The Orangutan Crab

As with many areas of the Indo-Pacific region, we see many of these fuzzy little orangutan crab fellas around Gili Air, as documented in the above picture and below photo taken by Ellie during her Underwater Photography Adventure Dive at our Gili Air dive site, “Turtle Heaven”! The orangutan crab (achaeus japonicus) earned its moniker from its resemblance to a certain ape also found in the region. It is actually a very small member of the decorator crab family and hangs around its bubble coral home during the day where its “fur” catches small bits of food to eat or save for later. You’ll have to look closely when one of our guides points it out because it blends in with natural growths on the surrounding corals.

This orangutan crab was captured on camera by guest Ellie Hopgood

This week we have been busy with fun divers heading out with our local guides to explore the waters around the Gili Islands, all of them returning with big smiles and looking forward to more! One of our teammates from Two Fish South Lombok joined our team for a day to take some guests from Sweden out for some fun dives at Hans Reef and Meno Slope.

We had our first good rain shower on Thursday afternoon which the island soaked up like it was very thirsty! It did cool things down temporarily but we are back to clear skies, hot sand and calm waters!

Would you like to dive in Gili Air with us? Our dive sites are packed with critters, fish, turtles, and of course, orangutan crabs! On land, our white sand beach island is the perfect place to kick back and relax while watching beautiful sunsets over the tropical water! For more information, or to make a confirmed booking for staying with us at Two Fish Divers Gili Air Resort, fill in the form below and we will get right back to you!