NAD Lembeh

Seastar Shrimps are the ultimate hitchhikers of the reef. These tiny commensal crustaceans spend their entire lives living on the surface of sea stars, particularly the large Cushion Stars or the vibrant Blue Linckia. They have a flattened body shape that allows them to hug the surface of their host, staying low to avoid being swept away by currents or spotted by passing predators.

What makes them so interesting is their ability to change colour to match their specific host. If the sea star is a deep burgundy, the shrimp will often adopt a matching dark hue; if the host is a pale yellow, the shrimp lightens up accordingly. They typically live in pairs or small groups, scavenging for tiny particles of food and mucus trapped on the host's skin, benefiting from the sea star's natural defences without causing it any harm.

When you're trying to document these, the challenge isn't just finding them—it's getting a clean angle. They tend to tuck themselves into the grooves between the sea star's arms or hide under the curve of the body. The best approach is to get as low as possible, aiming for a side-on profile or a top down profile that shows the beautiful patterns and colours of their host.

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#水中写真 #ダイビング

Nudibranchs and sea slugs are the undisputed heavyweights of the "bright and bizarre" category in the underwater world. In an environment that is mostly sand and drab rubble, their neon purples, electric blues, and vivid oranges seem like an evolutionary mistake at first glance. However, these intense colours are far from accidental; they are a sophisticated survival mechanism known as aposematism.

Essentially, a sea slug is a soft, slow-moving snack with no shell for protection. To avoid being eaten, many species have evolved to become "distasteful" or even toxic by recycling the chemical defences of the things they eat—like sponges, hydroids, and bryozoans. The bright patterns act as a clear, visual warning to any potential predator: "I look like this because I taste terrible."

For photography, this bold behaviour makes them incredibly rewarding subjects. Because they aren't trying to hide, they often sit in prominent positions that allow for clear, unobstructed shots. To make a slug really pop, the best approach is to focus on separating it from the background. By using a wide aperture to create a creamy bokeh or using a narrow beam of light to isolate the slug, you can draw the viewer’s eye directly to those incredible colour transitions and patterns that define the species.

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#水中写真 #ダイビング