Diving Coral Reefs

[BaysEndReef]

I think it would be interesting to see if anyone has photos of coral, fish, or inverts in the wild. I have always wanted to dive a reef, but have never had the chance to experience it. Make me jealous!

Where did you dive?
Did you experience this before or after you started in the hobby?
What was your favorite living thing to see while diving a reef?

Happy reefing!!

 

[PicassoClown04]

Hi! I’ve been a diver for 7 years now and have been all over the world!! The Red Sea was definitely an experience I’ll never forget but the carpet of anemones and clowns in Thailand were breathtaking as well! I mostly dive the Caribbean because it’s pretty close to home Here’s some pics I have on my phone right now, I’ll try to download some more from my computer in the morning

Red Sea
Clarkii clownfish attacking my camera after getting too close

Grand Cayman
Cuttlefish! A common sight in shallow water, these were right next to the exit ladder!

Very blue parrotfish on the reef, you can hear these guys crunching on coral underwater! I am unsure of the exact species

A very large and invasive Volitian lionfish! This particular specimen made for a very nice ceviche that night! (We are all liscensed lion fish spear divers, we clear these invasive fish from places they’re not supposed to be)

Bigeye Squirrel Fish with Parasite (Isopod?) on Head!

A curious coral banded shrimp that crawled on my dad’s hand!

snowflake eel saying hi! Unfortunately, I have seen a decrease in the number of eels in recent years. They used to be extremely common. I think it may be due to lionfish eating the small fish that would usually provide food for juvinile eels but this is just my personal theory, no science or research behind it

Spotted boxfish! Skin is poisonous but they are still very skittish

Group of small blue fish (young parrotfish?) over the coral reef. They exhibit loose schooling behavior

A very photogenic turtle!

Poisonous (also possibly venomous?) nudibranch in the crack between two corals. I believe it’s related to the blue sea dragon nudi (blue glaucus)

A particularly beautiful Christmas tree worm!

A flamingo’s tongue feeding on a purple sea fan

Caribbean stingray with a pilot fish

Gorgeous pair of juvinile drums!

Roatan
6 months after lobster season and there is a horde of them underneath the hull of a sunken ship

Symbiosis between the turtle and the French angels! The turtle gets a parasite cleaning and the angels get a meal & snack on bits of the sponge the turtle is eating!

MASSIVE green moray eel following us through the reef as we speared lionfish. We participate in a program that involves feeding mortally wounded/dead lionfish to predators in the reef (like this moray) to encourage them to hunt the lions. Eels actually feel very similar to wet feathers in my opinion due to their thick slime coat! This one was very friendly but I was still very wary of it, it was about 6 feet long!

a nurse shark taking a nap during the day in a cave. We were careful to not disturb it

A filefish on the reef! These guys were MEAN

a cute pufferfish chilling under an overhang. You could really see the teeth on this guy

Unknown Location (most likely Caribbean)

Pair of butterfly fish! Always a treat to see a pair of fish

A beautiful anemone! We were thinking Condylactis, but this may be incorrect

A wild blue stripe pipefish! I have always wanted one for my aquarium but will probably never get one due to their diet and size

Another boxfish! This one slightly braver than the first one

 

[BaysEndReef]

Hi! I’ve been a diver for 7 years now and have been all over the world!! The Red Sea was definitely an experience I’ll never forget but the carpet of anemones and clowns in Thailand were breathtaking as well! I mostly dive the Caribbean because it’s pretty close to home Here’s some pics I have on my phone right now, I’ll try to download some more from my computer in the morning

Red Sea
Clarkii clownfish attacking my camera after getting too close

Grand Cayman
Cuttlefish! A common sight in shallow water, these were right next to the exit ladder!

