Fifth blog from 17 days and nights of diving at Crystal Blue Resort, Anilao, Philippines January 20 through February 5, 2024

The heavy diving scedule guarantees big apetites, below:

Crystal Blue Resort serves great meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, buffet style. Breakfast includes a cook to make you eggs your way as well as omelets, you can also order pancakes, French toast, or waffles. Below are some example menus etc from mealtimes.

Below are some more of the wonderful crustaceans {shrimp, mantis shrimp, crabs, squat lobster) I photo'd. First are Mantis Shrimp, I always look forward to these guys.

Below is a closeup of a mantis shrimp in its burrow where you can see its stabbing arm folded, ready for a blindingly fast strike. Mantis shrimp are very aggressive predators.

Banded Coral Shrimp, below:

Bubble Coral Shrimp, below:

Below, Spiny Tiger Shrimp have incredibly complex head structures which makes it very hard to find their eyes to focus on:

There was a wonderful variety of transparent and translucent "glass" anemone shrimp, below:

Cryptic Sponge Shrimp, about 3/4 inch, below:

Brokenback Shrimp. I had a serious failure of my submersible pressure gauge while photographing the third shrimp, here. My tank pressure plunged from 800 lbs to 300 lbs while shooting its picture, at 65 ft. I had to high tail it upslope to do a 2 instead of three minute safety stop before surfacing with a drained tank. Below:

Below: Whip coral shrimp, about 1/4 inch.

I love "Men in Black"! A set of aliens in the film are modeled off of Skeleton Shrimp, very hard to see, amazing creatures, below:

A final few interesting shrimp, below:

Below, Hairy Squat Lobsters:

Below: Spotted Porcelain Crabs cohabitate sea anemones with Anemone Fish

Above, look closely and you can see the Porcelain Crab filter feeding with its "net". Below: Orangutan Crab, in center of photo, camouflaged with algae. I took pictures of dozens of Orangutan Crabs, this is the only photo where, if you look carefully, you can spot its eyes and other features.

Amazing Hermit Crabs, below:

Amazing and beautiful anemone decorated crab, below:

Below, Whip Coral Crabs:

More crabs and squat lobster:

So many excellent subjects, thanks to outstanding guides like Jhomer!