Currently lots of Ghostpipefish in Lembeh but what is a ghost pipefish?

We are seeing alot of Robust ghost pipefish in Lembeh at the moment so we thought that we would tell you what they are.

Family Solenostomidae
Ghost pipefish belong to the family Solenostomidae. They are closely related to Seahorses and Pipefish, are from the same order and share the long tube like snout. They live in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate waters from Indian to Western Pacific oceans.

Spending most of its time in a head down position, they tend to make their homes in shallow areas or close to coastal reefs that are current swept and therefore have a steady stream of food. In many regions Ghostpipefish are only seasonal visitors, settling on the reef for only a few months each year to breed.

They are usually seen in pairs. Female Ghostpipefish have much larger ventral fins, as they double in purpose for storing eggs. Male Ghostpipefish are generally smaller than the females.

Usually they are seen hovering next to their matching host, perfectly camouflaged. These hosts depend on the type of Ghostpipefish and include gorgonians, corals, crinoids, hydroids, algae substrata and seagrass beds. 

Feeding - They often hang upside down while feeding. They feed mainly on crustaceans and small fish, the unassuming prey is sucked up at the last minute through the specially adapted snout. 

Reproduction - It is the female Ghost Pipefish who incubates the eggs in a pouch created by hooking together their ventral fins. In both Seahorses and Pipefish, which are closely related, it is the male who performs this role. After incubation, the eggs are released into the water column and are planktonic, travelling with the currents until they find a suitable reef to inhabit.

Robust Ghostpipefish (Solenostomus cyanopterus)
Simulating rotting sea grass, Robust Ghostpipefish is a rare find due to being hard to spot.

Often seen floating upside down on a sand or rubble bottom mimicking sea grass or weeds. They are usually brown, green or dark red, with darker spots and markings.

Unlike the other types of Ghostpipefish, Robust Ghostpipefish are fairly mobile and revisiting them is not usually possible.

This is the largest type of Ghostpipe, growing to approx 15cm in size.

Ornate or Harlequin Ghostpipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus)
These are easily identified and the most elaborate type of Ghostpipefish, and are much photographed. They are found near overhangs and crevices, mimicking crinoids or soft corals. They can sometimes be spotted hanging in the current to feed. They come in a wide variety of colours including, black, white, red, yellow, brown and green.

The fins of the Ornate Ghostpipefish are well developed, large and, as the name suggests, ornately decorated.

If undisturbed they will remain in the same host fauna for many weeks.

Halimeda Ghostpipefish (Solenostomus halimeda)
This type of Ghostpipefish looks exactly like the green algae Halimeda, and it is amongst this algae where is normally found. It is green or green with white patches, just like those seen on the host algae.

There are sometimes short filaments on the snout, body and fins that look like the filaments that are also sometimes found on the Halimeda algae. All in all, this species is an outstanding mimic of its botanical namesake!

Rough or Hairy or Filamented Ghostpipefish (Solenostomus paegnius)
The colour can vary from green to reddish brown, and it is covered with many small skin filaments, giving it a hairy look.

It is often found in bay or lagoon, in sandy environments close to algae or hydrozoans.

We think thats all the types of Ghostpipefish, have you got another type? Which one is your favourite?

Why are you not Rescue Diver yet?

If you ask any Rescue Diver they will tell you that its the most challenging course they have done. The training provided by rescue certification is not so much about actually rescuing people but more about increasing your own comfort level in the water, it therefore teaches divers how to be better divers.

To feel comfortable helping others is to really feel comfortable with yourself in the water. You could achieve this comfort level over time with hundreds of dives, but taking a good rescue diver course will get you there much sooner.

Took too long but now only 2 days
Despite these obvious advantages, why are most divers not Rescue Divers? We have been running dive operations in Indonesia (Bunaken & Lembeh Straits) for over 12 years. I have often questioned guests about why they are not yet a rescue diver and the most common reason is that it takes too long.

True, traditionally it would take 4-5 days to do the rescue course: there is a book to read, a video to watch and an exam. There are also water skills to teach and assessments to be done in the open water, and the theory and water skills are integrated so you can’t run the water skills until you have done certain theory topics.

