Endings...

This is my last day of diving.  I am just doing the two morning dives.

I found this Phyllidiopsis shireenae with its genital aperture out!  The funny thing was that there was no other nudi to be found anywhere.  I guess it was having some "lonely sex".

I have to say that Nando really NAILED IT!!!  I got so many new nudis on these last two dives.  I seriously don’t know how he does it.  He must have bionic vision.

146 - Unknown (tiny lavender with white margin and barely orange rhinophores and gills - maybe Hypselodoris sp. 16 or Thorunna punicea)

147 - Cuthona sp. 9

148 - Unknown (Looks like Phyllidia varicosa but there are only four yellow bumps along the top)

149 - Thorunna sp. 4

150 - Cuthona pinnifera

151 - Goniobranchus sp. 25

152 - Unknown (wispy white one with purple tips - I KNOW I've ID'ed it before on a previous trip - maybe Facelinid sp. 7)

153 - Caloria sp. 2

154 - Limenandra fusiformis (or could possibly be a Noumeaella with the feathered rhinophores)

155 - Unknown (body clear with white sparkly dots - rhinophores and oral tentacles white, yellow cerata with red rings)

156 - Aegires sp. 5

157 - Verconia sp. 5

158 - Verconia sp. 4

159 - Doto sp. 4 (I think)

160 - Chromodoris dianae

161 - Hypselodoris Krakatoa

So, that’s all folks.  33 Dives bringing me up to 1750 lifetime dives.

Most impressive is the fact that we KEPT finding new nudis throughout the trip.  We never leveled off.  Here’s the graph:

Until next time (Slugfest 3 in Anilao)…

The End.

Artsy Fartsy

It’s incredible how many of the divers here are return divers.  Some of them have been here like seven times.  And one older couple is staying for three months.  The wife is going to turn 79 while she is here.  My hero!

On the first dive, Nando got a little artsy on me.  He backlit a goby on a tunicate.  So cool!  

Then he did the “sun” effect.  

We also did it with a Roboastra gracilis.  Not that nudis need any special effects to be beautiful, but this was super awesome.

At the end of the first dive I also encountered my first (and probably only) turtle on this trip.  Then I saw a big dense school of catfish.  So fun.

On the afternoon dive we found a cuttlefish eating a mantis shrimp.  I did an ok job of getting a shot of it, but I feel I could have done MUCH better! 

My nudi count continues to climb at a pretty steep pace.  Usually by now, things flatten out.  Loving Lembeh!

132 - Gymnodoris inornata

133 - Phyllodesmium macphersonae

I'd love to find out exactly who this was named after.

134 - Sagaminopteron bilealbum

135 - Dermatobranchus albus

136 - Dermatobranchus fortunatus

137 - Tritoniopsis elegans

138 - Cratena lineata

139 - Cuthona sp. 65

140 - Hypselodoris maritima

141 - Chelidonura amoena

142 - Goniobranchus preciosus

143 - Trapania sp. 9

144 - Goniobranchus sp. 3

145 - Chromodoris hamiltoni

Schooling Pygmy Mating Wunderpus

Over lunch Zee and I sent funny messages to Graham.  We also worked on identifying many of my unknown nudis.  It’s so much more fun when you have at least one other brancher to compare notes with. 

During one of my dives I thought I ought to have a “Big Year” for my 50^th birthday where I try to see as many nudis as possible.  Hmm…

On the afternoon dive we saw schooling pygmy mating wunderpus!!!

OK, just kidding but we did see mating wunderpus.  The little male was riding on top of the big female… while she foraged for food.  Does that mean the sex was so good that she was now hungry?  Or was the sex so bad she was bored and wanted a sandwich (a la George Castanza).  One will never know…

I was almost to deco and my camera wouldn’t focus so I got a couple of really bad Go Pro videos of it.  I’ll try to screencapture a still and post it.

We rallied for a night dive and they mentioned there might be a Kalinga ornata.  But no dice.  L  I did backlight a batfish for the first time though.  That was pretty cool.

119 - Phyllodesmium undulatum

120 - Unknown (maybe Notobryon wardi but so tough to tell)

121 - Unknown (White blobby - also maybe a Notobryon wardi)

122 - Phyllodesmium longicirrum

123 - Marionia arborescens

124 - Flabellina sp. 7

125 - Hypselodoris sp. 14

126 - Notodoris gardineri

127 - Rostanga sp. 2

128 - Okenia kendi

129 - Unknown (just itty bitty - you can see brown rhinophores)

130 - Unknown (Eubranchus with white rhinophores and see through sacs with orange branches in them)

131 - Carminodoris flammea