Very blue parrotfish on the reef, you can hear these guys crunching on coral underwater! I am unsure of the exact species

A very large and invasive Volitian lionfish! This particular specimen made for a very nice ceviche that night! (We are all liscensed lion fish spear divers, we clear these invasive fish from places they’re not supposed to be)

Bigeye Squirrel Fish with Parasite (Isopod?) on Head!

A curious coral banded shrimp that crawled on my dad’s hand!

snowflake eel saying hi! Unfortunately, I have seen a decrease in the number of eels in recent years. They used to be extremely common. I think it may be due to lionfish eating the small fish that would usually provide food for juvinile eels but this is just my personal theory, no science or research behind it

Spotted boxfish! Skin is poisonous but they are still very skittish

Group of small blue fish (young parrotfish?) over the coral reef. They exhibit loose schooling behavior

A very photogenic turtle!

Poisonous (also possibly venomous?) nudibranch in the crack between two corals. I believe it’s related to the blue sea dragon nudi (blue glaucus)

A particularly beautiful Christmas tree worm!

A flamingo’s tongue feeding on a purple sea fan

Caribbean stingray with a pilot fish

Gorgeous pair of juvinile drums!

Roatan
6 months after lobster season and there is a horde of them underneath the hull of a sunken ship

Symbiosis between the turtle and the French angels! The turtle gets a parasite cleaning and the angels get a meal & snack on bits of the sponge the turtle is eating!

MASSIVE green moray eel following us through the reef as we speared lionfish. We participate in a program that involves feeding mortally wounded/dead lionfish to predators in the reef (like this moray) to encourage them to hunt the lions. Eels actually feel very similar to wet feathers in my opinion due to their thick slime coat! This one was very friendly but I was still very wary of it, it was about 6 feet long!

a nurse shark taking a nap during the day in a cave. We were careful to not disturb it

A filefish on the reef! These guys were MEAN

a cute pufferfish chilling under an overhang. You could really see the teeth on this guy

Unknown Location (most likely Caribbean)

Pair of butterfly fish! Always a treat to see a pair of fish

A beautiful anemone! We were thinking Condylactis, but this may be incorrect

A wild blue stripe pipefish! I have always wanted one for my aquarium but will probably never get one due to their diet and size

Another boxfish! This one slightly braver than the first one

These are absolutely breathtaking!!! I am soooo jealous!!

 

[Billdogg]

I got certified in 1990. Mostly Caribbean, but I've been as far west as Hawaii, as far north as the Great lakes. Quarries, freshwater lakes, the crystal clear springs of Florida, Cenote's in Mexico, 0-140' in the ocean, diving with the Sea Lions in the Sea of Cortez, Deep dives with schools of hammerheads, even a repurposed lead mine (Bon Terre, Mo.) Never a bad dive. Some certainly more interesting than others, but never a bad dive.

Tobermory, Canada. 5 fathoms Marine Park - Bring your Drysuit!!!

Bonaire

San Salvador, Bahamas

Roatan, Honduras

Florida Keys

Sea of Cortez

Hawaii

 

[Everything Aquatics]

Hi! I’ve been a diver for 7 years now and have been all over the world!! The Red Sea was definitely an experience I’ll never forget but the carpet of anemones and clowns in Thailand were breathtaking as well! I mostly dive the Caribbean because it’s pretty close to home Here’s some pics I have on my phone right now, I’ll try to download some more from my computer in the morning

Red Sea
Clarkii clownfish attacking my camera after getting too close

Grand Cayman
Cuttlefish! A common sight in shallow water, these were right next to the exit ladder!

Very blue parrotfish on the reef, you can hear these guys crunching on coral underwater! I am unsure of the exact species

A very large and invasive Volitian lionfish! This particular specimen made for a very nice ceviche that night! (We are all liscensed lion fish spear divers, we clear these invasive fish from places they’re not supposed to be)

Bigeye Squirrel Fish with Parasite (Isopod?) on Head!

