Aivy Maes, 5am pick-up from Mark John to the Airport. It's wonderful to have a reliable guy for a tricycle trip that early in the morning, very thankful ! We were delayed, but eventually boarded for our flight to Manila.
Private Driver, Eric, (arranged by the dive center) picked me up at 11am, inside the airport by Burger King. So much nicer than the chaos outside. He asked if I was hungry, yes, ....he offered KFC; sounded perfect to me. We stopped on our way to Batangas Pier where I would get on the Starlight Ferry and spend the night, and 10hrs, on the sea to Romblon. I was happy to have something to eat then, and ordered extra for later on the Ferry.
We got to the Ferry Terminal at 12pm, for a 4pm boarding. There isn't anything to do there, it was boring. Finally boarded, I booked a 4 bed cabin for the night. No one else was there but me.
I did this same trip last year, so I knew my way around. I did a stroll, nothing had changed, so I ate my chicken and went to sleep. I didn't even stay awake for the sunset. It was a quiet ride on the seas.
Scheduled to arrive at 1am, and 1.5hrs late. Oscar, the same tricycle driver as last year, was patiently waiting for me. He took me to El Krimphoff, a Resort just 3min walk from PPP. PPP has an arrangement with them that we can check in at 1am, and get up the next morning and go to PPP, for breakfast, lunch, diving, while waiting for our room to be vacated and cleaned. Because of the Ferry schedule, this is the best way to do it. The return Ferry doesn't leave until 10pm, so the people in the room that I am going to occupy would still be there. TMI i know, sorry. Anyway, it rained all night, and it rained in the morning, and all day. I didn't get to my room until 3:30am, so I slept in, and hung out at El Krimphoff. There was no way I was going diving in that weather !
I walked to PPP around 5pm and checked in. The PPP Diving Resort is owned by 3 brothers: Phillip, Patrick, and Peter. Phillip's wife, Kati, and their 3 children are there all the time. Patrick is there most of the time, but I didn't see Peter. They have built an amazing business catering to Macro-Muck Divers. They are getting more and more popular and it is getting harder and harder to get a booking. I procrastinated too long this year, and was only able to book 6 nights, and not at a time that I would have preferred. But, I'm here and excited to be diving with them. They have critters here that you won't find anywhere else ... and they have amazing guides with great eyes and knowledge of where things are. You can almost 'ask and receive'; no guarantees of course. The next morning I met Kier and 2 girls, and off we went in our own boat. Nice and easy, no rush. I asked Kier to 'walk me' to the boat, there were rocks in the water, ...and he sang 'here comes the bride'. These Guides are always so sweet and accommodating. Unfortunately I didn't get any other photos of him.
He was another master at finding things. One of the 'Most Wanted' photos of the Entire Underwater PhotoGraphic World, is of the Melibe Colmani. There are lots of Melibes in other locations, but this seem to be the 'only' place to see the Colmani. First day, first dive !
A Melibe Nudi is the one that has a 'net' that it throws out over the sand, and then drags it back and eats whatever it has caught. I showed a video of that before. These do the same thing. Phantom Nudi, aka Melibe colmani
Here is a video that shows just how transparent they are .... weird ... you can all their 'innards'. Youtube: https://youtu.be/xVEl5dvikHw
This called the Ghost Nudi, aka Melibe engeli that is also so difficult to photograph
And this brown one, small, but easier to see, Melibe digitata. It has a very small 'net' you can see in the photo.
Then we saw some kind of a Sea Hare ... they look like rabbits. I struggled to see this, it was so tiny
Another one, only different
White 'things' on White are very difficult for me to photograph... some examples ... a Goniobranchus sp. 43 (NSSI)
and a Sagaminopteron sp. 2 (NSSI)
A Whip Coral Shrimp
An Octopus from our Night Dive, I spotted it :)
Then there are color things on the same color ... same problem, different color, ... Phyllodesmium sp .'Carmel'
A tiny shrimp, yellow on yellow .... Thalassocaris crinita ?
This is a Coral Gall Crab --Cyptochiridae
The Hong Kong Coral Gall Crab, --Netroglocarcinus hoongkongensis. Also called the Princess Crab because it looks like a Tiara on it's back .... maybe a better photograph.
