My tenth (!), and final blog from my 10 days of Critterfest, Jan 20 - Jan 29, and Blackwater Safari, Jan 30 - Feb 5, 2024

This is my tenth and last blog for 17 great days of diving, 55 dives at Crystal Blue Resort (divecbr.com), Anilao, Philippines. Crystal Blue Resort is really well set up for underwater photographers. Everyone gets their own station in the camera room, it makes setting up your camera really convenient and easy. Below:

Above: Aaron readies his camera Mike Bartick, Crystal Blue Resort's camera pro, is quick to help and has a wide range of camera gear to help you try something different in your photography, below:

I managed to finally select my 50 favorite photos (favorite means just that, not necessarily my 50 best, subject is 70% of the score for me), don't worry, all 50 won't be in the blog, to see all 50, please go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/W12m1s2tpZ2RyRzKA I love cephalopods (octopus, squids, cuttlefish, Chambered nautilus, Argonauts). I'll start with a photo of an extremeley well camouflaged octopus, it's astonishing how quickly they can match their surroundings and disappear, and a second, zoomed in on the head copy of the photo, below:

I've photographed the wonderful adult Wunderpus in the past. I was thrilled with the encounter with a juvenile Wunderpus on my first blackwater dive of the trip, the first night of Blackwater Safari week, below:

Above, I also shot this beautiful Delta Squid on the first night of Blackwater Safari week. I had a couple encounters with wonderful Flamboyant Cuttlefish during Critterfest, below is one:

Finishing up Cephalopods, I encountered lots of both Female Argonauts (shelled, frequently called Paper Nautilus but they are not true nautilus) and male Argonauts. Below:

Above: I startled this female Argonaut and she squirted a cloud of ink. I had my best photo opportunities with Mantis Shrimp I've ever had, both during Critterfest and during Blackwater Safari, below are a couple, a Peacock Mantis Shrimp with eggs and a larval Tiger Mantis Shrimp in blackwater:

I saw and photographed far far far more wonderful shrimp of many species on these dives. Here's three favorites, the first are a pair of Coleman Shrimp on a Fire Urchen, below:

Above: Pair of Emperor Shrimp riding a Sea Cucumber Below: A beautiful transparent shrimp with eggs on hydroids

Below: This was my first time to see and attempt to photograph Spiny Tiger Shrimp. My wonderful dive buddy and excellent photographer, Audrey, warned me that getting a photo where you can actually make our both of the shrimp's eyes, in focus, amid all the other complex structures on the shrimp's head, is very difficult. Yep, truer words....I almost pulled it off...

Finally, my favorite shrimp photo, of magical, nearly invisible to the naked eye, Skeleton Shrimp. You might note their resemblence to some extraterrestrial aliens in the wonderful movie "Men in Black". Below, check out their red eyes! I'd of never shot these without Jhomo finding them and insisting I shoot the "noseeems":

Continuing with Crustaceans, below are some of my favorite crab photos. First, a fantastic anemone wearing Decorator Crab, a beautiful filter feeding (look closely) Porcelain crab sheltering in its sea anemone, and a Zebra Crab sheltering on a Fire Urchin.

Above, I saw many picturesque hermit crabs, this is one of them. Below: A final crustacean, a wonderful hairy squat lobster sheltering on a sponge:

I've heard of Bobbit Worms for years, and have seen photos and videos of them taken by friends and in marine life shows, for years. On a night dive at "The Wharf" or was it called "The Jetty", I finally got to actually see, spend time with, and photo a Bobbit Worm. The worm was amazingly active and aggressive, Jhomo waved his standoff stick over the worm and it shot out of its burrow a foot or so to strike at it! Wish I'd been shooting video as well as stills. Finally, I got to photo a long sought subject, check out its slicing pinchers/jaws that can instantly cut a small fish in half, below:

Finally, moving on to Nudibranchs, I've never seen so many wonderful nudibranchs on other dive trips to match the quantity and variety I saw and photographed on this trip. Below are two of my favorites, pair of nudibranchs mating, joined by a "docking port". Below:

This nudibranch looks otherworldly to me, below:

There were so many amazing fish to photograph. I've seen and photographed innumerable adorable Anemonefish over the years, but I love this photograph of an Anemonefish tending its well developed, close to hatching eggs and the closeup of the babies with their prominent eyes. Below:

I remember reading about shy, disappearing in the sand Garden Eels when reading my first books by the wonderful Jacque Cousteau, "The Silent World" and "The Living Sea" which lead me to decide to take up diving and started saving to pay for scuba gear and lessons right after I finished the books. Finally getting certified and my first tank and regulator in 1967 when I was 13. After seeing Garden Eels for many years, starting with my Honeymood with Donna to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman in 1978, I finally chanced on some right where I needed to stop for my safety stop, in sight of our dive panga, so I was able to park close enough and wait long enough for the shy Spotted Garden Eel to emerge far enough for this photo. 46 years, but who's counting? Below:

So many amazing species of fish, Frogfish of many types the most, by far I've seen on any dive trip, Seahorses (the most I've ever seen on a dive trip, by far), many kinds of Pipefish, Ribbon eels (I'll never forget the first time I saw one in a marine aquarium and learned it was from the Philippines, shortly after I started scuba diving), etc. etc. Below:

What an amazing trip, with big thanks, again, for Richard Salas giving me this wonderful, unplanned, adventure! Below: Sunset looking west from the wonderful Crystal Blue Resort