A curious coral banded shrimp that crawled on my dad’s hand!

snowflake eel saying hi! Unfortunately, I have seen a decrease in the number of eels in recent years. They used to be extremely common. I think it may be due to lionfish eating the small fish that would usually provide food for juvinile eels but this is just my personal theory, no science or research behind it

Spotted boxfish! Skin is poisonous but they are still very skittish

Group of small blue fish (young parrotfish?) over the coral reef. They exhibit loose schooling behavior

A very photogenic turtle!

Poisonous (also possibly venomous?) nudibranch in the crack between two corals. I believe it’s related to the blue sea dragon nudi (blue glaucus)

A particularly beautiful Christmas tree worm!

A flamingo’s tongue feeding on a purple sea fan

Caribbean stingray with a pilot fish

Gorgeous pair of juvinile drums!

Roatan
6 months after lobster season and there is a horde of them underneath the hull of a sunken ship

Symbiosis between the turtle and the French angels! The turtle gets a parasite cleaning and the angels get a meal & snack on bits of the sponge the turtle is eating!

MASSIVE green moray eel following us through the reef as we speared lionfish. We participate in a program that involves feeding mortally wounded/dead lionfish to predators in the reef (like this moray) to encourage them to hunt the lions. Eels actually feel very similar to wet feathers in my opinion due to their thick slime coat! This one was very friendly but I was still very wary of it, it was about 6 feet long!

a nurse shark taking a nap during the day in a cave. We were careful to not disturb it

A filefish on the reef! These guys were MEAN

a cute pufferfish chilling under an overhang. You could really see the teeth on this guy

Unknown Location (most likely Caribbean)

Pair of butterfly fish! Always a treat to see a pair of fish

A beautiful anemone! We were thinking Condylactis, but this may be incorrect

A wild blue stripe pipefish! I have always wanted one for my aquarium but will probably never get one due to their diet and size

Another boxfish! This one slightly braver than the first one

I would love to dive in coral reef one time, I go diving in New England might not be as colorful but it’s still cool

 

[sp1187]

no pics. they now reside in my memory. no idea where the photo album is.
everything was film through a Nikonis 3 back in the day.

I'm old enough to remember watching "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau".
Started snorkeling as a kid. Certified SCUBA in 1984. Instructor in 1987.
Started keeping tanks in 1984.
Tank 1: a white mouth moray, 2 snowflake morays, & a volitan lion.
Tank 2: brown button polyps (palys), yellow polyps, a bluering octopus.

Dives:
Great Lakes wrecks
Detroit River
Local gravel pits
Freshwater springs in Florida
Crystal River (with the manatees)
Florida wrecks
Florida Gulf Stream drift dive
Florida Keys
Cayman Brac
Tobermory (Ice Dive)
Bahamas (Live Aboard)
Bahamas (Abaco)
British Virgin Islands (Live Aboard)
Belize
Maui

most memorable not in any particular order...

Cayman Brac: first saltwater dive. rental equipment. getting ready to do a backroll off the side and the tank separates from the backpack, with regulator, in 60' of water.
Captain sez to me, before sending the mate to get it, "That's 60 feet.... hope you can hold your breath.".
Did the dive,. Got motion sickness hanging on the tag line waiting to get back on the boat.
Get to the ladder and my Open Water Instructor sez "how was it?"
Me: AAAAAaaarrrrrrgggghhhhhhh (feeding the fish)
Instructor: "that good...."

Crystal River with the manatees. combo weekend of dives and snorkeling. if you have the chance GO!

Tobermory ice dive: more rental equipment. 4 hours on the ice waiting for my turn.
my turn. yea! what was I thinking????? instant vertigo. don't get sick...don't get sick...your dive partner (my instructor again) has a camera. 10 minutes in, the regulator freezes. overflow. so I spent 4 hours on the ice waiting for a 10 minute dip in ice water. did have nice pic of me under 9" of ice.

