Sunday Night Fish n Pics #28

Schools of bright yellow snapper look so awesome with blue water, cool reef and a few red squirrelfish adding some pop. Makes me actually like shooting wide angle!

Sunday Night Fish n Pics #27

Hawkfish are beautiful and often overlooked fish. They come in a wide variety of colours and sometimes you can find one who will pose for you!

Sunday Night Fish n Pics #26

My weekly share of an image from my underwater adventures is back!

This very mellow green turtle was completely undisturbed by my efforts to maneuver in the considerable swell & around all the coral & bits he was hunkered in behind. In fact, I think that's a small smirk of amusement on his face

Sunday Night Fish n Pics #25

I love that some of the best stuff underwater is tucked up underneath ledges. It's another great reason to slow down and enjoy every inch of the reef!

Sunday Night Fish n Pics #24

Batfish are simply irresistible - especially when they are swimming around in gorgeously clear blue water!

Sunday Night Fish n Pics #23

Another Not Fish Sunday :)

It's turtle mating season here on the Ningaloo Reef and they are out in force this year.

I've been seeing them up on the reef at low tide, in the shallows,

on the dives, resting on the beach and during all of my snorkels.

A few days we've had 100s in a small area - it's amazing!
A small area - all those black spots are turtles, sometimes two turtles stacked!

The males can be quite pesky as they aren't terribly fussy about who or what they mate with. This guy was dogged in his pursuit of me and ended up right on top of my legs despite me trying to push him off with my fins (and a little head slap!)

All of the beaches are covered in turtle tracks and it won't be long before we have lots of little baby turtles hatching and running the gauntlet to the sea.


apologies for some of the less than fabulous shots - I had to use my baby Olympus 720SW and it's just not great.

Sunday Night Fish n Pics #22

Visited one of my favourite sites today out at the Muiron Islands and was rewarded with a trio of grey reef sharks cruising through the cleaning stations. Unfortunately, one of them was being a bit of a pain and looked like he was bullying the others so none spent any time getting scrubbed.

Two of them did circle around the area a few times and I was able to grab a couple of frames.

I love these guys!

Sunday Night Fish n Pics #21

I just adore nudibranchs in all their myriad shapes, colours, patterns and even personality. These brightly coloured clownish looking guys (Gymnodoris rubropapillosa) are quite common on certain dive sites at various times of the year - think I saw nine on this dive! - but I can rarely swim past one without stopping.

I just love their bright orange markings and the way they often seem to sit up all perky-like if you're patient and watch them motor over stuff long enough!

Sunday Night Fish n Pics #20

Not a fish tonight, but still an ocean goer! I've been out a couple of times in the last few weeks to hang with the migrating humpback whales and each time we've had excellent breaches and playful calves. I'm awed every time I see them.


Oh, and I just happened to also be snorkeling today when a mom & bub swam by! I was so totally engrossed in watching them that I only popped off one frame with the baby Canon camera I take snorkeling.

Sunday Night Fish n Pics #19

It was an itsy bitsy teeny weenie yellow polk-a-dot...boxfish!

Exmouth wedding photography - sneak peek!

Maggie & Mohsin are so head over heels in love and so full of the joy of being together that I totally cried during their ceremony on the balcony of their room at the Novotel Ningaloo today.

Maggie's words of wisdom on the way back to the car as we finished sunset photos & I told her she looked beautiful "It's love. When you find it, grab it tight and don't let go. Be in love!" You can see that they certainly are!

Sunday Night Fish n Pics #18

I love a challenge when photographing underwater and can spend hours squinting into tiny crevices and deep into the arms of corals, contorting myself into all sorts of shapes and orientations just to get a shot of a cool crab.

But every once in a while it's nice to come across a big red funky looking crab perched out in the open on a yellow sponge!

Sunday Night Fish n Pics #17

I love when a bright orange-red fish sits quietly under a pink soft coral with a gorgeous blue water background. I can assure you it doesn't happen all the time - those pesky fish really don't do the whole sitting still thing very well most dives!

Sunday Night Fish n Pics - #16

Turtles are irresistible!

This guy was peeking around a corner as I swam along the reef and though he looks a little grumpy with me, he really wasn't. Once I got closer, he just shut his eyes and went back to sleep :)

Sunday Night Fish n Pics - #15

Anglerfish (called frogfish in the US) have to rank in my top three underwater creatures. You can bet if I find one on a dive that I'll be a) using a ton of air giggling & yelling squeeee! through my regulator and b) spending most of my remaining bottom time watching it move its cutie feet & waggling its lure around!

We don't see these nearly often enough here on the Ningaloo Reef and I can remember each and every one I've ever seen over the past 15 years. No, I'm not crazy or (too) obsessive - they're just such special surprises every time!

Sunday Night Fish n Pics - #14

I feel kinda bad for the squirrelfish. They are a nice red colour and there are usually quasi-cooperative groups hanging out along the reef, but somehow I seem to overlook them when it comes to taking photos. They just aren't as fancy or wow-factor as some of the other fishies & critters I come across.

I shouldn't take them for granted because they do take a pretty picture.

Sunday Night Fish n Pics - #13

Smile & show your pretty (sharp) teeth, Little Eel!

Sunday Night Fish n Pics - #12

Blizzard Ridge, one of my favourite dive sites here in Exmouth on the Ningaloo Reef, always has schools of sea perch and I usually hang out with them for a while on each dive.

If I'm patient enough they will surround me and just let me hang out in the middle - very cool!

Sometimes I can maneuver around and get a photo of the school swimming towards & around me which is way more fun than the usual more side on shots, I think.

Sunday Night Fish n Pics - #11

This synchronized pair of Philippine Butterflyfish tagged along with me for a few minutes before deciding I was too boring and picking up their game of leap-frogging each other along the reef.

Sunday Night Fish n Pics - #10

Manta rays are simply amazing - beautiful, graceful, curious. Any dive with a manta is an awesome dive.