Little Cayman - above and below: February 2005

Rain, octopus, wipe-out, dives, lunch, blog.

Well, the day started off with a rainstorm and a pgymy(?) octopus found sitting on the deck of the boat?!? We reckon he was attached to the mooring or anchor line and didn't let go in time! We did give him back gently to Mother Ocean but only after showing him off to our divers...
Then I slipped on the wet dock, hurt my ankle and pouted. Bad octopus karma?
We found two crabs embracing at Coconut Walk on our first dive. Actually, one had the other in a death grip with his claws, but luckily the one on the bottom escaped as I created a diversion. (I hope they weren't actually mating!)
The scorpionfish is a master of camouflage so I was surprised to see him sitting on this particular type of green star coral where he stood out like a sore thumb. That being said, I didn't actually see him until a guest pointed him out as I was involved with a nearby basket star and spiny lobster!

scorpionfish waits in ambush

channel clinging crab wrestling move

Two seahorses are seen galloping across Bloody Bay Wall

Actually, Vince found these 2 guys (well, perhaps one is a girl:-)) about 4 feet away from each other, and of course they weren't exactly going anywhere. We were so excited to finally see some seahorses that we dived the same site twice yesterday. Thank God for Vince's bionic eyes. Hopefully they decide to stick around so we can enjoy them for a few more weeks!

ditto (see below)

if y'all don't know what this is, you have a big problem!

These two photos were taken a couple of days ago. The lower one was found at Mixing Bowl on the wall at about 60 feet. Although brittle stars aren't exacly rare (ie. they're everywhere!!), it was kinda cool to see this one had made its home in the remains of an old but colorful, encrusted bivalve. (I think it has been encrusted by some type of sponge).
The other pic is of a 4 inch-long fish I had never seen before, so if anyone can help me out, I would appreciate it! It was found on the limestone dropoff of the shoreline at depth of approximately 10 feet,(Bush Gardens cave for those of you who have dived here!) clinging to the wall. HELP!

Can anyone out there I.D. this fish?

sponge brittle star on the remains of a bivalve

I guess I should explain the 2 pics below since I forgot last night (Thanks to ES:-))
The lower one was taken last summer on Grundy's Gardens, one of our shallow south side dive sites. Notice how the elkhorn coral is in perfect health.
And then.... Hurricane Ivan hit Sept 13th..... We aren't absolutely sure that the storm was responsible for the death of the coral, but it seems likely. Notice that the dead coral has been overgrown by a type of algae. This seems to be a common theme for the Acroporas on the south side since the hurricane. Hopefully things spring back to life some day soon!!

the same secretary blennies are obviously ashamed at the state of their coral home - can you see their sad faces?

secretary blennies living proudly on their healthy acropora palmata coral (elkhorn)

They ain't no whale sharks, but, hey, whaddya want these days?

I thought the picture of the jewfish was kinda kool since we don't see them very often (expecially since the Soto Trader wreck was torn in half by Hurricane Ivan in Sept '04, and one used to hang out in the stern), and it may appear a bit larger than it actually is cause Toronto Dave was about 10 feet behind it. Anyway, jewfish are the largest groupers in the Caribbean - supposedly growing up to 800 pounds or so... this one, maybe 150??
The green moray was found gasping for breath (not really, but they always seem to be) at Mixing Bowl and it appears that he has some abnormal growth on his head. Hopefully it is not carcinogenic and he makes a full recovery.
The pic directly below was also taken at Mixing Bowl - a dive site fave - and as it says, it is a male jawfish with a mouthful of eggs that he will carry for a week or so until they hatch. I was lucky to get so close for the photo as they are more skiddish than usual while in their paternal time.
We are about to get very busy here at Paradise Divers, so, unless my old, crappy camera dies, I should have some more photos on the blog very soon! ~R

male yellowhead jawfish incubating his mate's eggs in his mouth

green moray with a nasty skin lesion

Dave and a goliath grouper a.k.a jewfish

We woke up this morning to a brilliant sunrise, and although the saying goes "... red sky in the morning, sailors take warning", the day turned out to be sunny, calmer and warmer than the past few days.
Nancy's Cup of Tea is one of my top 3 dive site choices, and this colorful giant anemone made a perfect foreground for our two divers coming down over the top of the wall.