Blowfish Attack and the Friendly Fish

Quick entry before work today. I wanted to use the camera again as I'm returning it today. So my last photos for a while.

I was in the water at 7am today so the lighting isn't very good, but here you can clearly see video evidence of a Blowfish swarm. A swarm happens when the Blowfish are preparing to attack their prey. Generally they will swarm behind a snorkeller, either attracted by bits of dead skin or just the smell of warm flesh. But today there was an elderly gentleman standing still in the water. He was actually staring out to sea at a stingray and wasn't aware of the predators swarming around his legs. I managed to catch it on video. WARNING: These images may disturb some viewers. Discretion is advised.

So you can clearly see at least 10 Blowfish surrounding the victim. Incidentally, the so-called "stingray" was just a distant tail splashing into the water. I probably should have swum out and tried to get it on film.  Maybe next time.

Cauliflower coral. Not considered dangerous.

In other news -- here is a shot of some "cauliflower coral". It is not an aggressive variety of coral, and in fact can be approached and touched without any pain. You can learn more about my theory of coral attacks in my previous blog entry.












Finally here is a quick snap of a friendly little "zebrus angelica" or, as you will remember, "Zebra Angel fish". I have found that if you float still for a while, these little guys will become complacent and swim very close to you! It's great. The only downside is that any nearby Blowfish seem to assume you will be easy prey, and they will quickly begin circling closer to you.

Next entry, I'd like to take a look at some final photos, including the common "fat lipped trout".

Enjoy your snorkeling!

-Gray