OUsnakebyte January 24, 2011 Share January 24, 2011 This is a long-overdue photo sharing, as this trip is from last March 2010. I spent a week on Bunaken Island off the northwest tip of Sulawesi in the heart of the coral traingle. It's a trip I have wanted to do for about the past 7 years, and it finally happened. The diversity is so incredibly amazing - I've never seen 100% coral coverage like there was on these fringing reefs. Absolutely spectacular. Enjoy. Oh, and I'm coral and other invert biased, so don't expect too many fish pics... Cheers Mike Okay, here is a fish - hiding in an Invert!! Okay, fine - here's a mega-vertebrate for you... T. gigas... awesome... Now THAT'S a table... Probably my favorite photo of the trip - a squat lobster in a Crinoid. I'm simply a sucker for an invert living on/in another invert... More to come soon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad January 24, 2011 Share January 24, 2011 Wow, very nice photos! I love the polycarpa aurata pic (tried keeping it in my tank a couple of times, but never for very long :() Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 24, 2011 Share January 24, 2011 Very cool trip! The pics of the tables look amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda January 24, 2011 Share January 24, 2011 Beautiful, Mike. I want your job. Except for the hard, frustrating parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte January 24, 2011 Author Share January 24, 2011 Wow, very nice photos! I love the polycarpa aurata pic (tried keeping it in my tank a couple of times, but never for very long :() Those giant, painted tunicates were simply everywhere, and they stuck out like sore thumbs. It's one of those things where I had to take a picture of every one I saw on every dive for the first few dives. And finally it was like, meh... another giant purple and yellow tunicate - yawn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte January 24, 2011 Author Share January 24, 2011 Superwoman Mary, on the wall... It's satisfying to see this on the reef... This was by far the biggest table I saw the whole week. I can't believe these things start out life as a larvae the size of a pinhead... Ned on the reef... A few Sarcophytons... Look at that coral coverage! There's hardly any space unoccupied!?!?!? Everything grows on everything. If you can't tell, I *heart* table corals... Purple LTA!!! Cleaning station, and it's oddly satisfying to see GSPs in the wild too... I think Mary took this photo: Another one for you, Chad... Nudi! Finally, someone got a pic of me - Hangin' And, this is about how I felt ALL WEEK! Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incredible Corals January 24, 2011 Share January 24, 2011 OMG I can't wait to get my kalk reactor to start growing some nice SPS colonies. I'm inspired! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf January 24, 2011 Share January 24, 2011 Excellent pic's!! Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte January 24, 2011 Author Share January 24, 2011 (edited) I call it, "Snowy." Mary and the turtle... Remember what I said about ing table corals... They have to be just overflowing with cuteness, even if they are "Nemo." Iconic reef fish... Looks like Rik's green table CLAM!! You don't see me... Glowing Favid... Dwarf Lionfish Nudis caught in the act - mating! So pretty All about the coral Purty... Trying to hide and lock in: Don't touch me! I took sooooooo many photos. This is all I have uploaded to photobucket for now. I'll have to get the rest uploaded soon. Cheers Mike Edited January 24, 2011 by OUsnakebyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 24, 2011 Share January 24, 2011 That has to be some of the best reef pictuers I have seen in awhile. Lately it has been nothing but stressed reefs with bleaching coral. It is nice to see that there are still areas that are flourishing. What was the water temperature in that area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterDog January 24, 2011 Share January 24, 2011 Wow. That is amazing. I reaaally like the turtle. Try keeping that in a reef tank... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte January 24, 2011 Author Share January 24, 2011 (edited) That has to be some of the best reef pictuers I have seen in awhile. Lately it has been nothing but stressed reefs with bleaching coral. It is nice to see that there are still areas that are flourishing. What was the water temperature in that area? Well, Bunaken is a marine park and has been since - I think the 90s? At least, that is when the last blast fishing was happening there. But, they still allow fishing there, at least for the locals. The coral coverage was amazing, but all week, I didn't see one big fish or shark, save one Napoleon Wrasse - that's it. So, tons of little fish and no big fish. I hope it is not on the verge of collapsing. Re the temp, it would fluctuate from mid 70s (~75) to high 70s, depending on if there was an up-current (bringing in cooler waters from below) or down-current (bringing warmer water from near shore and the reef crest). And, it could easily change mid dive! If there as an up-current, you would have to stay away from the wall, or you would get pushed up; if it was a down-current, you would need to almost hug the wall or get pushed down, further and further... Under Pressure, ding-ding-ding-da-da-ding-ding (repeat). I'm glad I got there when I did, as 2010 was one of the worst - and may turn out to be the worst - bleaching events on record, and Indonesia was hit very hard. I have not heard if this section of the world escaped, but I'd love to go back and survey!!! I didn't want to be a Debbie-Downer, but I did take a shot of a reef that had been blasted back in the 90s and STILL had not shown significant signs of recovery. Doesn't that just rip your heart out? Ugh, it's so depressing to think of that. Cheers - sort of... Mike Edited January 24, 2011 by OUsnakebyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&Fmgr January 24, 2011 Share January 24, 2011 Nice pictures MIke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 January 25, 2011 Share January 25, 2011 Wow, incredible site. Next time take me along! Was that the Deloaches and Mary Hagerdorn with you? I'm offering to be your cabin boy and carry your dive tanks next time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE January 25, 2011 Share January 25, 2011 WOW! More pics! More pics! These are all amazing!!! And just for the sake of being nit picky, your "dwarf lionfish" is actually a fu manchu lionfish and a gorgeous one at that! I planned to attempt one of them a while back but it only lasted a couple hours from shipping... