Nature makes for strange companions

During a recent dive in Mucky Pirates Bay, I came across an upside-down jellyfish lying in the sand. I wasn’t sure whether it was alive or dead, so I gently prodded it with my muck stick. Imagine my surprise when it started running across the sand! What I didn’t realize was that there was a decorator crab underneath who had adorned this jellyfish like a hat to protect itself from predators. I found another one on a subsequent dive, so this must be fairly common. It’s clear what benefit the crab gets from this relationship…not sure if the jellyfish is too happy about the arrangement.Save

Save

I'm not here. You can't see me
damn this jelly is heavy

Pipefish & Camoflaged Crabs

Ode to pipefish by the Captain

Of Muck & Pirates in the Bay be found
Ghostpipefish by the bushel abound
Ornate, Robust swim around with glee
All await a photograph from Me

Garr ! 😉

Some of the decorator crabs in Mucky Pirates Bay are getting the art of camouflage down pat. And a teeny weeny blue suckered octopus make a house in a piece of discarded pipe.

Dan The Photoman

Yet another photographically inclined member of our ever expanding Sea Rovers Brethren has left us some memories to post.

decorator crab with an upsidedown jellyfish hat, mucky Pirates Bay, Pemuteran

Decorator crabs are always weird things, but here in Sea Rovers own ‘Mucky Pirates Bay’ we do extra wierd. This, one of many, uses one of our resident upside down jellyfish as a cunning disguise.

A Puffer fish, Mucky Pirates Bay, Pemuteran

Puffer Fish and friend

Coiled Octupus posing, Mucky Pirates Bay, Pemuteran

A friendly little Octopus on one of Dan’s night dives provided a nice pose.

Stretchy Octupus posing, Mucky Pirates Bay, Pemuteran

This Octopus decided to stretch out and go for a wonder.

Lionfish, Mucky Pirates Bay, Pemuteran

Lionfish gliding in amongst the corals, nice warm colours on this one.

Hermit crab, Mucky Pirates Bay, Pemuteran

Hermit crab with accompanying anenomes.

Coral Canyon Wreck with divers, Pemuteran

And finally looking from stern to bows, ‘Canyon Wreck’ shows us her Booty 🙂

Nice Photo’s Dan, look forward to seeing more on your next trip out.

The Captain

Mucky Pirates Nights

Been incredibly busy the last few weeks with high season in full swing, so not much time to take new pics. However I did get some nice shots early in July while night diving Mucky Pirates Bay.

Tiger Sole in Mucky Pirates Nights, Pemuteran, NW Bali

A not cunningly disquised Tiger Sole

Sand Eel in Mucky Pirates Nights, Pemuteran, NW Bali

Sand Eel, usually you only ever see their heads pocking out of a hole in the sand. But this night we got to follow him as he hunted.

Baby Lionfish in Mucky Pirates Nights, Pemuteran, NW Bali

Teeny Weeny Lionfish

Spider Decorator Crab in Mucky Pirates Nights, Pemuteran, NW Bali

One of my favourite night time critters, a Spider Decorator Crab.

A delicate Anemone in Mucky Pirates Nights, Pemuteran, NW Bali

And last but by no means least a very pretty Anemone.

More can of course be found in the Sea Rovers face book page where the reef photo albums keep expanding.

Now Back to Diving 😉

The Captain

Sea Rovers Message in e-bottle The pirates who dive
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