Wow!! A great pic!!! In the thumbnail it looks like a map showing where the jet streams or something else are. But the big pic shows a great underwater world. lol
Nature's Underwater Gardens
John - Amazing! I don't think I have ever seen those before! Waaaay cool. Yep....I think we should all just say "Howdy"....our hours are completely awkward.
Howdy Pep! Here's one for ya:
Shari, that one is really weird. lol. The head looks like a turtle, the body like a tube and the back like a whistle or a bottle opening. I don't know what to think about that one. LOL
For those that don't know....different bodies of water around the planet host completely different fish, coral, mammals...etc....I can probably speak for Shari here and say that we and others will post underwater shots of our own neighborhoods and none of them will be the same...we have fish that Shari's fish eat for a snack, but we may have a little bit better viz on any given day...whatever....just to be able to dive and shoot photos, regardless of viz or current or temp...we are happy to share these pix and can only hope that it might inspire others to learn to dive.....there is an entire new world awaiting you....get out there and explore!!!!
( shari, that is you one post for the day, by the way....))))) I could go mad here....that looks like some kind of trumpet fish......i can tell that this will get out of hand......did you get my dmail about the contact list???))))) and the other thing???
j
Thanks john for saying trumpet fish! I kept thinking that it reminded me of something and my mind wouldn't click in. lol.
I believe it is a wrase of some sort....my DH will tell me when he gets home.....he's the expert, I just sit back and say "Ooooh how pretty!" Yes I know its my one for the day, but you posted an odd one so I did too. Got your messages, and just got your contact. WooooHoooo!!!!
I must ask. What is viz?
viz = divers/snorkelers term for visibility....we whine like babies when our viz here is less than 100 feet uw....our viz is most always 100"PLUS!
Yep....it was a trumpet fish.
Hi everyone. It's Sunday morning for me, DH is still snoozin, and the island is sunny and quiet. Thought I'd post this cute little starfish today...there are so very many different types of starfish....and this guy reminded me of something out of a cartoon....all plump and perky.....enjoy!
Love that starfish pic!!
Glad you like it Pepper! Always happy to hear a smile!
I agree Shari...it does sort of have that Pillsbury Doughboyish kind of look...all plump and happy....just like me...all plump and happy....we have a lot of sea cushions here..and many varieties of brittle stars....thanks for sharing!!!
aurabest,
john
these two ruby brittle stars are ...well...umm....ah, you know
j
Oh My Goodness!!!!! Am I glad I saw the title of this thread pass through the recently posted stuff. Incredible photos you all are posting!!! I wanna know who imposed the limit of one per day photos. I could look at this world all day long (through y'all's eyes). All of these creatures are things that most of the folks here on Dave's have never seen. Thank you Islanders for sharing your beautiful world with us.
Please forgive my geographical ignorance, but where in the world are Marshall Islands?
Janet
wriggling my eyebrows (wondering what some of these creatures would look like created from copper and beads)
Oh Janet....I do hope we have inspired you to create something wonderful! But if so, you absolutely MUST post pics HERE!
I started the "one a day" and John sort of said the same thing....we have so many pictures that we could spend all day posting and never get anything else necessary in life done. I'm so glad you dropped by to take a look.
The Marshall Islands are pretty much smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. If you drew a triangle between Honolulu, Darwin, AUS and Tokyo, we would be right in the middle of the triangle.
Where is Beaumont? I'm sure Cowboy knows, since he's from Texas...I have family down in Brownsville, but I'm not really up on Texas geography much.
Once again, welcome to our watery world.
Janet....hope you enjoy all of the pics they've been posting as I'm busy resizing pics we have....we're from Calvert Texas right up the road from Bryan/College Station....yes I know Beaumont...my Dad's a swamp rat and was born in Port Neches....we have lots of family still in the "Golden Triangle" area in Texas...now for where we are....picture in your mind a triangle from Japan to Australia and then Hawaii....inside that triangle almost in the middle would be the Marshall Islands....CB&L
LOL.. I guess we posted at the same time! So, Janet, now that you have the triangle liberally described, do you have an idea of where we are??? Don't blink, you'll miss us. Our little island of Kwajalein is 1/2 mile wide by 31/2 - 4 miles long. You could call us a Texas rubber ducky, since things grow so big there!
Sounds to me like a wonderful place. Paradise!
My Goodness it's a small world CB & L. Thanks to all of you for broadening the world inside my brain with your wonderful images. Much better than sitting there watching National Geographic! Well, OK, that MAY be a stretch. But I think you all know what I mean. :-)
I'll be sure to share this thread with my sister. She and I make copper sculptures from our imaginations mainly. She will appreciate this underwater "tour" as much as I am.
Just so I'll fit in here, I'll tell you that I've been on a glass bottom boat on my honeymoon almost 30 years ago. HAHAHAHAHAHA
Janet
Welcome Janet, good morning everyone!!
I too would like to see your crafts made in the likeness of some of the creatures we photograph. The sea has some really unique creatures as we all see. Glad to be able to share some with y'all. Tell your sister to stop by and say howdy!!
aurabest,
john
Longlure Frogfish
Thanks John, I'll be sure to tell her.
