This week in Lembongan…. There is a lot more then just the big creatures here in Lembongan. To some divers it’s not the size that matters. Sadly it has been the motion of the ocean that has stopped us getting out to the manta spots this week but our dive guides have been finding lots of small creatures tucked away in the reef. Just like this goby fish sliding up and down the whip coral.
The amazingly diverse coral reef structure around lembongan, provides the perfect home for these tiny creatures while they grow from juveniles to full grown adults, find a mate and continue the circle of life. Of the crazy creatures that our amazing dive guides magically reveal hidden around the colourful coral, we commonly find:
- Candy Crabs – is a very colourful crab that grows from 1.5 to 2 cm. It lives on various species of soft coral. It camouflages itself by mimicking the colours of the polyps among which it hides.
- Boxer Crab – They are notable for their mutualism with sea anemones which they hold in their claws for defence. In return, the anemones get carried around which may enable them to capture more food particles with their tentacles.
- Juvenile Emperor Angel Fish – At dusk, a pair of emperor angelfish will rush to the surface, away from the reef, to mate in area where fertilized eggs can be taken away on currents, and then they then scurry back down to the reef.
- Mantis Shrimp – The mantis shrimp has one of the most elaborate visual systems ever discovered. Some of the largest species can break aquarium glass by striking it!
But sometimes size does matter and one of the great highlights of this week is the amount of Molas that we have been seeing. We have been seeing at least one or two Molas a day. With some days both of our boats at different dive sites having had the luck to spot Molas. So for the ones looking for Molas come with us for a few days diving and maybe some of our luck will rub off one you and you will have the chance to dance with the Mola!