Balicasag UnderWater World

I finally made it to my first 'trip' destination; and was able to do some snorkeling .... never enough; but here is the story:
Balicasag Island has a wonderful shallow reef all the way around it, perfect for snorkeling.  Although the weather was not cooperative:  clouds, lots of rain showers, 10-15 minute segments of sun, followed by  more rain.   And, the seas were not conducive to snorkeling, the surf was really rough (photo in last post), so i was limited to only probably 1/5 of the island; and of course visibility was not good.  i got in the water for 4 challenging snorkels; and i was rewarded with MORE beautiful fishes i have not met before !

This amazingly lined fish is a Striped SurgeonFish … WoW … lines,colors, patterns ... distinquished  ... oh my !

This is a Black Spotted PufferFish … what a cute little fish …. with a brown dorsel fin flying like a flag

and doesn’t he have a face that looks like a seal ,,,or a dog … how cute !

I am embarrassed to post this photo, it is so bad.   He was down the wall pretty far, and this was the best i could do.   It it will let you know that it is not easy to get a clear in-focus photo.   This is a variation in color of the same Black Spotted PufferFish as above … but it is Blue and Gold … all for you Michigan fans  :)       sorry State fans, i have yet to see a Green and White Spartan down here  :(

Photo Bomb !
This was supposed to be a photo of an AxilSpot Wrasse; a rather subtle, but pretty fish.
But please notice the little ‘pig-nose’ DamselFish at the top…    ‘photo-bombing’  !
that’s not his offical name, but that is what i am calling him because he does have a little ‘pig nose’.     I found him in SIX of the photos i was taking of other fishes… so i decided NOT to crop him out of this photo, but let him show his face/nose  :)

This Orange Spined UnicornFish is another dramatic specimen !     Notice the orange spines at the base of it’s tail … hence the name … wonder what he uses them for?  ... he could be a gladiator~   ....and the markings on the face and orange red lips ...awesome !

These three Oval Spot ButterFly Fish really capture your attention as they glow, cruising over the reef wall

A Moorish Idol … i saw these in the Galapagos Islands too …   what a long dorsel fin !

These are Two Spot Snappers … although most of them have THREE spots, hummm, someone couldn’t count.    Swimming in schools along the edge of wall, very noticeable and impressive ...

I was swimming along the edge of the wall when i spotted this incredibly impressive fish !    i was happy, that it was happy to just float along, barely moving, providing me with lots of opportunities for photos.  i followed it for quite awhile before it floated over the wall and down into a cavern.  i followed, but it was too dark for photos.   i thought it was an angelfish, but i was wrong … it is a LongFin SpadeFish - Juvenile

From fin tip to fin tip, i estimate it was 8 inches tall.    It’s body grows and catches up with its fins because the adult photos i saw are not so impressive.   Glad i saw the Juvenile !

Many of these Six Bar Wrasse fishes followed me everywhere and were very curious .. and fast !

Two cute little White Tailed Dascyllus, aka DamselFish ..

and his cousin ... the Black Tailed Dascyllus aka DamselFish

These two Lined Bristle Tooth SurgeonFish have all my favorite colors of subtle oranges, yellows, blues, and greens, all melted together with a striking black eye …

In my 'More New Fishes to Meet' blog, i introduced you to the Black Patch Triggerfish, that i thought was so amazingly patterned ... now here is another TriggerFish, the Wedge Tail TriggerFish ... just as amazing !

This is a Fox Face RabbitFish, another 'Photo Bomb', but i don't think it was intentional, since they don't even seem to notice.    There were so MANY fishes everywhere here, that it was difficult to get only one in a photo ... oh the woes of the fish photographer  :)

i also encountered a friendly slow moving turtle, three separate days … probably the same turtle, and i was no doubt invading in his territory, but he didn’t seem to mind.  

He was very calm and just kept slowly swimming as i followed closely along . so PeaceFul   !!

While we are out in the deep blue, here is a photo of the Reef.    i don't post a lot of 'water-scape' photos, so this let's you see just how beautiful the view is in this wonderful underwater world  !

Black Eye ThickLip Wrasse - Juvenile ... not very colorful, but striking, and demanding attention !

This fish has it ALL going on … just check out his ‘party yellow fireworks’ on red and white striped dorsel fins !    OMG !    Red-spotted tail, and long white frilly pectoral fins … what a fish !      …and i have to admit, i really saw NONE of those things until after i saw the photo; he was only 3” long and i just took 3 shots, one of them very lucky to capture him in all his glory  ;)

The last morning i was in the water by 7am, i only had an hour, and then i had to get ready to leave, … always too soon   :(    … the waves were really huge, lots of sand being stirred up, and visibility was the worst i’ve seen.    There is a lot of sand in the water, but these photos show just how many little fishes there are, all just hanging out. reef fishes... in an amazing array of colors !

