Diving in Fiji

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Did you know that all hawkfish are born female? L

Did you know that all hawkfish are born female?

Longnose hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) prefer outer reef slopes, where they can be found amongst gorgonians and black corals.

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#longnosehawkfish #reeffish #fishfacts #marinebio #oceaneducation #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidive #fijidiving #fijireef #coralreef #uwpics #naturephotography #oceanventuresfiji #natewabay

We always love cephalopods, so on Valentine's Day

We always love cephalopods, so on Valentine's Day it's time for some cephalopod love ❤❤

Reef squid are frequent visitors to the sites around Natewa Bay and Savusavu. We are often fortunate to see them in large schools, where they usually line up and seem to be watching us with some of the largest eyes in the animal kingdom.

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#squid #snorkel #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidiving #fijidive #snorkelfiji #reefsquid #natewabay #reefcreatures #cephalopod #lookintomyeyes #fijireef #marinebio #oceanventuresfiji #savusavufiji #valentine #tourismfiji #oceaneducation #oceanlove #marinebio #marinebiology #coralreef #loveisinthewater

Under the sea you'll find animals with colours bey

Under the sea you'll find animals with colours beyond imagination.

These are Zoanthids, closely related to corals and anemones. They can be either solitary or colonial.

These brightly-coloured polyps form colonies that provide a vivid carpet on some reefs in Natewa Bay.

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#zoanthids #Cnidarians #coralreef #divingfiji #divefiji #marinebio #marinebiology #Fiji #marinelifematters #natewabay #oceanventuresfiji #zoa #blueplanet #fijidiving #fijireef #fijiislands #oceaneducation #fijidive #polyps #scuba #uwphoto #uwpic #naturephotography #naturalpatterns

Moving in the right direction The second tropical

Moving in the right direction

The second tropical cyclone of the season, TC Ana, has now left Fiji waters, and we're hoping for fairer weather and calmer seas in the weeks ahead.

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#gianttrevally #reeffish #fijireef #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidive #fijidiving #oceaneducation #marinebio #coralreef #oceanventuresfiji #natewabay

Master of Disguise Scorpionfish are ambush predat

Master of Disguise

Scorpionfish are ambush predators, blending into their surroundings whilst waiting patiently for their prey to swim too close.

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#scorpionfish #reeffish #fijireef #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidive #fijidiving #coralreef #camouflage #oceaneducation #biodiversity #marinebio #oceanventuresfiji #natewabay

How many eyes can you spot in this photo? 👁 A

How many eyes can you spot in this photo? 👁

Alcyonacea, gorgonians, or sea fans are soft corals. These colonial animals are filter feeders, but their structures provide safety and shelter to numerous species of reef fish and invertebrates.

PS - I think I count 27? 👀

#divefiji #fijidiving #natewabay #softcoral #alcyonacea #seafan #reeffish #uwphoto #divingfiji #oceaneducation #marinebio #biodiversity #marinelife #underthesea #fisheye #fijireef #scubadiving

So much more than beautiful corals and colourful r

So much more than beautiful corals and colourful reef fish.

On some dives we are fortunate to see schooling pelagics, such as these blackfin barracuda (Sphyraena qenie), joined by a few pickhandle barracuda (Sphyraena jello) at the end of the video.

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#barracuda #schoolingbarracuda #fijireef #pelagic #coralreef #oceaneducation #marinebio #biodiversity #uwvideo #underwatervideo #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidiving #oceanventuresfiji #natewabay

Fish fact Friday! Adult vs Juvenile. Did you know

Fish fact Friday! Adult vs Juvenile.

Did you know that juvenile spadefish, also known aa batfish, often have a vastly different appearance to their adult version?

Juvenile circular spadefish (Platax orbicularis) are shades of brown and are sometimes found floating at, or close to, the surface mimicking dead leaves (as shown in the second photo).

The adults of this species, as seen in the first photo, are yellowish silver with dark vertical bars, and are generally found on the outer slopes of coral reefs.

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#spadefish #batfish #reeffish #fishfacts #fishfactfriday #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidiving #fijireef #naturephotography #marinebio #scuba #uwphoto #natewabay #oceanventuresfiji #biodiversity #oceaneducation #reefecology

Sea fans and feather stars Many of our favourite

Sea fans and feather stars

Many of our favourite reefs in Natewa Bay are blessed with large sea fans fairly close to the surface. Often, we're able to find crinoids, or feather stars, attached to the gorgonians.

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#crinoids #featherstar #seafans #gorgonian #coralreef #healthyreef #fijireef #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidiving #oceaneducation #marinebio #marineinvertebrates #natewabay #oceanventuresfiji #diving #fijiislands

Leaping into 2021 😍 🐬 The first few days of

Leaping into 2021 😍 🐬

The first few days of the new year might have brought a series of rainy days for us here, but that hasn't dampened our enthusiasm for the possibilities that 2021 could offer.