Belize: great reefs. having the dive guide tease a 4' green moray from its lair. handing it off to me and it laying in my arms while I petted it like a puppy. fish are "tame" as there is no spearfishing and the get fed by divers regularly.
snorkeling at the break in the reef at the resort. water depth went from 4' to 40' vertical. as I hit the edge, six 3'-4' tarpon came right up the edge in my face. awesome!

Maui: dove with a couple, both U of Hawaii grads in marine biology, off their 30' Boston Whaler. they only took out 6 customers per trip. not like the "cattle boat" operations of 40-60 people. had a book of dive sites they had found.
first dive was on a WW2 tank, less the turret, in 60'. incredible the amount of sea life on, around and in it. nothing else around it as far as you could see (200' viz).
second dive was lava tubes. a lot of big turtles on the outside. going into the tube, with the dive guide, we were met by a white tip reef shark coming the other way.

Local gravel pits
turning over rocks, where crayfish were hiding and having large mouth bass come within inches of me to grab the crayfish.

favorite life:
morays, manatees, all inverts, everything macro. I love tunicate colonies.
edit: mermaids

long winded. sorry.

 

[ScottR]

Hi! I’ve been a diver for 7 years now and have been all over the world!! The Red Sea was definitely an experience I’ll never forget but the carpet of anemones and clowns in Thailand were breathtaking as well! I mostly dive the Caribbean because it’s pretty close to home Here’s some pics I have on my phone right now, I’ll try to download some more from my computer in the morning

Red Sea
Clarkii clownfish attacking my camera after getting too close

Grand Cayman
Cuttlefish! A common sight in shallow water, these were right next to the exit ladder!

Very blue parrotfish on the reef, you can hear these guys crunching on coral underwater! I am unsure of the exact species

A very large and invasive Volitian lionfish! This particular specimen made for a very nice ceviche that night! (We are all liscensed lion fish spear divers, we clear these invasive fish from places they’re not supposed to be)

Bigeye Squirrel Fish with Parasite (Isopod?) on Head!

A curious coral banded shrimp that crawled on my dad’s hand!

snowflake eel saying hi! Unfortunately, I have seen a decrease in the number of eels in recent years. They used to be extremely common. I think it may be due to lionfish eating the small fish that would usually provide food for juvinile eels but this is just my personal theory, no science or research behind it

Spotted boxfish! Skin is poisonous but they are still very skittish

Group of small blue fish (young parrotfish?) over the coral reef. They exhibit loose schooling behavior

A very photogenic turtle!

Poisonous (also possibly venomous?) nudibranch in the crack between two corals. I believe it’s related to the blue sea dragon nudi (blue glaucus)

A particularly beautiful Christmas tree worm!

A flamingo’s tongue feeding on a purple sea fan

Caribbean stingray with a pilot fish

Gorgeous pair of juvinile drums!

Roatan
6 months after lobster season and there is a horde of them underneath the hull of a sunken ship

Symbiosis between the turtle and the French angels! The turtle gets a parasite cleaning and the angels get a meal & snack on bits of the sponge the turtle is eating!

MASSIVE green moray eel following us through the reef as we speared lionfish. We participate in a program that involves feeding mortally wounded/dead lionfish to predators in the reef (like this moray) to encourage them to hunt the lions. Eels actually feel very similar to wet feathers in my opinion due to their thick slime coat! This one was very friendly but I was still very wary of it, it was about 6 feet long!

a nurse shark taking a nap during the day in a cave. We were careful to not disturb it

A filefish on the reef! These guys were MEAN

a cute pufferfish chilling under an overhang. You could really see the teeth on this guy

Unknown Location (most likely Caribbean)

Pair of butterfly fish! Always a treat to see a pair of fish

A beautiful anemone! We were thinking Condylactis, but this may be incorrect

A wild blue stripe pipefish! I have always wanted one for my aquarium but will probably never get one due to their diet and size

Another boxfish! This one slightly braver than the first one

Absolutely stunning

 

[airmotive]

Tobermory, Canada. 5 fathoms Marine Park - Bring your Drysuit!!!

