving at Catalina Island

Catalina Island, CA — January 2025

Catalina Island is not normally known for its macro life, but on this day trip I spotted a bunch of interesting small critters, several of which I had never seen before.

added 1/24/2025

Diving Anilao, Crystal Blue Resort

Anilao, Batangas, Philippines — October 2024

Back once again to Anilao’s Crystal Blue Resort where we always find lots of interesting critters. Some of my favorite sightings from this trip included bizarre Longibrachium worms filter feeding, tiny clear-shelled amphipod (?) colonies on a heart urchin, Zanzibar urchin shrimps feeding while bouncing among the urchin spines, and an adorable baby bamboo shark walking across the sand.

added 11/13/2024

Muck & Macro Diving, Komodo & Beyond

Komodo, Indonesia — August/September 2024

On this trip aboard the wonderful Samambaia, we focused on the muck and macro sites around the Komodo area, including Bima Bay, East Sumbawa, and the beautiful black sands of Sangeang. We encountered plenty of fascinating critters, and although I didn't find as many ladybug amphipods as during our Christmas trip, I still spotted quite a few different varieties.

added 9/28/2024

Blackwater, Komodo & Beyond

Komodo, Indonesia — August/September 2024

We did blackwater dives almost every night of this trip, exploring a variety of settings from sheltered bays to current-swept slopes and channels. We had many incredible sightings, including squids, jellies, paper nautiluses, and several new-to-us larval fish.

added 9/28/2024