Classifying parrotfish is a headache!

REEF is back! Surreal experience for those who have never observed a group of divers, who not only have almost identical cameras (all 18 of them, with spares!), but also carry with them a board with a survey checklist and underwater pencil, ready to tick all fish seen on a dive. 

(Don't forget your booties pencil, aka spare pencil tucked in a dive boot in case you have a pencil emergency.)

To the untrained eye, it seems like they are not even seeing everything or missing action… and then you feel like a complete fool when they come out of the water and have seen 150 species of fish while you maybe remember the last one that waved goodbye to you at the end of your safety stop. 

Us guides (Semi, Chris and I) got over the shock of seeing their “REEF like” behavior and joined in the fun of learning all the crazy species we have here in Fiji. 

Both Alice and Brice celebrated their birthdays on board, Brice having the extra umph of a 1000th dive survey and a beautiful rendition of happy birthday from the villagers at Somo Somo. 

Photo by Will Ribbens - Black Spot Angelfish

Photo by Will Ribbens - Hawk anthias

Photo by Will Ribbens - Magenta slender anthias

We spent an extra day in the Gau area to dive at a more mangrove-like dive site, Single Tree Point, and it was absolutely fantastic. Felt like a treasure hunt, a meter and half under the surface, going through different underwater bottoms and so many firsts and species not seen during “common” dives. 

Some of these were 

-scribbled rabbitfish

-orange spotted goby

-beautiful goby (these ones are AMAZING)

-saddle shrimp goby

-target shrimp goby

-banded goby (also so so beautiful)

Photo by Will Ribbens - Banded goby

-bluntsnout gregory (damselfish the size of my fist)

Last dive at Gau was the outer ridge near Jim’s Alley and Anthias Avenue; so we named it REEF delight, as we all had a delightful dive there. Plagued by small shrimp gobies everywhere. 

Photo by Will Ribbens - Randall's shrimpgoby

Photo by Will Ribbens - Pink spotted shrimpgoby

Photo by Will Ribbens - Largemouth triplefin blenny

Laurie was the chosen one at Wakaya to dive with Chili for a while at Blue Ridge while the rest of us were looking at… fish, I guess? But the currents were acting up a bit, mucking up the area for the second dive. Some of us did get a bountiful time with a large and active octopus hunting at Lion's Den. 

"It is just amazing to see them out and about, I could have stayed put for the whole hour!"-Janeen

Photo by Will Ribbens - Fiji clown coral blenny

Photo by Will Ribbens - Goldbelly cardinal

Photo by Will Ribbens - Solor boxfish

Christy was incredibly busy not only diving, but teaching fish class in the afternoon and being Martha’s private hairdresser each morning. Two dutch braids a day keeps the hairs from flying in the way. 

Pod of short-finned pilot whales (from the oceanic dolphin family) between our journey from Wakaya and Makogai. At least 6 individuals chilling on the surface!

Barry drove me insane by telling me he saw everything underwater and later I had to discover that he had not… but he did have a point: “I may have not seen it, but IT surely saw me!”

Photo by Will Ribbens - Red-spotted blenny

Photo by Will Ribbens - Leopard blenny

Photo by Will Ribbens - Floral Wrasse

Divers got to observe the biggest dogtooth tuna yet at Kansas and Oz: “It was as big as James!”-Alice

Just another orchestra session underwater.

Everyone got to sea Pontoh's pygmy sea horse, one or two, and as always it was a struggle for the guide to show them, as they settle right at the passage, where the current flows strongest. 

A brief yet beautiful fly by by a chevron manta at Schoolhouse. 

Night divers at Namena island all observed the delicate and elegant silver pearl fish and were subsequently scared sh….less by a huge banded sea krait slithering towards them out of the deep. Big enough for Jason to “jump underwater” and James to think “Yeah… I am not playing” and fin 20 feet away from the group. Can’t blame him. We approximate the creature being 6 to 7 feet long. 

Photo by Will Ribbens - Arrowhead soapfish

Photo by Will Ribbens - Morrison's dragonet

Photo by Will Ribbens - Zebra lionfish

Firsts and/or favorites

I, Clau, saw a Triplespot blenny for the first time at around 60 feet and got to show both James and Shaina, poking his head out of a coral. I do have a blenny obsession at the moment so that was exciting! And piano fangblennies… on top of Humann Nature there were 7 together at some point. 

Chris was pretty happy after witnessing a Lyretail hogfish! 

Photo by Will Ribbens - Whitespot cardinal

Photo by Will Ribbens - Pink eye goby

Photo by Will Ribbens - Cave pygmy goby

Claire, the leader of the Ramsey clan, gave me her 7 favorite encounters on this trip:

-our endemic Fiji anemonefish; big highlight!

-longnose filefish; extremely cute!

Photo by Will Ribbens - Longnose filefish

-Fiji fang blenny was a big one for her as well

Photo by Will Ribbens - Fiji fangblenny

-orange spine unicorn fish; beauties!

-both the arc eye and freckled hawkfish

-the magenta dottyback (fairly similar to purple anthias)

-and both colors of bird wrasse         

Barry, Claire’s good-natured father, was very excited about the juvenile three spotted dascyllus with its neon blue eyes. Even had Claire videoing them for him to look at later on. The blue green chromis, which were schooling at Humann Nature also a big one, and humbug dascyllus: “looks like a jail bird” - a direct Barry Ramsey quote.

Photo by Will Ribbens - Reticulated damselfish & Princess damselfsih

Photo by Will Ribbens - 1 of 3 Ribbon eels

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”- George Bernard Shaw. 

Contribution from Chuck in memory of his mom and in honor of underwater communication.

Sea Mounts E6 and Mount Mutiny did not disappoint; flat seas and a hammerhead shark to boot! 

Vinaka vakalevu to you all for this trip and all the celebrations of knowledge/learning!