Underwater world: camouflage masters and other creatures

I've posted a while back about my first experience with underwater photography. I dived again with the same crappy camera, later that day; but this time the dive was in a shallower spot, which means more light, and better photo conditions. That means I got a few decent shots; and I was fortunate to find some cool underwater creatures too!

The corals at this location were far more abundant, and almost all the bottom was covered in rock; large groups of fish were passing by, but withough getting too close. Nevertheless, I was able to get closer to a lot of creatures, and although I couldn't identify the exact species in most of them, I had a good idea about the families which they belonged to.

^Surgeonfish

Surgeonfishes has a sharp bony plate at the base of the tail; see the yellowish spot on the side of that fish? That's were that structure is, and that's where their name comes from!

As for this next one, I almost missed it. Almost...

^Scorpionfish

Did you spot it? If not, check the next photo.

Scorpionfishes are camouflage masters, and can easily blend in with the environment. As with all wildlife, admire, but don't go close: they have dorsal spines that can pass a very potent venom!

The next underwater creature doesn't blend in that easily... lucky me! It was the only one I saw in all the dives here!

^{Loggerhead sea turtle - Caretta caretta}

How cool are turtles? Cabo Verde is one of the best places in the world to see turtles hatching; of course, I went to visit the week AFTER the last turtle left the surveilled nests. So seeing them underwater was a great consolation prize.

As usual, trumpetfishes were everpresent here as well.

^{Atlantic trumpetfish - Aulostomus strigosus}

And another funny looking squid; I love the colour pattern on this one!

The next one, you might have never seen it, but you probably heard it. Ever dived in tropical water and heard a continuous "tic-tic-tic" sound? Very likely, it's these guys nibbling at the rocks and corals!

^Parrotfish

Parrotfishes have a very hard "beak", which they use to feed; most of them feed on vegetation on the rocks, hence the noise!

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Hope to be able to contribute with more underwater photos with my new camera in a near future; meanwhile, time to wrap this up... and a star seems a suitable way to do so! 😉

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