Claveria Diving 3.33, Best Photos Day 4

I already covered dive day three. That was the day we drove down to Pagudpud to refill our tanks and only had time for a short afternoon dive off Claveria Beach behind the hotel. The next day, our fourth day of diving, we got in two more dives in our new favorite spot a mile east of the lagoon. It was in that general area that all the photos below were taken. Enjoy! I sure enjoyed taking them, and I've since enjoyed viewing them--many times. Oh, and for even better viewing, try clicking on the individual photos. 

We were quite deep, well below 50 feet and drifting along side a shallow hill side when we came across this bright yellow feather star. It practically begged to have its picture taken.

I love how the flash brings out the colors on the fish. They look beautiful in the water but the extra strobe light really does them justice. For instance, the red fish in the center actually looks brown at depth.

Here's another example how the camera's flash pops the colors. Notice that the objects outside the strobe's range look drab. The deeper you get, the less color appears; thus, you MUST have a good flash and light diffuser for proper underwater photography.

What?! The dark violet blue water in the background, the orange tinged glowing sea fan and the bright pink barrel sponge, seeing them all together like this makes me want to break out my oils and paint.

I need to find out what these feathery things are. They might be a type of sea fan the way they grow out the side of cliff faces, but who knows? Delicately gorgeous.

To provide better context, here are the same feathery creatures as above only from further away. 

Couldn't resist including this orange veined gorgonian along with the delicate looking featheries.

This barrel sponge has a squished opening which might be why it had this cache of lion fish hanging out inside it. Usually when I peer inside these things I see nothing at all.

I WILL find the name of this species of fish, if only because it photographs so well. I love the shiny silvery bluish green tinge imparted in the photo. 

Here are three more of these "photogenic fish." They really know how to mug for the picture taking. The fish to the right with the yellow back and black striped front I believe is a Kleine's butterfly fish.

This is an egg ribbon for one of the most beautiful nudibranchs in existence called The Spanish Dancer. I've only managed to catch sight of one and it was washed up during a heavy storm on Mindoro. I hope to catch one actually "dancing" in the water one of these days.

Now for me, this particular scorpion fish was VERY uniquely colored. It kind of looks like a scorpion fish and a lion fish mated and had this as an offspring.

Shy little moray eel

Another photo from "the cave." This is exactly the way I remember it.

This black-spotted or dog-faced puffer is certainly aptly named. They almost look ready to bark.

This soft coral looks sort of like cauliflower

I have never seen this kind of anemone before, at least not that I can remember. I certainly don't have any other photos of it. It has a very interesting configuration and color palette. 

Without the flash photography this sea star actually only shows different shades of brown and white. 

You gotta LOVE the faces on these red-lipped blue trigger fish. The bright blue color isn't half bad either.

The puffer on the center lower left is called a Valentinni's sharpnose puffer

This mostly closed purplish lone feather star looks like a flower attached contentedly on the middle of the sheet coral.