I saw the turtle again, lazily cruising the reef ..

i had walked down the beach against the waves, and got in the water, and snorkeled the surf back to the resort; (instead of snorkeling against the current...i’m smart like that).    Right in front of the resort it was a bit more protected, so i was just hanging around, regretting getting out.   I spotted this little... very little fish, (1 inch), that i recognized as a FileFish…. but what a striking fish it was.  

Check out that orange ‘tubey’ mouth; and that eye that looks like someone pasted a pretty button on it’s face !    i was pretty excited and wanted to be sure i got a photo.   i exceeded my record of shots for one fish … i took over 120 photos of this guy, and only 2 are acceptable.   so you have to see both of them  ;)

What a way to finish a visit to Balicasag Island … and of course, since i was leaving … the sun was even shining !

Balicasag Island

This is one of the islands i had planned on visiting for several days early-on in my visit.   The snorkeling and diving have both been highly recommended.   Unfortunately, bad weather, a head cold, and lack of response from the 'Resort' had prevented me from getting there; phones didn't work, email, and FaceBook requests went unanswered; and no one seemed to know how to reach them  :(

Finally, i decided to just take a day trip there, ($8), and visit the resort and see if i can book a room for a couple of days.   The day trip involved a very slow, extremely noisy (note to self to bring earplugs) 45min boat ride.   The boats they use here have tiny canoe-like bodies with long arms supporting them on each side, providing stability, i guess.    As you can see, i was lucky to have a partially blue-sky day.

as we finally approached the island, all i could see what boats, boats, and more boats.... tourism at it's finest !

our 'snorkel' lasted about 25min  :(    ... and there were LOTS of people ... there was absolutely no sense in trying to 'enforce' my Roatan Marine Park guidelines here.    i believe they have just designated this part of the reef as 'lost' to tourism.     At least they don't use the reef around the entire island; and just limit it to this area  :(

NOT my idea of a 'snorkel trip'  ... however, my intent really was to check out the island and see if i could get info on cost and availability.    I was guided to the Resort and was told they only had one 'standard' room available for the next night; and then 'fully booked' until mid-February; the did have some 'deluxe' rooms available  :)     Obviously, lots of somebodies have been able to reach them.     So i booked for the next 2 nights.

after 'snorkeling' they took us to shore where there was lots of opportunities to buy 'stuff' and buy food to eat ..... then back in the boat and on to Virgin Island.

It's just a little 'spit' of an island that is partially out of the water at low tide.    I tried to pretend it was my own private little island ...   That is Balicasag Island in the background.

but there were lots and lots of boats and people there too.    There is nothing to do; we were alotted 20min ... i was ready to leave after 10   :)

a sunny blue sky photo  :)

So i got home, robbed the ATM, and prepared to leave at 6am the next morning.

The easiest/cheapest way to get back there is to join another tour group.   this time it included a Dolphin Watch.    That involved another 45min ride out to the middle of the sea, where we joined 35-40 other boats who were waiting to see the Dolphins.    After about 5min, we saw a small pod of Dolphins cruizing along, about 50yds from us; at which point our Captain turned the boat around, and we headed for Balicasag Island, another 45min ride  :(     If i really wanted to see Dolphins, i would have been very disappointed and annoyed !

I checked into my room, #210 

nice !

view from my porch........

Lots of dogs and cats here, of course.   The dogs all look well fed and pretty healthy, these 2 happy ones, obviously litter mates.   The cats on the other hand, aren't very well cared for  :(

i never found out what a Motor Pool Area is ... but since i am an 'outsider' ... i did not investigate  :)

Passion Flower, always one of my favorites ...

Philippines is largely a Catholic country ...

my visit to the island continued to carry my 'bad weather luck' ... mostly cloudy, a few hours of sunshine, and about the time i decided to get into the water, it would start raining.    The seas were VERY rough ... not optimal for snorkeling .. but snorkel i did ...

Underwater snorkel photos in next post ...
  

More New Fishes to Meet

I am thinking, I am hoping, I should be able to introduce you to new fishes with each post … no repeats … well … maybe a few if i get something spectacular   :)

I wasn’t able to get into the water for 5 days, it rained, a LOT.   ok, so i’m already wet, what does it matter?
--i get cold faster with no sun
--without any sun, the water is not warming up but cooling down
--the light from the sun makes the colors brighter
--rain and wind make visibility poor, lots of sand and microscopic particles suspended in the water
--waves make for difficult photos because i can’t hold the camera still, ...the fish are moving, SOMETHING has to try to stay stationary !  :)

All that to say, i prefer not to snorkel in the rain or cloudy/bad weather.    However, after 5 days, with nothing to do, i had to get out there.  The rain let up, the sky was lighter, and i took off for the beach.   i got 2 hrs in, i was cold and, thankfully :), the camera didn’t have a full charge and the batter died.   It was time to get out.   5 minutes after i got home, it down-poured for the rest of the day.    Success !    and it was unbelievable how much better i felt  :)

Yes, visibility was poor, and all the above applied; but i managed.    and again, was amazed that i kept meeting new fishes that i had not seen … WoW !