We wish you a very Happy New Year, and hope to see some of you in Fiji this year.

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#dolphins #spinnerdolphins #natewabay #savusavufiji #fiji #fijiislands #divefiji #divingfiji #oceaneducation #marinebio #fijireef #coralreef #saveourseas #oceanventuresfiji

Silky smooth Silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciform

Silky smooth

Silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) are so named due to their metallic bronze-grey color and the smooth texture of their skin.

They are classified as Vulnerable, and like many species of shark, they are targetted directly for their fins and liver oil, and are a victim of bycatch in other fisheries such as tuna and sword fisheries.

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#sharks #silkysharks #Fiji #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidiving #saveoursharks #marinebio #marineconservation #saveourseas #oceanventuresfiji #biodiversity #oceaneducation

We're safe following Tropical Cyclone Yasa After

We're safe following Tropical Cyclone Yasa

After a brief hiatus whilst communications and road access were restored, we are delighted to be back. We're relieved to have suffered minimal damage, and can't wait to get back diving on the beautiful reefs of Natewa Bay.

A sincere thank you to everyone who checked in on us, we really appreciate it. Please keep all those affected in your thoughts as Fiji continues to recover from this severe tropical cyclone.

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#coralreefs #fijireef #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidiving #marinebio #uwphoto #naturephotography #oceanventuresfiji #saveourseas #marineconservation #natewabay

A burst of colour Damselfish proect their territo

A burst of colour

Damselfish proect their territory around one of the vividly-coloured soft coral trees in Natewa Bay on Vanua Levu, Fiji.

Fiji is known as the 'Soft coral capital of the world' and we can certainly see why.

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#damselfish #softcoral #softcoralcapital #coralreef #fijireef #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidiving #fijiislands #savusavufiji #marinebio #diving #natewabay #oceanventuresfiji #healthyreef

Reflecting on calmer days As Fiji braces itself f

Reflecting on calmer days

As Fiji braces itself for the possible approach of a cyclone later this week, we're reminiscing about a beautiful day a few months ago when calm seas and perfect lighting combined to showcase the majestic reefs of Natewa Bay.

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#coralreef #reflection #fijireef #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidiving #natewabay #oceanventuresfiji #fijiislands #savusavufiji #diving #tourismfiji

A giant of the reef The giant moray (Gymnothorax

A giant of the reef

The giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) is the largest Indo-Pacific species of moray eel, reaching up to 3 metres (10 feet) in length.

This carnivorous predator is nocturnal, primarly hunting for prey at night within the reef. During the day, it is normally found with its head protruding from a crevice in the reef.

Despite their intimidating appearance, giant moray eels are not considered aggressive to humans, unless they are cornered or provoked.

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#giantmoray #morayeel #morays #coralreef #fijireef #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidiving #oceaneducation #fijiislands #natewabay #oceanventuresfiji #savusavufiji #savusavu #marinebio #

The lure of the wonderful frogfish One the most

The lure of the wonderful frogfish

One the most unusual critters found on reefs here in Fiji, and one of our personal favourites.

A juvenile warty or clown frogfish (Antennarius maculatus), measuring just 2" or 5cm in length.

Frogfish are ambush predators, capable of remaining motionless until prey comes within ramge.

In the video you can clearly see the lure, known as an esca, which the frogfish uses to attract prey.

These juveniles display spots as they mimic a specific species of flatworm to avoid predation.

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#frogfish #natewabay #savusavufiji #uwphotography #diving #divingfiji #divefiji #fijidiving
#macrophotography
#naturephotography #weirdandwonderful #fijireef #fijiislands #oceanventuresfiji

Out of this world 👾 A black-spotted sea cucum

Out of this world 👾

A black-spotted sea cucumber (Pearsonothuria graeffei) on a carpet of zoanthids. Zoanthids are cnidarians, closely related to corals and anemones.

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#seacucumber #zoanthids #Cnidarians #coralreef #fijireef #fijiislands #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidiving #oceanventuresfiji #natewabay #naturephotography

We just love curious cephalopods We're fortunate

We just love curious cephalopods

We're fortunate to be able to find squid quite frequently at many of our sites, often in large schools. They usually line up and seem to be watching us watch them, with some of the largest eyes in the animal kingdom.

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#squid #snorkel #divefiji #divingfiji #fijidiving #snorkelfiji #reefsquid #natewabay #reefcreatures #cephalopod #lookintomyeyes #fijireef #marinebio #oceanventuresfiji #savusavufiji