Clown Frogfish

Warty frogfish. It is one of the weirdest looking creatures seen underwater.

Clown Frogfish

Hairy Frogfish

Frogfish can open its mouth as wide as its body and can swallow prey as big as the frogfish itself.

Frogfish

This frogfish doesn't look happy posing for the photo.

Juvenile Warty Frogfish

Warty frogfish - or clown frogfish, this one is still a juvenile. Frogfishes can change their colours and patterns in a few weeks depending on their current surroundings.

Frogfish

Frogfish use their fins as "legs".

Flatworm - Turbellaria

Coral reefs are riddled with worms of all shapes, sizes ranging from a millimeter or so up to more than two meters.

Penis Fencing

Turbellarian penis fencing. Yes, you read that right. Some of the larger aquatic flatworm species mate by penis fencing: a duel in which each tries to impregnate the other. Each flatworm has two penises, the white spikes on the undersides of their heads.

Penis Fencing

The winner strikes its penis straight through the other one's body. The loser of the fencing contest adopts the female role of developing the eggs.

Turbellaria - Penis Fencing

We may have a winner...

Polyclad Flatworm

Hancock's flatworm.

Christmas tree worm

Christmas tree worms are strikingly colorful creatures that inhabit corals. They attach themselves to the host coral. Christmas tree worm does not move outside its tube, it has no means to swim.

Christmas tree worm

When threatened, the Christmas tree worm retreats into its tube extremely rapidly. When diving over a coral covered by Christmas tree worms, a scuba diver can magically make them all disappear with a wave of a hand. They will come back in a few moments, though.

Christmas tree worm

Christmas tree worms are popular photo targets for scuba divers.

Christmas tree worm

Popular photo targets for scuba divers - for obvious reasons.

Nudibranchs have both male and female sex organs at the same time. Every mature individual of the same species is a potential partner, which is handy as nudibranchs don't move very fast and can't travel long distances.

Laying Eggs

Nudibranch - Chromodoris hintuanensis laying a yellow egg ribbon. The egg masses vary in shape, size and colour depending on species. The process can take hours.

Nudibranch egg ribbons

Nudibranchs and their egg ribbons. Various nudibranchs have been laying eggs in ribbons - in number of different colours.

Elegant Shrimp

Shrimp in Sea Squirt

A shrimp living in a sea squirt. Shrimps take residence in various hosts.

Crinoid shrimp

Crinoid shrimps match their colors based on the crinoid they live on.

Mushroom Coral Shrimp

Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish have W-shaped eyes. They can not see colors, but yet they are able to match their skin color and texture according to their surroundings even in total darkness.

Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish can change the color, patterns and even the texture of their skin to camouflage from predators or dazzle their prey.

Flamboyant Cuttlefish

A Flamboyant cuttlefish showing off its colors. Flamboyant Cuttlefish is somewhat unique among cuttlefish and its relatives: it is one of only three known poisonous cephalopods and thus not fit for human consumption.

Pygmy Squid

A tiny squid.

Pygmy Squid

Octopus

Octopuses have two eyes, eight arms and three hearts.

Octopus

Octopuses have various strategies for defending themselves against predators, including the expulsion of ink, the use of camouflage and startling color displays, their ability to jet quickly through the water, and their ability to hide.

Octopus has no internal or external skeleton. They can squeeze themselves through holes much smaller than their bodies.

Clark's Anemonefish

What would a collection of critters be without every certified scuba diver's favourite: Clownfish aka Nemo. Clownfish live with sea anemones: the anemone protects the clownfish from predators with its stinging tentacles, as well as provides food through the scraps left from the anemone's meals. In return, the clownfish defends the anemone from its predators and parasites.

Clark's Anemonefish

Clownfish can change genders. They are born male but turn into females as they mature or if the female of the pair dies. Sorry, the movie Finding Nemo couldn't have happened: Nemo's father would have turned into his mother...

Pink Anemonefish

Anemonefish are unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone.

School of Barracudas

Juvenile barracudas congregate and form large schools. They often swim around divers in circles.

Barracuda

Adult barracudas are solitary. They are fierce predators. Humans however are not their preferred prey...

Flower coral (Whip Coral)

There is a fish there playing hide and seek.

Flower coral filefish

And there it is. Flower coral filefish or as it is also known Radial filefish changes its color pattern to match its surroundings giving it a nice camouflage.

Flower coral filefish

Flabellina Nudibranch

Nudibranchs can swim short distances when disturbed by predators. They contract their body muscles and undulate through the water in flapping motion.

Phyllodesmium Nudibranch

Flabellina Nudibranch

Spotted Seahorse

Spotted Seahorse, or Common Seahorse. Despite the name it is an endangered species.

Hairy Shrimp

Candy Crab

Hoplophrys - Candy crab - is a soft coral crab that hides within soft corals mimicking the coral's polyps and attaching them to its body.

A crab hiding in the sand.

Leopard Flounder

One of the eyes of a flounders' has migrated and they have both eyes on one side of their body. This highly compressed fish is found partially buried, in or on the sand of lagoons, bays and sheltered reefs. They feed on small fish, invertebrates and worms.

Nudibranch - Chromodoris Lochi

Probably Chromodoris lochi, from the genus Chromodoris, anyway.

Crinoid Shrimp

Ambon Crinoid Shrimp

Ambon Crinoid Shrimp

Goby in a hole

Nudibranch

We haven't found a proper name for this nudibranch. It has the 'fried egg' pattern, which is fairly common for nudibranchs.

Pygmy Squid

Tiny little squid: female may grow up to 25mm, males are smaller.

Pygmy Squid

Mantis Shrimp

Mantis shrimp waiting for prey. When one comes too close the mantis shrimp strikes with a powerful punch or spears the victim with its claws.

Ambon Crinoid Shrimp

Crinoid Shrimp

Ambon Crinoid Shrimp

Tinctoria Nudibranch (Chromodoris tinctoria)

Tinctoria Nudibranch (Chromodoris tinctoria)