Ruddy Fusilier Swarm around a Coral Head
A large school of ruddy fusilier (Pterocaesio pisang) swirls around a coral head in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. These fish can be blue to blue-green or silvery red in color, with red to black tail tips. They often form large schools like this in the Indo-West Pacific regions.
Big Smile!
After a spectacular dive at Raja Ampat, Indonesia, we were all smiles! Our dive guide whipped out his shades and gave me a big grin as I got my camera ready.
Fish Hug!
I envy the local dive guides who get so intimately familiar with dive sites and the resident wildlife in the area. This Napoleon wrasse and our dive guide have developed a special bond between them over the years. There is such trust that the fish would swim over to him and let him touch it and even hug it! I was filled with awe to witness this display of inter-species friendship.
Field of Cabbage... Coral
Colonies of cabbage coral (Turbinaria reniformis) sometimes forms tiers which offer good hiding place for school of fish like these soldierfish. The red fish are big-scale soldierfish (Myripristis berndti) and the whitish fish are shadowfin soldierfish (Myripristis adusta). A large field of cabbage coral colonies like this image taken in the South Pacific is rarely seen anywhere else in the world.
Flying over Coral Garden
In the warm and clear waters of the South Pacific, you can fly over the colorful coral garden made up of layers of table coral, finger coral, antler coral, etc. It is an amazing sight.