This is a Papua Toby …. i’ve never heard of a ‘Toby’ fish !       Love the markings on the head and around the eyes !

same fish, but depending on the lighting, age, and maybe the location, and the fish probably, can have dramatically different coloring... this is also a Papua Toby Fish...

when i first saw this creature, i thought ‘PipeFish’;  but i’ve only seen photos, and most of them are quite ‘elaborate and fancy’; so i dismissed my initial thought.   but, after doing some research, i’ve learned that i was accurate.   It is a PipeFish, a ReefTop PipeFish.
Not very colorful, but a great find; because they blend in so well and are hard to spot.

They are relatives of the SeaHorse … with the same snout.   The name of the Pipefish comes from the fact that they have a snout that is long and thin like a pipe.   Their very thin snout means they can’t consume food that is very large.   They need to feed often because they don’t have a digestive system so they run out of energy and nutrients fast.   This is the same for a SeaHorse also.

Before mating they have an elaborate ritual; they have to be moving at the same speed, in the same movements, at the same time, before the Female can pass the eggs to the Male.    The Male has a spongy area around the tail that they carry the eggs in.   Also like the SeaHorse, the MALE carries the eggs until they are born into tiny pipefishes that are an exact miniature version of their parents.   Pipefish young have to be able to care for themselves immediately upon birth.

These are called Golden RabbitFish; i think because they have soft rabbit-like lips, haha   They are cruising in groups along the edge of the reef.    When you see them in the water, they appear totally white, and quite striking with their yellow spot.

Another type of ButterFly Fish … but they call this one the Hump Head Banner Fish …

i felt sorry for this fish, he is looking at me like, ‘why not take my photo, why only take the pretty colorful ones’  … poor guy, PLUS his name is :    BlubberLip !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     ..how cruel is that ?

Another beautiful Clam...

i chased this fish, or one like it, all over the reef, for a long time … finally caught this one as i was heading back in.    Orange Lined TriggerFish … isn’t ‘she’ beautiful ?

i like this photo because it looks like the fish is doing some kind of ballerina move out of that coral in a theater production.... just look at her fins out to the side .... it is a Black Belt HogFish; ..what kind of a crazy name is that for a ballerina  :)

There are so many ButterFly Fish; and here is another beauty  … the Red Fin ButterFly Fish

This Freckled HawkFish looks as if to say, “ you aren’t going to hurt me, are you? “
What a great looking fish !

a Leopard Wrasse .... WoW ... now that's a lot of color work for one small fish !     Love It !

When i start snorkeling, i head out to the 'wall' first .... i was just cruising along when something VERY large shot into a hole in the reef.    It was this HUGE Grouper!      I looked over the edge of the wall and saw him sitting below me.   He was a big guy ... probably 2.5 feet    :)     ... not a great photo, but i doubt i'll ever get a better one !

This was a quick ‘drive-by-shot’  …  Blue Spined Unicorn Fish   … i am not familiar with ‘Unicorn’ fish either !
Notice this one has little ‘horns’ over their eyes.    This group were there, ....and they were gone; never saw them again...

i saw several eels today ... this one is White Eyed Moray Eel...    It was about 3 feet long; and was freely swimming around looking for food when i saw it....

yet another ButterFly Fish .... a Double Saddled ButterFly Fish ... not as striking as some of the others, but it has a nice little black and white line around it's fins by the tail...

the other eel i saw today was a SnowFlake Moray Eel .... isn't that a sweet name ?    ...it's pattern looks like a flower, ...or a snowflake  :)

and for a closer look at it's rather ugly face, with yellow things sticking out it's nose :(    ...kind of looks like a little old lady with a 'babushka' pulled down tight under her chin   :)

What an AWESOME fish this is ... a Black Patch TriggerFish.    What great colors and markings !
TriggerFishes might be my favorite fish ... the way they swim is so cool.   The Dorsel Fin on the top, and the Anal Fin on the bottom, move in opposite directions ...

and last, but not least.    i literally took over 50 photos of these fish !    i dove down, and dove down, and dove down, so many times.     Each time coming up, out of breath, saying,  ‘ok, that’s enough’ … and then taking one more breath and one more dive !  

These are Two Tone DartFish.   Always in pairs, they live in holes in the sand.    What amazing fish.   

i’ve never seen fish with such long fins, compared to it's body  !     ...nd such pretty pastal colors … How cool is that !

sorry for so many photos ... but i worked really hard to get them   :)

more to come ... i hope   :)