Tuesday, February 26, 2008

SWV says: "R.I.P Crown Of Thorns Starfish"

During some of our research dives at Siamil Island we have noticed an out-break of the dreaded COTS! This destructive starfish feeds upon the polyps of hard corals and can quickly devastate a reef. It would be a crying shame if Siamil's beautiful table corals met this unfortunate fate. So the Dive Team at SWV had to take action! 
Bobby's weapon of choice: Tank Banger.
The COTS like to hide underneath the table coral.
Preparing the sandy grave.
Allan, Ron, Des and Nick in mourning.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Yuka's Photos

(Photos by: Asanome Yuka)
Juvenile Zebra Lionfish on a Sea Cucumber.
Long Nose Hawkfish.
Saron Shrimps come out at night.
Phyllidiella pustulosa Nudibranch hosting a Goby.

Omedeto! 500 Dives!

Congratulations to Yuka San for making her 500th dive! She was diving at Barracuda Point with her buddy Midori San. 
The third member of the diving trio, Tomomi San, could not be here, she was busy passing her Diving Instructor Exam in Australia......so congratulations also to Tomomi!
We hope to see all three of them back at SWV soon.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Flamboyant Ninja!

This is a short video clip shot by Alex. Sorry it is not the best quality, but it shows the Flamboyant Cuttlefish hunting a goby. Alex described this method of hunting as "Ninja  Style" and explained that the Flambo will change its hunting style depending on the prey.






Thursday, February 14, 2008

Ciao Carla!

Arrivederci! To our instructor from Italy, Carla Modugna.

(Photo: Nick and Carla)
We hope to see her soon and wish her the best of luck for the future. She will be missed by all of the staff here at SWV, especially the Dive Team.  

We still have our Instructor from the UK (Nick) and we are currently looking for other instructors to join our team. If you're interested in working here??? Please let us know.