I saw this one on the Night Dive ... not sure about the name ... Spider Crab seems appropriate. It was hanging down under a coral ledge.
A Swimming Crab
Some cool Shrimp: Green Dragon Shrimp
Red Dragon Shrimp
White Xenia Coral Shrimp...
And one of my favorites is the Hairy Shrimp, so happy when I can get a photo of it.
A couple things that are not Nudi's, Shrimp, nor Crab. a Ridged Pearl Ovulid... tiny and pretty. It's like a shell with a mantle (covering)
Something similar, called Eizo's Ovulid
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A Blue Spotted StingRay on a Night Dive that I managed to grab a photo of. They are so pretty !
Some Nudi's, ...... Phyllodesium jakobsenae
This is another very tiny and 'sought after' .... Fireworks Stilger. Cute face.
This is from a Night Dive, Phyllodesmium
It was particularly difficult to photograph because hundreds of worms/centepedes were swarmming all around us... I just hoped they weren't getting tangled in my hair, or down my wet suit! . YUCK !
I couldn't get in a good position for this Hypselordoris, this was my solution, just it's ceratas ... beautiful colors
Kier pointed to 'something on' a rock, I saw this Nudi Doriprismatica balut, and started photographing, when, out of the corner of my eye ... I could see his piece of 'zip tie', tapping, telling me I was photographing the wrong Nudi.... me on the wrong page... probably wrong book
And this very tiny thing is what he wanted me to see... so glad he did, Another new one for me.
A Photo Bomb shrimp with pretty blue eyes
I've always wanted to see a Lobiger, which I've always seen small and very smooth. So I was surprised to find out this was my Lobiger ... an adult.
The girls on the boat referred to this as the Black Nudi ... Phestilla melanobrachia Tenellia melanobrachia
I am not sure about the name, but I love this one, and still don't have a great photo. Maybe Cabungus regius... but here's lookin at ya.
This is a common, but I couldn't resist the position and color. Willan's Chromodoris
Yet another 'prize' from Romblon (almost exclusively). The Tiger Butterfly SeaSlug, Cyerce nigra.
Everyone concentrates on the 'face' ... this guy also has a beautiful colorful tail, also
This is another Cyerce, ... Flower ButterFly SeaSlug, Cyerce
Here is a video ... they look like they are working really hard to move with that huge bundle on their backs ... Youtube: https://youtu.be/knJqrTk-jkM
And another Cyerce, ...
This is a Brauns PugHead PipeFish, Syngnathidae... Very colorful
Speaking of PipeFish, they are a relative to the SeaHorse... and I saw 3 different Pygmy SeaHorses. The first 2 live on a fan coral, and mimic perfectly their home. I wasn't much more successful this time than the other times. I've seen this pink one several times, it is called a Bargibanti Pygmy SeaHorse--Hippocampus bargibanti, according to PPP
But, I have never seen this one, the Santa Claus Denise Pygmy SeaHorse .... WoW and I think smaller than the pink one, and not as many 'bumps'
The third one doesn't live in any one place, but 'flies' around small spaces. I saw 2 of them, and managed to get this photo ... which I am quite proud of. It is called Pontohi Pygmy SeaHorse--Dark Hippocampus Severnsi
At the end of the time at PPP, I was diving with 2 girls from Bejing. They were very fun.
One of the girls has a BIG camera outfit .. lots of lights and wires and arms. Me? I just my have little TG6 and a hand-held flashlight (since my light broke). After they saw the video of the Melibe, they were impressed with what I could accomplish with my 'little' camera. So, just out of the water, sitting on the boat, she had me hold up my camera, my light, and my stick...and take my photo. And, that's all i need :) It was cute.
You might be impressed that I have so many 'fancy' names., listed for some of these Critters. The PPP Resort has many of them listed on their webpage, so nice !
I am sad to leave here, next year I will book ahead of time, so they will have more days for me to stay. But now, I am back on the Ferry at 11pm, and off to Batangas Pier. Gina, from Anilao Scuba Dive Center will pick me up and take me to my next destination.
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