Gobies and Blind Shrimp in Gili Air
Most divers are familiar with the sight of a gobies sitting steadfastly next to a small hole in the sand. If you’ve paid close enough attention, you may have noticed that the goby is not alone, rather is accompanied by a small shrimp pushing bits of rubble out of that small hole! Our guest last week, Joanne Taylor, captured the striking image above of the two together! The fascinating symbiotic relationship between these two different creatures is one of nature’s marvels. While it may look as though the goby is lazily supervising as the shrimp cleans house, its role in the relationship is far more important than that. These small “pistol”, “blind” or “snapping” shrimps have very poor eyesight and are at great risk to predators as they keep their burrow clean, so they rely on the vigilance of the goby fish to keep watch for any signs of danger as it goes about its cleaning routine. At any sign of danger (and this could include you, diver!) the goby will dart inside the burrow and the shrimp will quickly follow suit. In exchange for its job as shrimp-guard, the goby has free accommodation inside the burrow! So next time you spot a goby on guard, keep some distance and watch for the small shrimp bulldozing sand out of their home!
Melanie and Jenny at Two Fish Divers Gili Air
This week brought us some more much-needed rainfall, but that didn’t stop Melanie from getting her confined water training completed with instructor Komang in our swimming pool! While it may have been a bit chilly at the surface, the two were warmer when they were underwater than the rest of us waiting out the rain at the surface! Even guide, Jen, sat in the pool during their training in order to keep warm!
When the weather improved, Melanie completed her open water dives with instructor Jenny at Frogfish Point, Home Reef and Turtle Heaven. Congratulations to Melanie on her PADI Open Water certification!
Joanne and David continued their week of fun diving with us and Joanne captured some amazing photos of the tiny critters Jen was able to spot with his keen eye. Check out our Facebook page for more photos by Joanne Taylor!
The island has slowed down a bit, but instructor Jenny is keeping busy with a PADI Junior Open Water Course. Did you know that the minimum age to participate in scuba diving is 10 years old? It’s also a great family activity, so why not get certified together on your next family holiday?! Fill in the form below for more information…
Are you planning your next dive trip? Not sure where to visit in Indonesia? Gili Air is easy to combine with other destinations. Did you know that we are just a short boat ride away from mainland Bali, Nusa Lembongan Island and South Lombok and that we have dive resorts in all of these locations? Turn your Indo dive trip into an Indo Dive Safari!
For more information or to make a reservation, fill in the form below and we will get right back to you!
