When people say to us “Don’t show us any more Hairy Octopus” you know it’s been a great week of diving in Lembeh!  This week in Lembeh our guests have been spoiled by the amazing critters coming out to play with the highlight being several sightings of Hairy Octopus and Velvet Ghost Pipefish.

The Hairy Octopus is one of the rarest and shyest of the Octopuses, which makes for a tall order for the dive guides when seasoned muck divers ask about the possibility of finding one during their stay.  But muck divers old and new have been treated this week as the guides found three different individuals.  Hairy Octopus are small (think of the size of a small Blue Ringed Octopus), and have amazing camouflage amongst the rubble where they love to hide in holes and crevices.  This photo shows the scale rally well as the octopus rests on a discarded cigarette packet!

Velvet Ghost Pipefish have also been spotted this week, with three of these highly prized critters found on one dive site.  Their purplish-pink colour and sponge-like texture make them a great photo subject on the rare occasions they are found.  Delicate, Robust and Ornate Ghost Pipefish have also been seen on several sites…  We’re hoping for the Halimeda Ghost pipefish this week to complete the series!

We have also seen the new “Lembeh Ocellated Frogfish” which is believed to be a separate species seen only in Lembeh (so far!), as well as Randalls, painted Giant, Warty / Clown Frogfish and of course the Hairy Frogfish.

Lots of our guests have been happily ticking off their wish lists each day with an abundance of fun critters including Wunderpus, Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Tiger Shrimp, Mimic Octopus, all four types of Pygmy Seahorse, Harlequin Shrimp, Ambon Scorpionfish, Lembeh Sea Dragons, Hairy Shrimp, Boxer Crab, Blue Ringed Octopus, Stargazers, Bobbit Worms…  The list goes on and on!

We welcome back some familiar faces this week too with Tarja & Jari, Brian, Paul & Jo, and Umi & Ahmat.