Nigel's Timor-Leste: Attack of the Killer Pipefish! 5-6 February 2011

A few days of rain may have slightly dampened our view of the diving potential this weekend but our visit to K41, Secret Garden (Saturday) and Tasi Tolu (Sunday) didn't disappoint. The visibility was variable and there was not a huge load of nudis in store but there were many things of interest, as usual. The Sunday dive at Tasi Tolu was a first for me - I never troubled my strobe. So there was not one picture to show. The visibility was extremely poor at times (less than 1 metre) but there were still the seahorses, the Joruna rubescens (huge nudi) that I hadn't photographed before and this time missed my opportunity for operational reasons. For me, the best part of this dive was actually after we surfaced. Marcus and I were last out. Shortly thereafter, a crocodile leisurely passed the spot where we were noodling around as a safety stop. We watched as the croc (about 2m in length) passed by as it headed up the beach to Dili Rock. Wayne saw that there were possibly divers about to get in the water and we went to warn them. But we were too late and they were both eaten. OKOKOKOK...so they weren't really eaten, I think (actually I don't know what happened. The croc was spooked by a boat and disappeared and we left the area where by now a largish crowd had gathered to witness the event. Incredibly and perhaps improbably, as we were watching the croc spectacle, who should arrive but the elusive Dugong! "Do crocodiles eat dugongs?" said one person. "Alien versus predator" said another. Actually, their paths did not cross but it was amazing to see them in the same place at the same time. I wonder how those divers went....

But the dive of the day was on Saturday at K41 where Marcus found the Robust Ghost Pipefish. What an amazing creature! I managed to get a couple of shots of it before Marcus annoyed it so much with his Signorey Weaver Alien Photography setup that it literally chased him down the decline with its teeth gnashing...(I think that is how Marcus described it. Although I'm not sure that there are many teeth to gnash in a Robust Ghost Pipefish. Suffice it to say that the Pipey looked a little upset.)

Always a favourite, Chromodoris coi was there. This is he in full frame (no crop, all thanks to the marco lens)

The hugely dangerous Robust Ghost Pipefish. At about 6cm in length, he is quite a handful. Well, at least he is difficult to photograph because he was continually on the move. Check out his eye. Now that is the quintessential "fisheye lens"

Here is Pipey in all his glory! How Marcus spotted him in the murk, I have no idea.

And this is a close up of the almost ubiquitous Chromodoris annae.

And this guy I noted a few weeks ago (but his brother was blue, not white) Perhaps it is Phylidiopsis annae; tiny at about 5mm.

There were not a lot of nudis on our dive at Secret Garden but it was my second 100 minute+ dive with Marcus (105 minutes to be precise). But a lack of nudis makes one review the other amazing things around us, like these coral polyps. They are very nice and I hope to practice on these guys with my "snoot" next weekend. More on the snoot later...