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Red seahorse St. Vincent is considered the best spot in the Caribbean for macro photography (small critters), and I certainly concur with that opinion! I saw more seahorses and frogfish than anywhere else I've been, plus many "first time" critters. This seahorse was my favorite photo of the trip. |
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Brown seahorse Seahorses need something to hang onto, but it doesn't need to be much. This guy has a pink tunicate as a home. |
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Dark brown seahorse We saw a total of 8-10 seahorses on this trip, all roughly 6 inches high, and most hanging onto small pieces of coral "rubble" in open sandy areas. |
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Pink seahorse close-up Notice the light green algae on his back and head. These little guys move so seldom that they end up being a bit "furry" from algae growing on the. |
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The evil eye This little guy does NOT look happy to be having his photo taken! |
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Batfish face A face only a mother could love. |
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Batfish side view |
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Yellow frogfish closeup |
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White frogfish on barrel sponge |
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Gray frogfish |
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Tan striated (split-lure) frogfish This guy was perfectly camouflaged in an old anchor rope. Another diver "encouraged" him to move slightly away from the rope so he would be more easily distinguished. |
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Tan Striated (split-lure) frogfish - face |
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Orange striated (split-lure) frogfish Apparently, brightly colored striated froggies are very rare, so this fellow caused quite a stir, even among the very experienced photographers in our group. |
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Yellow frogfish under coral Looking very much like a chunk of yellow sponge, this fellow was caught peeking out at us. |
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Yellow frogfish on pink sponge |
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Buddies Eel with coral trout |
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Garden eel closeup Most divers have seen "fields" of garden eels, which look like waving spaghetti sticking out of the sand. This is the closest I've ever gotten to one. |
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Arrow crab in sponge I've never seen so many arrow crabs - several on EVERY dive, often living in "packs" of 3-5! |
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Red-lipped blenny "scouting" |
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Cowfish |
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Flying guinard I'd never seen one of these before, and I saw dozens on this trip! |
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Flying guinard with "wings" spread When threatened (such as by a camera!), they flare their pectoral fins, which are brilliantly colored on the fringes. |
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Flying guinard young This is a group of young'ns. |
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Yellow-faced jawfish |
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Yellow-faced jawfish head |
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Tiny crab or lobster on sponge This little fellow is about the size of your little fingernail! |
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Bullseye lobster There are 4 or 5 different varieties of lobsters in St. V. this is one of the more colorful. |
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Spotted moray closeup |
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Octopus |
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Pipefish head Notice the translucent "beak" at right. Smaller than a pencil, these relatives of seahorses are wonderful little creatures! |
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Red coral trout |
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Rock beauty One of the shyest and most difficult fish to photograph, this little angel fish has probably frustrated more photographers (including me!) than any fish I can think of. |
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Sand diver Notice his tail about 16 inches back. He's just waiting for some little fish (meal) to swim close enough to nab! |
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Scorpionfish Talk about camouflage! Can you tell where the fish ends and the reef begins? |
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Banded shrimp Poised for a fight! |
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Pederson shrimp |
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Some variation of Pederson shrimp |
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Anemone shrimp |
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Shy hamlet - front Note the bright spots on his nose! |
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Shy hamlet - side |
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Triton's Trumpet Our divemaster was ecstatic about this sighting on a night dive. Apparently, these fellows (he's about the size of a basketball) are vicious, and will eat almost anything in their path. Here, he's devouring an urchin. |
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Blackbar soldierfish in wreck |
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XMAS tree worm & goby on coral |
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XMAS tree works & sponges |
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Yellow coney |