However, now you can do all the theory with PADI Rescue Course Online via eLearning from the comfort of your own home before you leave for your holiday, and the water skills and assessments will take just 1-2 days. So now there is no reason to avoid this course!

We run this course in both Bunaken and Lembeh, and can add a few specialities for your Master Scuba Diver certification.

Structure of the Course
Students will complete 12 Open Water Training Exercises which emphasize a divers ability to be flexible and adapt to personal and environmental conditions. In the end, all 12 exercises will be practiced in real-life scenarios.

Course topics include:

• self rescue
• diver stress
• diving first aid
• emergency management
• rescue entries, approaches and exits
• missing, unconscious and submerged diver rescue
• in-water artificial respiration
• rescue plans and assistance procedures for both conscious and unconscious victims on the surface and underwater

By the end of the course you will have expanded your knowledge of diving, increased your level of diving skill and be more aware of what is happening in the diving environment. Most importantly, rescue training can help you to save lives and increase safety by preparing you to properly respond to diving emergencies.

First Aid
As a prerequisite, you must be CPR / First Aid certified. You can do a fist aid course through PADI called Emergency First Responder (EFR) that covers the same material, but you can get any first aid course (eg Red Cross or St John’s Ambulance) as long as it covers artificial ventilation and chest compression.

Never call a dive rubbish!

I came across this great interview recently with HUGH FEARNLEY-WHITTINGSTALL where he displays a common sense approach to recreational diving and how, if we think that a dive is boring, its probably because we aren’t looking close enough.

Hugh is a “Celebrity Chef” from the UK and is author and star of the River Cottage TV series, and he is a passionate campaigner for sustainability, both above and below the water. His recent “fish fight” campaign challenged the assumption that imposing catch quotas on British fishermen may not be the best solution to over-fishing, resulting as it does in a terrible waste of fish thrown overboard as “discard”.

Unsurprisingly, Hugh is a passionate diver, and one the episodes featured him diving in the Maldives, where he had gone to show the benefits of catching tuna by pole and line.

When and where did you learn to dive?
I originally learned when I was working at the River Café in London in about 1989. One of the waitresses was a member of the BSAC-run Cormorant Dive Club, and I diligently attended what seemed like interminable pool sessions in Swiss Cottage.

Are you saying you didn’t enjoy the experience?
No, not at all, it was just that it took months before I did a proper dive. Eventually we did a club trip to Hurghada. I couldn’t believe the colours under water, and the brilliant psychedelic appearance of the fish and corals. It was literally mind-blowing.
But what astounded me most was that some of the other divers moaned about their dive and said it was “rubbish”, because they hadn’t seen any sharks or something huge!

Was that because they were much more experienced?
Obviously I was inexperienced, but I remember seeing a Napoleon wrasse, and all this fantastic colour. I made a promise to myself that day – that no matter what kind of a dive I ever had, I would never, ever complain about it. It always seems to me to be supremely ungrateful that any human being should think that they somehow have some sort of divine right to see something “special” on a dive.

Have you kept that promise?
I think so. Someone once told me that if I’m bored on a dive, I should just swim up to a rock or a piece of coral and stare at what’s a few inches in front of me. And sure enough, there’s always something happening, something moving or growing there that I might not have noticed if I hadn’t pressed my face close to it.

Did you ever get beyond your BSAC Novice qualification?
Well, I have a confession to make; I never quite got my certificate signed off. And for about 10 years, every time I went on a diving holiday I had a battle to convince the dive centres that I was certified.
I always took my BSAC temporary card and my log-book, and usually it worked, though a couple of times they made me do a resort course, which was a real pain.
Then, about 10 years ago in Seychelles, I decided I needed to sort it out properly, so I took a PADI Advanced course at the Underwater Centre on Mahé. That golden PADI card shines like a beacon in my wallet, something that I’m much more proud of than my driving licence!

Do you know how many dives you’ve done?
Certainly two, maybe three hundred. I’ve dived every year for over 20 years. I’ve been lucky enough to dive in places like Seychelles, Mexico, the Red Sea, Madeira, Maldives, the Bahamas and South Africa.

