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Category: Critter Finder

Advice to help Divemasters, guides and photographers find critters in the water.

Marine life identification sources online

15 August, 2018 Michael Fineberg Critter Finder, For Experienced Divers

Updated: 17 Apr, 2022 While a good library is handy, sometimes a particular species is difficult to identify. Fortunately, there[…]

Library: My favorite books to identify marine wildlife

28 September, 2017 Michael Fineberg Books, Critter Finder, Dive Equipment, For Experienced Divers

If you’re wanting to improve your knowledge of sea life, there are a few books I would recommend for your[…]

Critter Finder: Sea Squirts

8 July, 2017 Michael Fineberg Critter Finder, For Experienced Divers

Sea squirts are strange animals in their own right. One of our most distant relatives, they have a “notocord”, like[…]

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"Sometimes, someone is obviously covered in red fl

"Sometimes, someone is obviously covered in red flags"
Much like The Joker and Harley Quin, a mated pair of Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta) are vividly coloured, and have a close relationship centered around love and murder. While every carnivore kills to eat, most are opportunistic hunters or proper predators, stalking and hunting their prey for a quick kill. Harlequin shrimp are the creepy couple who drag strangers (sea stars) into their lair and slowly torture them.
Richelieu Rock, Thailand
3/03/2023
[Sony A7R IV, 90mm macro, AOI +12.5 diopter]

"Caught in the light" A heavily pregnant hairy shr

"Caught in the light"
A heavily pregnant hairy shrimp (Phycocaris simulans) looks positively startled from its giant "eyelashes".
Island #5, Similan marine park, Thailand. 27 Feb 2023 [Sony A7R IV]

Prints of Port Barton finished! Learning to frame

Prints of Port Barton finished! Learning to frame has been a process. It's not necessarily difficult, but it is finicky, and frustrating without a good workspace or equipment. The end result is quite nice, and will look great on some walls!

"Do you desire to be nudi?" A Much-Desired Nudibra

"Do you desire to be nudi?" A Much-Desired Nudibranch (Coryphellina exoptata) sniffs out the water with its feathery nose on its head. Amed, Bali, Indonesia. 4 Aug 2019 [Canon 5D m3]

"My, what big eyes you have!" "All the better to s

"My, what big eyes you have!" "All the better to see you with, my dear..." A Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) swims through a group of divers in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. 18 Feb, 2018 [Canon 5D m3]

Perched on the tips of its fins, a Pictus Blenny (

Perched on the tips of its fins, a Pictus Blenny (Ecsenius pictus) seems just as amazed at the ocean as we are, every dive. Siquijor, Philippines. 14 May, 2019. [Canon 5D m3]

"Just lumpy, bumpy, me." A black velutinid snail /

"Just lumpy, bumpy, me." A black velutinid snail / 5 fingered sponge snail (Coriocella nigra) found on Chocolate Island, Malapascua, Philippines. 4 Jun 2019. [Canon 5D m3]

"One of us is sticking our nose where it doesn't b

"One of us is sticking our nose where it doesn't belong!" Getting close and personal to a Rough Snout Ghost pipefish (Solenostomus paegnius) brings out the details in its ghillie suit. Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia. 12 Feb 2019. [Canon 5D m3]

"Sometimes, to get ahead, you need to grab the bul

"Sometimes, to get ahead, you need to grab the bull by the horns." A Longhorn cowfish (Lactoria cornuta) stands its ground in Amed, Bali, Indonesia. 6 Jan 2018. [Canon 5D m3]

A weedy sea dragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) drif

A weedy sea dragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) drifts close to me in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. 27 Mar 2019. [Canon 5D m3]

With rebellious style reminiscent of Madonna in th

With rebellious style reminiscent of Madonna in the 80s, this juvenile Spotfin Lionfish (Pterois antennata) is certainly... Causing a Commotion. Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia. 12 Feb 2019. [Canon 5D m3]

"Caught in the spotlight, at a loss for words" A y

"Caught in the spotlight, at a loss for words" A yellow pygmy goby (Lubricogobius exiguus) pauses at the entrance of its home in Dauin, Philippines. 8 May 2019. [Canon 5D m3]

"A fish dressed up like David Bowie - ready to daz

"A fish dressed up like David Bowie - ready to dazzle!" A Mosaic Leatherjacket (Eubalichthys mosaicus) warily swims past, on his way to some place fabulous, no doubt. Ammo Jetty, Perth, Australia. 6 Apr 2019. [Canon 5D m3]

"The miracle of birth, is a slow process." A Paint

"The miracle of birth, is a slow process." A Painted nudi (Thecacera picta) begins the slow, laborious process of laying its eggs in a spiral ribbon in Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia. 12 Feb 2019. [Canon 5D m3]

"when you pick a pawpaw, or a prickly pear, and yo

"when you pick a pawpaw, or a prickly pear, and you prick a raw paw - well next time beware!" A hairy squat lobster (Lauriea siagiani) looks like a cross between a cactus and a crab, and hides on barrel sponges. Anilao, Philippines. 22 Apr 2019 [Canon 5D m3]

"That post-buffet, trying to get out of your seat

"That post-buffet, trying to get out of your seat feeling - it feels how this looks." An ocellated / Lembeh frogfish (Nudiantennarius subteres) struggles with its vanity on the best of days. Dauin, Philippines. 11 May 2019. [Canon 5D m3]

"It's a fine line you walk, Shaun the Sheep!" A Co

"It's a fine line you walk, Shaun the Sheep!" A Costasiella kuroshimae walks along the edge of its home and food, Avrainvillea sp green algae. Dauin, Philippines. 8 May 2019. [Canon 5D m3]

"Follow the leader!" A pair of Noumeaella sp. nudi

"Follow the leader!" A pair of Noumeaella sp. nudibranchs display unusual trailing behaviour in Dauin, Philippines. 10 May 2019. [Canon 5d m3

"An alien berry bush?" A shaggy aegires nudibranch

"An alien berry bush?" A shaggy aegires nudibranch (Aegires villosus) is a vivid patch of colour in Romblon, Philippines. 28 Apr 2019 [Canon 5D m3]

"gimmie gimmie gimmie!" A soft coral squat lobster

"gimmie gimmie gimmie!" A soft coral squat lobster (Galathea sp.) reaches up to the camera from within some soft coral (Dendronephthya sp.) in Anilao, Philippines. 20 Apr 2019. [Canon 5D m3]

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