Maldives - January 2001

Here are a few images from the January Marine Biology Safari on board the MV Sea Queen.

The pictures are by Chris Wood. These are low resolution scans. You can contact me for more pictures or if you wish to use any of these on wrinkly.fish@virgin.net

Manta Rays from Madivaru (South Ari Atoll) and Bodu Hiti (North Male atoll)

Mantas being cleaned in 2m of water at Bodu Hiti - a great snorkel!

The wrasses that clean the manta rays are not the normal cleaner wrasse which looks after the smaller fishes.  The groups of wrasse which are found at manta cleaning stations are the two-tone wrasse, Thalassoma amblycephalum.. Though it has a wide distribution from east Africa to new Zealand, it isn't well known as a cleaner except in the Maldives.

Madivaru in the early morning

The frogfishes

Frogfishes were a feature of a number of dives, both on wrecks and reefs. All of the three individuals shown here were at least 20cm long The black and red forms are the giant frogfish (called anglerfish in some books) Antennarius commersoni, but the white one is a bit of a mystery. It is large to be the warty frogfish (A. maculatus) and was mimicking the colour and texture of a white sponge nearby even down to the inhalent pores all over the body.

The Reefs

There is still painfully little living hard coral on the shallow reefs, but the soft corals on the reef slopes and in caves and underhangs are as wonderful as ever.

The picture to the left is from Fotteyo Kandu in Felidhoo Atoll. Here the soft coral which hangs from the roof of overhangs, Scleronepthya, is especially prolific.

Anemones and sea squirts seems to have multiplied on the reef tops replacing the hard corals. The carpet anemone, Discosoma, forms a carpet over some reefs and is relished by the hawksbill turtle seen here feeding on it at Maaya Thilla (Ari Atoll).

Shoals of fish

Shoaling fish and predators chasing them are a constant feature of the Maldives reefs. To the right is part of a huge shoal of Kasmira Snappers parting as the photographer swims through the middle of them. These were on the shallow reef top at Madivaru (South Ari Atoll). At the same site, but lower down was a large school of yellowspot emperors, Gnathodentex aurolineatus, seen below.

Amongst the predators were Bigeye Jacks. These are found in large swirling shoals during the day but disperse at night to feed. The picture is from Fotteyo Kandu.

More Predators!

One of  the smaller predators is the Leaf Scorpionfish which lies in wait rocking gently in the current like a leaf. It occurs in a variety of colours with both the yellow and purple species shown here quite common, though very difficult to spot.

On the other hand this Fimbrated Moray, Gymnothorax fimbratus, is all mouth and bravado. Another night hunter, the picture is from a night dive at Maaya Thilla (Ari Atoll)

Out in the blue

White tip-sharks and grey sharks are an everyday occurrence at many sites. In Rasdhoo Atoll we were priviledged to meet two hammerhead sharks on an early morning dive and at Madivaru (South Ari Atoll) a whale shark cruised by as we were watching the mantas being cleaned.

For more information about Marine Conservation Society reef life courses and surveys visit the web site at www.mcsuk.org/dives/warm waters.htm

For information about diving cruises in the Maldives visit the Maldives Scuba Tours site at www.scubascuba.com