Seahorse Craze
Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Kota Kinabalu.
27th June, 2008
It has been more than 6 months waiting for this opportunity just to snap a few shots of the seahorse that I found in TARP. I emptied my pocket for a light and case before this trip but my idiotic side kicks in, I forgot to get new batteries! But luckily the weather was good making shooting with natural light possible.
It took us about 10 minutes searching among the rumbles and finally Pumba banged his tank. He spotted the Black one first before the yellow. The tiny creature was so adorable, turning away like a shy lady when you are just starting to admire it. I only took a few snaps as I do not want to scare it away so other can still see it next time.
 Yellow tailed snapper surrounding us at the wreck. 
CJ entertained by a family of anemone fish.
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We made a few more dive later at different sites and enjoyed every single one of it. The visibility was so amazing that we can see our boat tailing us above. I even lost count of the number of blue spotted ray I saw and at the wreck, the school of yellow tailed snapper swimming around us reminds me of the school of jacks in Sipadan, especially the part when they swam upwards creating a curvy line.
After a few deep dive, it was time for my favourite muck dive. An Upside Down Jellyfish was first spotted before we found Banded Pipefish, spiky looking Sea Cucumber, Stonefish and a juvenile Scorpionfish.
A diver with us told me he had doubt when was told the shore dive was going to be 95% sandy area but after the dive, he is coming back. What a wonderful dive all in one day. |
By Ernest C. Teo |
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Seahorses are actually fish. Found in shallow temperate and tropical waters, around shallow reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves, using its prehensile tail to cling on plants, corals, gorgonians, or sponges.
The female uses her ovipositor to deposit her eggs in the male's brood pouch where they are fertilized and remain until hatched. After a period of time, varying from ten days to six weeks, depending on the species and water temperature, the male gives birth to hundreds of live, tiny, seahorses, which are miniature replicas of the adults.
Seahorses feed on bottom-swarming organisms, such as mysids and other plankton; lacking teeth and stomachs, they suck the individually selected food through their bony snout with a very rapid snap of the head. |
Me and the Chinese couple.
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