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt LeBaron January 25, 2011 Share January 25, 2011 Just...wow. That trip looks like spectacular just does not cover it. Wonderful pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte January 25, 2011 Author Share January 25, 2011 (edited) Wow, incredible site. Next time take me along! Was that the Deloaches and Mary Hagerdorn with you? I'm offering to be your cabin boy and carry your dive tanks next time! Heh... Spending time with Ned and Anna Deloach in Indonesia would be more than the trip of a lifetime. That would be... dang, I don't even know what I would call that... No, that is Mary's husband Ned. I was able to make this trip b/c SECORE had a coral spawning workshop in Singapore last April for which I was one of the workshop organizers, and we took the week before to scoot on over to Sulawesi, b/c well, let's face it... If I'm going to that side of the world, I'm bringing back memories of Indonesia with me. It's b/c of that Singapore spawning workshop that this trip was made possible. I have buckets of photos of that portion of the trip too - just haven't uploaded them yet. WOW! More pics! More pics! These are all amazing!!! And just for the sake of being nit picky, your "dwarf lionfish" is actually a fu manchu lionfish and a gorgeous one at that! I planned to attempt one of them a while back but it only lasted a couple hours from shipping... Yeah, I know that is a "Fu Manchu" lion, but I was told (unreliably, maybe?) that that name was no longer PC...??? I dunno... That was actually on a night dive, and when I saw the little guy, I did sputter an excited, mumbled "Fu Manchu LION!!!" through the bubbles exiting my regulator. As with most nocturnals, he didn't enjoy having his picture taken and scooted away very quickly - all the side profile shots came out blurry... Edited January 25, 2011 by OUsnakebyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte January 25, 2011 Author Share January 25, 2011 A. rainfordi goby Oyster with some tubastrea epiphytes Back to the mega-verts with a head shot: Back to the tridacnids, which I think is a T. crocea, since they bury themselves down like this The boats that took us to the reefs; check the calm water behind More inverts! Gotta love tunicates, especially with the sweet monti behind Another nudi! Wire coral goby, I think... on a wire coral Remember what I said about being a sucker for an invert on an invert? Check it - TWO for the price of ONE! shrimp and cuke on the Heliofungia! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluce January 25, 2011 Share January 25, 2011 Wonderful pics! - were you on a liveaboard or did you take a boat out each day from the island? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte January 25, 2011 Author Share January 25, 2011 (edited) Wonderful pics! - were you on a liveaboard or did you take a boat out each day from the island? Nope, those reefs are fringing around the island, and it was a whopping 5-10 minute boat ride to the dive spots. In fact, some of those photos, and others I have not uploaded yet were taken snorkeling out on the house reef. Here is where we stayed - Bunaken Cha Cha They named the resort "Cha Cha" b/c one of the owners several years back saw a fish that looked like it was doing the "cha cha" swimming back and forth. It was a hellish, two-day journey from DC to Manado: Dulles -> Tokyo -> Singapore -> sleep overnight in Singapore airport (actually very nice for only $45) -> next day flight to Jakarta -> Manado -> Taxi to boat dock, 45 minute boat ride to Bunaken Island, arrive by 7pm. But, as you can see, worth EVERY minute in a crammed jet and crowded airport. Not only is it world-class diving, but the food was excellent, they take care of all your gear, pick you up at the airport and ferry you to/from the island. I simply did not want to leave - DUH! Cheers Mike Edited January 25, 2011 by OUsnakebyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott711 January 26, 2011 Share January 26, 2011 Great pics Mike, I just told my wife that is our next vacation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 15, 2011 Author Share February 15, 2011 (edited) Okay, I have uploaded more from this trip. Here ya go: Volcano off in the distance. So many of these volcanoes were around these islands. A look at the mangroves with the reef right below One of the few big fish I saw all week... I wish my full reef shots would turn out better. I guess I need to toy with the white balance, right? Nice tubastrea colony More tunicates!!! Cheers Mike Edited February 15, 2011 by OUsnakebyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 15, 2011 Author Share February 15, 2011 I know, I know... more table corals... Shrooms!! Another look at that same squat lobster from before Check out all those pyramids!!! Encrusting montis!!! Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 15, 2011 Author Share February 15, 2011 More nudis, gettin' it on... This is the same colony I commented on above. The sheer size of this thing was overwhelming. I still can't believe they start out life the size of a pinhead... More reef shots. Next trip I'm going to work on getting these to turn out better. Cool, huh? Our divemaster and guide, Emiko. She was great. Took this photo of a coral barnacle for a friend Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 15, 2011 Author Share February 15, 2011 My favorite anemone... It's also oddly satisfying to see xenia on the reef... Believe it or not... I have sooooooo many more... Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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