On the road/ferry again … just a short, very familiar, trip. I left Siquijor on the 10am Ferry for Dumaguete, hopped on a Tricycle for the quick trip to Dauin and Aivy Maes Divers Resort.
This is where I discovered ‘Muck Diving’ in 2019. I absolutely LOVE this little piece of ‘mostly’ quiet paradise. I say mostly, because it is small, but it is next to a ‘public access’ which gets a bit noisy sometimes, chickens, dogs, children. Everyone is so nice to me and treats me like I am ’special’. I have occupied the same ‘bungalow’ each time I am here. It is a small bamboo bungalow, with a fan, and shared shower/toilet. Which sounds negative, but it’s always very clean and never busy. The only downside is getting up several times in the middle of the night to pee. My Bungalow
I didn’t dive the first 2 days, actually I sort of hibernated in my bungalow, didn’t feel very social. I had been on the ‘go’ and with ‘people’ for many days … and I like to say that I was ‘peopled-out’. That is the sign of a true introvert, which I am, even though some people don’t believe it.
They have a new Dive Guide here, it seems they have a new one every year , lately. We did 1 dive, just out front of my bungalow on the House Reef. He found a couple Theceras, aka, Pikachu. I love them, they are so different, and not that common.
He also found a little Elysia… a type of sea hare, because it looks kind of like a bunny in some photos, but not this one. But I really like them.
We also saw this very bright yellow nudi, that is hard to miss … ONCE you see it :)
You can see its internal organs. A video shows it better. YouTube: https://youtu.be/0OHxd2Md9jU
I was trying to take a photo of this Creamy Chromodoris, and some ‘clear fuzz’ kept getting in the way of its rhinopors, (the black ‘horns’). In the photo I can see now … it is some kind of a transparent Shrimp, getting a free ride !
There is a fish in the deep seas that is called a Mola Mola. It is huge, around 6’ in size, but its body is only a half of a body. Honestly, it does not have a ‘back half’. I’ve never seen one, but would really like to. I will have to get in deeper water for that, and probably dive somewhere else. Anyway, I took this photo of a ’Nemo’ and it turned and looks just like a Mola Mola. So… this is my Mola Mola :)
This is a Slender Sapsucking Slub, what a cruel name for a very skinny Nudi.
Nhoe found 4 Ornate Ghost PipeFish .... Momma, Pappa, and 2 Babies... so us humans think. This video will give you an idea of the peaceful clamness that I feel on every dive. YouTube: https://youtu.be/5WiNAP49Aw4
I am quite proud of this one. It lives way down between the tendrils of an Anemone, that sways back and forth with the current. And, it is VERY tiny, less than 1", but you can only see the top white portion, which is even smaller. It is called a Mushroom Coral Shrimp, or a Popcorn Anemone Shrimp. I saw it, and just kept clicking until I was lucky. So cute.
As we were finishing up one of our dives, we crossed a sandy shallow area with a lot of thick leaves. Somehow Nhoe found these 2 Robust Ghost Pipefish. They perfectly mimic the leaves that they live around. I've seen them before, and there always seems to be 2, one larger than the other. The second one is top left ..
The video shows the movement. YouTube: https://youtu.be/1wfP6e6l_js
This is a Peacock Razer Fish .... also found in the sandy shallows.
While I was waiting for Nhoe to find me something, I entertained myself finding LOTS of these ... I'm good at this :) In the sandy areas you will often find the sweet faces of Shaun the Sheep. Those are my gloved fingers holding down that round green leaf. And that tiny white speck at the top of the leaf is Shaun the Sheep. YES, very difficult to see !
They are actually called Costasiella
Nhoe has centimeters marked on his stick. So tiny !
They have different colorations
Also a Costasiella, ...a cousin of Shaun. Lives on the same round green leaf.
This little guy lives on the same leaf too
We also saw this Nudi ... maybe Noumea Saffron ... yellow = saffron, makes sense
This a Script FlatWorm .... their movements are mesmerizing. They mold their bodies around obstacles. YouTube: https://youtu.be/uCtwGAG8gz4
This is a Juvenile Razor Fish. I've seen many of these as adults swimming together, always head down. This is my first Juvenile.
These are the adults. Always like this, heads down and moving together as one body.
I know I've shown you the Sexy Shrimp before ... with their bum wiggling in the air.
Aivy Maes takes a boat of divers to Apo Island weekly. I am not interested in going. I've been there before, even stayed 2 nights in their hotel. But that meant that Nhoe was not available to Guide me. A friend uses Alex as a Guide and he wasn't diving that day, so he suggested I use Alex for my eyes. Alex is a well renowned Spotter, and I was lucky to spend 2 dives with him. This did cause a bit of an issue with Aivy Maes, but I finally got it 'approved'. (They don't want you to dive with anyone else ..... ) Alex asked me what I wanted to see. I was caught off-guard, and said a Doto. It's a Nudi that looks like a bunch of grapes. First thing in the water ..... he shows me this ! a Doto ...unbelievable ! About 1/4"
My guess is that this is a Nembrotha, but I've never seen one with these 2 colors.
He also showed me these 2 mating colorful Hypselodoris. They mate head to tail, and their sex organs are on the side.
Everyone wants to see one of these Spiny Tiger Shrimp ! About 3/4"
We saw this little FrogFish ... it is how I feel some days :( YouTube: https://youtu.be/eNgMg3G726Y
The Precious Chromodoris, honestly, that's the name I found
I've seen a lot of LionFish, but never a Juvenile, and that's what I've been told this is. It was very tiny.
This was a very weird 'clam' ... it was moving along the sand, then all of a sudden it flashed red. Maybe an Electric Clam, but I have never seen one move before. About the size of a walnut
Another FlatWorm
Then he showed me a bunch of something 'red' on something 'red'. It took me a LONG time to figure out what was what. There were a LOT of them ... maybe 20 ? But they sure are pretty ! They were the fluffiest Nudi's I've ever seen
With a bald streak running down it's back ... Weird. Maybe a Noumeaella ?
Alex also showed me this ... another transparent FrogFish ? It has eyes that 'bug out' of it's head ..... not so cute as the one Mark found on Siquijor :(
That is the end of my time at Aivy Maes. I met another 'Muck Diving' enthusiast, Maria. I overheard her tell Nhoe that she ONLY was interested in Muck Diving. My kind of girl. She took this photo of me.
Since I procrastinated in my planning, they did not have 'my' bungalow available for my last night there. So i HAD to stay in the 1st one, with air conditioning ....
and a window to the Beach
Off to the Island of Romblon, known as one of the BEST for Muck Diving. See you there.
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