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 !
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