^^ One of my very favorites – a baby Smooth Trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter). About the size of a pea.
The island of Sint Eustatius, known to locals as Statia, is a little-known diving gem in the Caribbean. Statia is famous for the blue beads that can be found* in its gorgeous sapphire waters, which is the only thing a diver is allowed to remove and bring home as a souvenir. I found the history of the island fascinating but also sad and dark, due to its role in the slave trade.
I got shots of two new critters – always an exciting experience! First is the fabulously-named Cryptic Teardrop Crab (Pelia mutica). These little fellas are about the size of your thumbnail, and they are a type of decorator crab, which means they affix bits of flotsam to themselves. This one uses tiny chunks of red sponge, so he looks like he’s got pompoms all over him.
Next up, a Wire Coral Shrimp (Pseudopontonides prinicpis). This shot and the one above were both taken on a night dive. The little shrimp below was about 1/2″ long, so the eggs were far too tiny for my old eyeballs to see, until I got it up on the laptop. A thrilling shot for me!
June is baby season in Statia. Below is a Pederson Cleaner Shrimp (Ancylomenes pedersoni) with another batch of eggs.
And finally, I don’t shoot much coral, but on that same night dive, I found a few single cup corals which looked incredible under my light, with the black background. Dazzling!
Below are a few more of my favorites from this trip.
*Locals claim that you don’t find the blue bead, it finds you.
