Moonlighter

Another shot from last Friday's dive at Mindarie. The Moonlighter is common on the reefs here and is also known as the Six Banded Coralfish and the Vinculum.

Masked Stingaree

A fairly uncommon sight in these waters! The shot was taken last Friday on a dive NW of Mindarie Marina in the northern suburbs of Perth. The Masked Stingaree is quite attractive but has a venomous spine on the tail. This one was around 50cm across.

Common Scalyfin

This shot was taken this morning on a site called Coral Gardens, which is about 5 kilometres NW of Mindarie Marina in the northern suburbs of Perth. The depth here is between 18 and 25 metres and vizibility was about 15 metres. The Common Scalyfin, not a very pretty name, is abundant around here and they are usually very bold - coming close to make popping noises and to nip at your extremities.

Paddletail Snapper - Red

This is a similar fish to the one I posted on 16th October, but the colouration is totally different. This shot was also taken at Sipadan Island.

Coral Rockcod

This shot was taken at Sipadan Island off the NE coast of Sabah, formerly Borneo. The Coral Rockcod is also know as the Coral Trout and it can be found in caves and crevices throughout the area from the north of Western Australia up into Asia. The Turtle behind it is resting as they seem to do for most of the day, only surfacing every half hour or so for a breath. If you look closely, there is a little blue and white fish at the bottom of the shot, as yet unidentified.

Truncate Coralfish

This shot was taken two days ago on a dive five kilometeres north west of Mindarie Marina, which is in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. I used to dive here regularly, but it has been some years since I was last here. The weather was overcast and visibility was around 5 - 10 metres, at a depth of 20 metres, with a lot of particles in the water. The Truncate Coralfish is very common on the reefs around Perth and they are usually seen in pairs.

Damselfish

This shot is from Sipadan, off the NE coast of Sabah, formerly Borneo. Damselfish come in many varieties and form colourful shoals over the branching coral. They can quickly dart for cover when they feel threatened.