Entries from September 2008

Blog Log, 28 Sept 2008 (Part II)

Date September 30, 2008

I didn’t even realise that this gorgeous little winged pipefish was spotted at Hantu this weekend till I saw the pictures on Chay Hoon’s Blog. The winged pipefish is by far my favourite pipefish. I first encountered one in the water’s off North Sulawesi and was thrilled when I had my first encounter with this […]

Nudibranches and acoel flatworms

Date September 30, 2008

The above photograph of acoel flatworms on porites coral was shot in January 2008. Acoel flatworms reproduce primarily asexually, by fission, and can quickly attain high densities with sufficient light (they have symbiotic algae) and abundant copepod prey. They are not parasitic, but can reportedly damage corals by shading. Though no easily available predator of […]

Blog Log 28 September 2008

Date September 29, 2008

Divers had a sunshine-filled weekend at Hantu Island this Saturday. Visibility was about 3m, regardless, our experienced and enthusiastic guides sifted through the silt to spot some iconic critters for the divers that joined us. The Hantu Blog guides commented that it’s been awhile since we’ve spotted allied cowries on the sea whips at Hantu, […]

Rare nudis

Date September 9, 2008

Blog volunteer Hui Bing was out on our Blog dive on August 31st and managed to spot and photograph some rare and exciting nudibranches! She’s got a real keen eye and can make out the tiniest of critters amidst the silt, sand, and mucky waters of Hantu! We’re so privilaged to have her on our […]

Southern Haunt is Online!

Date September 8, 2008

In case you missed our talk on Hantu’s marine life at last month’s IYOR launch at the Botanical Gardens, you can now watch the full presentation online! Three cheers for technology! If you like what you see and would like the Hantu Blog to visit your school or office drop us an email!

Covert operation exposes Taiji's annual dolphin horror

Date September 4, 2008

For the first time ever, graphic feature-length footage of the annual slaughter of some 2,500 dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, has been captured during a unique yearlong covert operation. Full story

Photo of Red Algae from Hantu gets press

Date September 1, 2008

NowPublic is working on coverage of red algae being able to defend against sunlight, and has put together a collection of photos. The author came across The Hantu Blog’s amazing photo on Flickr (shown above) and has added it to their collection!

The Groupers Cousin

Date September 1, 2008

This is a video of one of the fishes I came across whilst guiding and Hantu over this weekend. This my first record of this fish and the first time I’ve noticed it. Unable to identify it, I sent a link of the following video to Kelvin Lim, Curator of Fishes at the Biodiversity Museum. […]

Blog Log! 31 Aug 2008!

Date September 1, 2008

When we departed from our berth at RSYC this morning, the boatman looked into the water and said, “Today’s a good day to dive, the water looks good.” “Really?” I ask, half excited, half cynical. “The water’s been good,” assures Chay Hoon who often dives with the Blog, “I was in Kusu [Island] recently and […]