Yellow Tang – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern This yellow tang was one of many yellow tang that I saw during our four hours of snorkeling This photo was taken during a snorkeling trip with my wife in Kealakekua Bay on the big island of Hawai’i. This area is a marine life conservation district, which […]
Queen Conch – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Queen conch move very slowly This is the flagship creature of the Florida Keys, otherwise known as the “Conch Republic”. Conch are a popular food. Unfortunately, years of overharvesting has led to a crash in their population. These days, the Conch Republic must import their conch. Spotted Eagle Ray This […]
Caribbean Reef Octopus – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data I’ve encountered Caribbean reef octopus on night dives You are looking into the eye of a Caribbean reef octopus. Although they look mysterious, they are one of the more commonly seen octopus and we know quite a lot about them. Caribbean reef octopus are generally seen at night. I […]
Christmas Tree Worm Christmas tree worms have a surprisingly long life, living up to 40 years You will be surprised to learn what you are looking at is considered a worm. These colorful worms are stationary, so once you locate one you are all set. However, if you approach these creatures too quickly or get too close, […]
Nurse Shark – IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable Nurse sharks are not considered a dangerous shark species to humans This is a photograph of a nurse shark, taken in Key Largo, Florida. To get a close up photograph of a shark can be tricky, but the nurse shark gives you a better chance than most shark species. Nurse […]
Red-Tipped Sea Goddess – iNaturalist The impact of the red-tipped sea goddess within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is unknown Although this is a beautiful nudibranch, it is probably not from the area it was photographed (Florida Keys). The majority of the red-tipped sea goddess sightings are from the Pacific Ocean. However, it is believed they […]
Varicose Wart Slug – iNaturalist First of all, nudibranchs are tiny, and I love macrophotography! Photographing small marine creatures was my goal when I dove off the island of Oahu in Hawai’i. I was on the trip by myself, so I made sure to have a dive master who could show me around the local […]
Ringed Sap-Sucking Slug – iNaturalist The sandbar will actually be exposed during low tide! I certainly wasn’t expecting to see a ringed sap-sucking slug when I rolled out of the kayak in three feet deep water in Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawai’i. We started our morning by kayaking one mile straight […]
Pustulose Wart Slug – iNaturalist There’s not much information about the pustulose wart slug This was one of the last photos that I took while on a two-dive trip off the coast of Oahu in Hawai’i. I was so excited to get to see two different species of nudibranchs within just a few minutes of […]
Gold-Line Sea Goddess – iNaturalist In order to find nudibranchs, you must slowly search the bottom This ornate cryptic crawler is called a gold-line sea goddess. A gold-line sea goddess is a type of nudibranch. A nudibranch is a tiny sea slug. Just how tiny? Here is a photo of the gold-line sea goddess next to my finger. Being […]