Ever been scared under water?
Yes, in Stoney Cove, when I lost my regulator and couldn’t find it. I panicked and shot to the surface, blindly forgetting all my training. Luckily I wasn’t very deep, but I had to force myself to go back into the water, or else I might have been put off for good.
And once, somewhere near Durdle Door [Dorset], I got separated from my buddy. It was around Easter and the water wasn’t warm or clear and I felt really frightened for a while until I spotted his bubbles.
Oh, and in Kenya I had to share air with my divemaster when he took me off on a long swim at the end of a dive.

Are you interested in diving kit?
Do you own any?
I own everything, but I couldn’t tell you who made it without looking at it. My computer
is at least 10 years old, a Uwatec. I love it. I have two prescription masks, ‘cos I’m quite short-sighted. I bought a spare, and I acquired some contact lenses so that I could use a full-face mask for the filming we did in the Maldives.
Part of that programme was about the way we mistreat the marine environment. Is that something you worry about when you dive?
Yes, and it comes back to what I said about what we think we have “a right” to see when we dive.
If we don’t see the fish we want, or we come across something ugly under water, then maybe it’s because of what human beings have done.
Man-made problems may just be what you see when you dive. And that’s why I don’t think we have any special right to “demand” that we see a shark, or whatever it is we expect to find.

Do you have a diving wish-list – or something you’ve always wanted to see under water?
It used to be a manta ray, and that’s what I got to see in the Maldives at Lankan. And my first-ever encounter with mantas was caught on camera, which was great, and why I probably sounded ridiculous on-screen, but I was beside myself with excitement.
I went back into the water later without the cameras and had well over an hour with the mantas. There’s only one way to describe what it felt like; just such a pure privilege. As for a fantasy underwater sighting, it would have to be a giant squid fighting with a sperm whale. Not very likely.

Is there a marine creature that you might find frightening?
I’d love to see a really big shark, and I might find it frightening.

Stephen Fry once described you as having “the silliest hair in Europe”. Has it ever been a nuisance under water?
Wearing a two piece semi-dry, it did tend to get pushed forward and get trapped under the mask seal, but I’ve recently had it cut!

The New PADI Divemaster Course – more practical/in-water training!

In November 2010 PADI announced the new PADI Divemaster course, however the new materials were not available in Indonesia until July 2011. Since then, Two Fish Divers have taught the new course to about 10 students in Bunaken & Lembeh, and we think that the new DM course is a great improvement.

What Has Changed
In summary, PADI have toughened the prerequisites, increased in-water training by 50%, and completely overhauled the dive theory part of the Divemaster Theory.

Slightly Tougher Prerequisites
Candidates must now have 40 logged dives to start the DM course (used to be 20). They will therefore get more out of their course by being more experienced divers before the course begins.

Additionally, the Deep Diver and Search & Recovery Diver specialty courses are highly recommended. Candidates with these specialty ratings can drop these two Practical Application Skills (see below), however we prefer to cover these anyway to make sure that candidates have up-to-date training.

Increased In-water Training
One of the biggest changes come in the water where PADI has increased the amount of in-water training by 50% including:

• Divemaster-conducted Program workshops: one workshop for each course Divemasters are authorized to conduct – Scuba Review, Skin Diver & snorkeling, Discover Scuba Diving (confined & additional open water dive), Discover Local Diving
• Practical Application Skills: 1. dive site set-up and management; 2. mapping project (unchanged); 3. dive briefing; 4. search and recovery scenario*; 5. deep dive scenario*
  * A specialty diver certification in this area may fulfill this skill requirement at the instructor’s discretion.
• Practical Assessments: assisting instructors with open water students; assisting instructors with continuing education students; and leading certified divers.

These workshops and assessments give the candidates the training and experience they need in order to carry out their functions after certification.

Overhaul of Dive Theory
Overall, the Divemaster Theory emphasizes the supervisory and leadership aspects of being a Divemaster. It has not changed much under the new DM course except that there is now a greater focus on awareness of the environment.

However, the dive theory part of the Divemaster Theory (physics, physiology, etc) has undergone an overhaul.

