The lovely Lionfish of Lembeh display their awesome colours on almost every dive! This beautiful picture of a Juvenile Common Lionfish was taken by our guests, Kevin and Simone.

This Common Lionfish comes from the family, Scorpaenidae and this particular one is from the genus, Pterois miles, and is also known as the Devil Firefish. They are carnivorous and feed on other fish, crustaceans and invertebrates. Over 70 different species of fish are consumed by Lionfish. The Lionfish can consume a prey of up to half their own body length! They are capable of reproducing all year round and this occurs about every four days. This, along with the fact they have few predators, is the main reason they have become an invasive species in many of our seas and in some countries, are even being culled.

Lionfish are primarily nocturnal, and this is when they do most of their hunting. Throughout the day they nestle into coral reefs or structures. They all possess venomous spines, which protect them from predators. They have approximately 18 venomous spines, depending on the Species. These are Pelvic spines, anal spines and dorsal spines. If a human comes into contact these spines they can cause excruciating pain and in some instances, can be fatal. Treatment for a Lionfish sting is to remove any spines visible, then treat with hot water on the area – as hot as you can stand for as long as you can stand. It is always a good idea to seek professional medical help, if possible. Best advice, like all our sea creatures – do not touch!

This week in Lembeh our guests also had the pleasure of seeing the Blue Ringed Octopus, Hairy Frogfish, Peacock Mantis Shrimp and much much more!

We welcomed back to Lembeh returning guests, Caitrin and Didi from Austria and Veronique from France. Joining them, we also had guests from New Zealand, Germany, the UK and the USA.

Happy Bubbles!