That vivid Frogfish seems to be unhappy about something. Does he ever smile?
You all must have incredible cameras or else the water is just much clearer there. Whatever the case, your photographs are just marvelous!
Janet
not to mention the thousands of rolls of film over the years....
thanks for the praise and thanks for watching this cool thread!!
john
That frogfish does look to be frowning. lol. Love the red on him though.
Great Longlure John! Hiya everyone! (Including those who just lurk!) :-) It's our Monday morning here, which is the second day of our weekend so that we match stateside. DH is playing racquetball, I'm catching up on my DG friends, and then we will join friends and family for brunch up at the chow hall. It has turned into a routine, that we all miss, should something come up and we can't make it. The food is good - not great - but the comraderie and laughter more than make up for any culinary inadequacies. Hope you all got to enjoy some time under that glorious moon last night! Here is a sample of our giant clams....a protected species out here. John, I don't keep up with the laws in other oceans....are yours protected as well?
I don't know if they protect clams around the U.S or not. I know they hate protecting anything that is edible and popular cause they lose out on money but slowly but surely are learning that they are better off if they work to keep the populations stable but still satisfy everyone's hunger for seafood.
We visited a giant clam farm on Kosrae last year....it was fascinating - saw the babies that you have to look at through a microscope, and then saw them in huge tanks separated by age and color! all the way up to 5 and 6 feet across! Magnificent! This marine biologist out there was working with a grant to replenish the giant clams around Kosrae...they had been harvested almost to extinction! We have a much smaler program here, but we are competing with the Marshallese Government who has a farm on an outer island - to harvest and sell the meat!
Wow!!
Hey guys!!!
We have many laws governing different species here...Turtles are protected, but, the Turtle Farm raises a certain number every year for harvest...Blue Iguanas-protected. Certain species of grouper....Conch and Lobster have seasons with limits....but like everywhere else, laws are broken, poaching takes place, lobster out of season..etc...In all the marine parks, you cannot collect, touch, molest etc anything in the marine environment... I shoot everything with a Nikon and buy my fish from fishermen....
Shari, those giant clams are the coolest!!!! we have nothing like that here in Cayman....these are the clams we have...pictured is a rough file clam aka "flaming scallop"
j
j
John - once again your picture is amazing! We have these scallops out here as well - but no pics as close as this. I could post waaay too many giant clams, but instead thought I'd share this cute little Regal Angelfish....when we are down there, diving or snorkeling, they come right up to us and butt up against our masks....then swim over to where they want us to turn a rock or a piece of coral to get at the goodies underneath. Since we have no tourism out here, and no one fishes much in the lagoon, the fish are not afraid of us, and just join right in on the fun!
Beautiful Pics! Its interesting i've been looking at this post this morning and happened to talk with my boss who lives in Miami and usually goes out fishing on the weekend. I asked him about the weekend catch - he said it was not good enough for photos but got some good dolphin photos and caught some sea turtles mating. Thought it might add to the thread.....
Heres one of the dolphin photos
Great shots smartlung! Thanks for joining in here! Check out these funny looking pipe sponges....it's always amazing what you can see in the water!
Love the Shots Smartlung...
The mating turtles are great...we have alot of turtle here...making a comeback since they are protected now and the Turtle Farm is on game in the release program....sadly for us, we get a pod of dolphins occasionally but there isn't a food source to sustain them so they move on.....I was able to get some shots on a trip to the Northwest Bahamas with my bride in late '05....thanks for sharing...and welcome!!
aurabest,
john
Hope you don't mind...
I just ran across this old image of a friend from year's ago...shot on film, just learning about strobe/subject placement...sorry the diver is not illuminated but note that he has prostetic legs.....no limits in diving!!!! He is a real inspiration.....thankful for the chance to be his dive buddy!!!!
I'm in the mood tonight....will most certainly break my one image per day promise i made to my own self....sorry...lol
We call them tube sponge here...come in a variety of color, shape, and size as you can see from Shari's light blue ones to these purple ones...these are in 100 feet of sea...enjoy!
j
Shari, you guys seen any seahorse 'round them parts?????
j
islandgirlie...fire up that yahoo thing....standin by....
j
All fired up Cap'n....standing by.....yes we get seahorses....I'm trying to find some pics.....got a lot to look through. While I'm looking I thought you might enjoy watching these Threestripe Fusilier's playing in the coral.
Oooh, great pics!!
Pepper darlin - you are so easy to please! You sound like you are watching fireworks....ooooh,,, aaaaah....wow! Make me smile everytime I see your posts. Thanks for enjoying our pics....but chime in here! We have made it to 2 pages in 2 weeks. And they said it wouldn't last.....HAH!
okay. last one for the day and I'm turning in.....congrats to all of us for making the tropical gardening forum so much fun for so many!!! sea you kids tomorrow!!!!
aurabest,
john
Oh John, he's exquisite! You take such great pictures! Now I'm watching fireworks! Ooooh! Aaaah! Wow! Can't top that, so I'll go with a LionFish.....He's watching you!