My family has had some cabins on Lake Kagawong on Manitoulin for over a century. Always wanted to dive 5fathom and some of the island lakes. But can't even get across the border ight now

My wife and I have dived in Puerto Rico, Belize, Hawaii, Vietnam, and Seychelles. Hope to make it out to Australia once the covid storm has passed. There's also a C-130 off the coast of Jordan I'd like to dive.

I've found scuba diving with my spouse really helps with her enthusiasm for my hobby. She'll see something interesting on a dive and research it to see if it's tankable. She's also Keen to spot specimens we already have swimming in the wild. She has earned the nickname "shark bait". No matter where she goes, sharks follow.

 

[Patientman]

Thank you for sharing the "dive pics"! DELIGHTFUL!

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

Not a coral reef but this is me at Guadalupe Island Mexico

I used to live in the Florida Keys, so I dived at least a couple times a week

 

[Patientman]

Enjoying this thread immensely!
Hoping there are a whole lot more dive pics coming our way! Gives us a peek of the beauty and vastness of the undersea world we all try so hard to replicate!

 

[SamsReef]

Thanks for starting this thread. Would love to see some indo reef dives.

Sam

 

[Everything Aquatics]

I was supposed to dive usvi this year but covid

 

[brett_schn]

I think it would be interesting to see if anyone has photos of coral, fish, or inverts in the wild. I have always wanted to dive a reef, but have never had the chance to experience it. Make me jealous!

Where did you dive?
Did you experience this before or after you started in the hobby?
What was your favorite living thing to see while diving a reef?

Happy reefing!!

Live in Florida. I dive all the time! In the keys and mainly in Fort Lauderdale. I’ll go see if I have videos I can pull up later!
It’s beautiful and so peaceful and serene.

 

[BaysEndReef]

Thank you all for the absolutely stunning photos and the captivating dive stories!!! The motivation to dive for the first time is increasing. Keep the stories and pics coming!

 

[DivingTheWorld]

I was first certified in '89, been diving all over the world (hence the avatar). I had saltwater tanks long before then though and I would say the hobby inspired me to dive. Anyways, I'd say my favorite dive location is Palau, but followed closely by Fiji. You asked for coral pics so here's some from Fiji:

 

[BaysEndReef]

I was first certified in '89, been diving all over the world (hence the avatar). I had saltwater tanks long before then though and I would say the hobby inspired me to dive. Anyways, I'd say my favorite dive location is Palau, but followed closely by Fiji. You asked for coral pics so here's some from Fiji:

WOW!!! That is AMAZING!!!

 

[SakuraSky]

I thought I would add to this thread I was searching for if anyone started a thread or posted diving pictures I have some to share, although they are not that beautiful due me just having a $20 underwater camera I still think they are pretty neat! I vowed after this trip I would get a gopro. Lol
This was Hanauma Bay, Hawaii
I dream about going back, ive been twice and can't wait to go back.

My absolute favorite fish to see was the Christmas wrasse (2nd was the male red lipped parrot fish)

I was very privileged to see this beautiful giant pair of sailfin tangs

 

[BaysEndReef]

I thought I would add to this thread I was searching for if anyone started a thread or posted diving pictures I have some to share, although they are not that beautiful due me just having a $20 underwater camera I still think they are pretty neat! I vowed after this trip I would get a gopro. Lol
This was Hanauma Bay, Hawaii
I dream about going back, ive been twice and can't wait to go back.

My absolute favorite fish to see was the Christmas wrasse (2nd was the male red lipped parrot fish)

I was very privileged to see this beautiful giant pair of sailfin tangs

Those are beautiful!! The Christmas Wrasse is gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[jdiefenbaugh]

Still waiting to make a trip to the Indo Pacific, but nothing more impressive than mature palmatta colonies, in my opinion.