Under the old DM course, the most intense part of the course was the dive theory as candidates did the same dive theory as an instructor. Under the new DM course, the dive theory is now an “intermediate step” between whats required for the Rescue Diver and that required for an instructor. The dive theory is now a review of the theory from the prerequisite courses (OW, AOW and Rescue), and this is what it should be!

What about the exams? Now there are 2 exams, and they are written in less-technical language to “better assess comprehension of all the knowledge development topics”.

Divemaster Course Online
This was introduced at the same time as the new DM course. It is a great alternative to using the PADI Divemaster manual and DVD. It means that you can do all your DM Theory before you get to us in Bunaken or Lembeh, and more time can be spent on the skill development and practical applications.

Note that the DM exam is not included in the online program as its designed to be administered by us when you are here.

Revised PADI Divemaster Materials
The biggest change has been with the PADI Divemaster Manual itself, which increased from 200 to 300 pages. PADI says it “includes new course information and functions as an additional study tool for the DM exam. Each chapter now includes a case study based on real scenarios that illustrate sound judgement and other leadership skills.”

The Divemaster DVD also gets an upgrade, with new footage, plus video of the 20 scuba skills to “demonstration quality”.

Other revised material include the Divemaster slates that were revised to match the course content.

More Fun
We think that the new format of the PADI Divemaster Course is alot more fun since candidates spend alot more time on the dive boats. If you are interested, there are a number of options to choose from, have a look at the the PADI Divemaster options with Two Fish Divers for more information.

Hope to see you in Bunaken or Lembeh!

Why rent dive gear when you can travel light?

As we all of head off to amazing scuba diving adventures, we are burdened with the pesky airlines’ baggage fees; thinking, are we even going to get our gear to the dive site or should we just rent gear that could be old, ugly, and questionable condition? It seems that there has to be a trade off, paying the cost of the airline fees versus paying to rent gear. Now there is a solution to this with Aqua Lung’s Travel Gear.

Travel Gear from Aqualung – Aqualung have developed a range of light-weight dive gear where everything, including the fins, has been specifically designed to provide you with max comfort while easily fitting in a carry-on bag.  Pack light, travel more, “Why rent when you can travel light?” Just check out these weights!

On Aqualungs website they even have a handy weight calculator so you can calculate the weight yourself!

The Travel Bag
The Aqualung Travel Bag is made from heavy-duty PVC-free 600D nylon and total weight is only 7.26lbs/3.29kg for lightweight travel. It meets most major airline size requirements for carry-on baggage, and was designed to accommodate the new Aqua Lung HotShot dive fins.

Zuma BCD
The Zuma BCD is an ultra-light, weight-integrated, back inflation BCD that has everything you need, yet lacks weight and bulk. Once you lift it, you’ll feel for yourself that a size ML/LG weighs less than 2 kg (4.4 lbs), with the airway and weight pockets included!

Whats even more amazing is that it packs into a really small space!

Mikron Regulator
Sport Diver Magazine’s Editor’s Pick, 2008 Gear Guide.  Aqua Lung considers the Mikron Regulator to be the smallest and lightest weight regulator on the market today, weighing in at just 26 oz. (din) and 31 oz. (yoke). Even more amazing is that performance is not sacrificed by the extreme compactness of the regulator, and its balanced first and second stages produce exceptional breathing performance.

AirSource 3 Octopus
Sport Diver Magazine’s Editor’s Pick, 2008 Gear Guide. The Airsource 3 combines a high-performance second stage with a power inflator. By eliminating the need for a traditional octopus, the diver can streamline his entire system. In addition, unlike a traditional octopus that can drag in the sand or damage coral, you’ll take comfort knowing that the Airsource 3 is right in front of you ready to deliver life saving air in a moment’s notice.

Hotshot Fins
The amazing Hotshot Fin has been engineered with the traveling diver in mind. It offers unsurpassed comfort, compactness for carry-on travel and power for a fully outfitted scuba diver. The foot pocket is designed to be worn with bare feet, and neoprene socks or thin-soled boots may be used for thermal protection. Its also very compact and light – it measures only 20.9in/53cm and so fits in carry-on luggage, and only weighs only 3.28 lbs / 1.5 kg.

