14 April 2009 Dive 1, 7:30, Delsan Wreck We went a way back from the wreck, to the point where our boatman said it was a different dive site altogether! But the drift was so strong, we ended up in the wreck at the end. Saw long lines, and coral was dangling from under one [...]
13 April 2009 Dive 1, 7:30am, Malayan Wreck Blue water hang at 20 meters, waiting for schooling hammerhead sharks to pass by. This was a test of patience. We have never been lucky with hammerheads and often have to explain to the dive masters that we bring bad hammerhead luck. But the plankton was interesting. [...]
12 April 2009 Dive 1, 7:30 am, Bird Islet’s Washing Machine Schooling jacks - LOTS Hardly any current, but this dive was fantastic. Our dive master Omer Alanis already pre-checked where the huge school of jacks was, and made us go down exactly where they were. The water was finally crystal clear, and [...]
11 April 2009 Dive 1, 7:30am, Malayan wreck Malayan wreck with jacks in the shallows It was the first dive of the trip, and it started with very slight current and some fan corals. The highlight of the dive came towards the end, when we reached the wreck in very shallow waters. There [...]
10 April 2009 Puerto Princesa Pier Again had lovely breakfast with Angelique, Norman and their son Nathan Songco. Their house is just so lovely and a squirrel decided to pass us by hopping from tree to tree. Not everything with four legs gets eaten in the Philippines, as is the common knowledge. We had crispy [...]
Chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) Now how did these beautiful deep-sea living fossils become so vulnerable? Our untiring quest to get them protected is unwavering. We must learn more about them before we can fight for their preservation. Guests help out Undersea Explorer marine biologist Qamar to engrave, photograph and measure caught nautilus for research [...]
Minke whale passing Lighthouse Bommie Mike Ball Dive Expedition in Pixie's Pinnacle - split level Mike Ball's luxurious liveaboard Spoil Sport brought us to the Great Barrier Reef's famous Ribbon Reefs to interact with the playful minke whales. Moored in Lighthouse Bommie, minkes passed under us criss-crossing the [...]
Undersea Explorer crew collect tissue samples of a grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) at Osprey Reef North Horn on the UE back deck. Karl measuring a nautilus as part of the marine research done onboard the Undersea Explorer And yet another exciting trip on the Undersea Explorer for more science [...]
Yogi's Daintree EcoLodge slideshow flyer We were invited to give a public slideshow in a wonderful place called the Daintree EcoLodge & Spa. With our brochure nicely done and announcements in the Port Douglas Gazette, the turnout was pretty good and it was an altogether fantastic 2 hour affair at the heart of Far [...]
One of the best-known bioluminescent fungi in Australia possibly Pleurotus nidiformis. This large, irregular-shaped fungus with a small stem often grows in dense clusters at the base of living or dead eucalypts. Bioluminescent mushroom light is created by a chemical reaction with a substance called luciferin which reacts with an enzyme, luciferase, causing the [...]
