Hantu Blog Celebrates 10 Years!

March 27, 2013

The Hantu Blog marked its 10th Anniversary with lotsa slime! Our spineless friends got out in full force to make it a busy dive for all our special guests at the reef! Here’s a quick look at some of the wonderful and bizarre sea slugs we saw on Sunday!

There were also plenty of flatworms!

We also came across a pair that were mating (or attempting to mate). They were really really tiny but put on a really big show for all the divers! Here’s a series of shots showing them in action! The one of the left is almost completely turned inside out!

There were also a pair of Hypselodoris bullockii that were mating.

Divers enjoyed great visibility (by Pulau Hantu standards!) over the weekend.

Sheeliang shared a moment with an adult cuttlefish… (in case you’re concerned, he didn’t actually touch it!)

And I found a little one to say hello to!

On the way up from our second dive, Boon Leong encounters a Yellow-lipped seakrait along the reef flat.

The krait spent some time sniffing about the reef flat for a yummy morsel. Popping its head up from time to time to survey the surroundings.

During our Anniversary Dives, we make a special visit to the intertidal lagoon between the two islands that make up Pulau Hantu. Divers saw snake eels, Archaster seastars, hermit crabs, fiddler crabs, telescopium snails and a variety of other wildlife that we do not see while diving!

Mei Lin who does research on clams, also shared a little about how the flowers of the tape seagrass pollinate each other!

Boy! We were in for a treat as the sun began to set and we got ready for our night dive!

A crinoid shrimp

A Sargassum frogfish, perfectly camouflaged in the reef!

Seahorses!

While I was photographing the seahorses, a sleeping filefish bumped into me, and we both got startled! It was hilarious. I managed to take a photo of its stunned face before it swam off!

We believe that the Hantu Blog exists, not just because Singapore has amazing reefs, but that there is genuine interest in discovering and learning more about our marine biodiversity! That our reefs exist next to urban industry and a modern city is evidence that we don’t have to sacrifice our natural heritage for development, and that it is possible for both to coexist. The passion of our volunteers and the interest from members of the public can help keep our reefs alive. Please join us in this endeavor! Share these wonders with your friends!

Mei Lin also blogged about her dive with us! Read her post with lots pictures! To see all the photos from this dive, visit the Hantu Blog Gallery!

Posted in Blog Log, Photography