Micromask
Sport Diver Magazine’s Editor’s Pick, 2008 Gear Guide. The Micromask is a revolution in mask design. Never before have lenses been so close to the eyes. This not only results in an amazingly wide peripheral view but an extremely low internal volume, making it very easy to clear.

Snorkels
If you like the idea of having a snorkel that rolls-up then try the Nautilus Snorkel. It can be carried in a BC pocket or hung from a D-ring, and can be deployed in a snap, making it the most travel-friendly snorkel ever!

If you want a more traditional snorkel, the Impulse3 Snorkel consistently has been the best selling snorkel in the world. Available in a FLEX version that allows the patented COMFO-BITE mouthpiece to drop out of the way while switching from snorkel to SCUBA.

D4i Computer
Adventure should take you anywhere, any way you want to get there and the Suunto D4i dive computer is a great choice. The new DM4 software allows easy synching with Movescount.com, where you can share your dive profiles, images, and experiences online. This makes the D4i a great choice for those who love socializing as much as diving. There is also the option of a wireless readout of your tank pressure and air time so you do not need those gauges anymore – another weightsaving idea!

The Coelecanth, Living Fossil in Bunaken

Coelecanth is a Devonian lobed fin fish that thrived in the oceans 450-500 million years ago. Its importance lies in the fact that it is considered the “missing link” between fish and animals, ie they were the ones that crawled from the waters to create life on land. It is also an inhabitant of Bunaken Marine Park, and probably one of the most unusual inhabitants at that!

DISCOVERY
It was thought that the Coelcanth disappeared along with the dinosaurs over 73 million years ago. Then one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the 20th century happened when Marjorie Latimer, who worked at the local museum in East London, South Africa found a Coelcanth on a local fishing boat. Later more were discovered in the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean, and they have since been have been found in the waters of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, and Madagascar.

DISCOVERED IN BUNAKEN!
The Coelecanth is nicknamed the “living fossil”, and in 1997 it was discovered in a local fish-market in Manado, and later in 2009 it was videoed by a japanese team of divers around Manado Tua in the Buaken Marine Park.

During the daytime, the Coelecanth rest in caves anywhere from 100–500 meters deep while others migrate to deeper waters. With steep underwater, eroded volcanic slopes covered in sand that also house an obscure system of caves and crevices, the topography of the Bunaken Marine Park is therefore an ideal habitat for the Coelecanth.

SIZE & SHAPE
The word coelacanth literally means, “hollow spine,” because of its unique hollow spine fins. Coelacanths are large, plump, lobe-finned fish that grow up to 1.8 meters. They are nocturnal drift-hunters. The body is covered in cosmoid scales that act as armor. Coelacanths have 8 fins – 2 dorsal fins, 2 pectoral fins, 2 pelvic fins, 1 anal fin and 1 caudal fin.

Locomotion of the coelacanths is unique to their kind. To move around, coelacanths most commonly take advantage of up or downwellings of the current and drift. They use their paired fins to stabilize their movement through the water. While on the bottom of the ocean floor their paired fins are not used for any kind of movement. Coelacanths can create thrust for quick starts by using their caudal fins. Due to the high number of fins, the coelacanth has high maneuverability. Coelacanths can also orient their bodies in any direction in the water. They have been seen doing headstands and swimming belly up. It is thought that their rostral organ helps give the coelacanth electroperception, which aides in their movement around obstacles.

HOW THEY ARE CAUGHT
Coelacanths are usually caught when local fishermen are fishing for oilfish and sharks. Fishermen will sometimes snag a coelacanth instead of an oilfish because they usually fish at nighttime when the oilfish (and coelacanths) are feeding. The coelacanth has no real commercial value, and as a food it is almost worthless as its tissues exude oils that give the flesh a foul flavour. Before scientists became interested in coelacanths, they were therefore usually just thrown back into the water if caught. Now that there is an interest in them, fishermen trade them in to scientists or other officials once they have been caught.

LIVING FOSSIL EXPEDITIONS
Scuba Diving (open circuit and closed circuit) expeditions for the Coelacanth have been successful in South Africa where Coelacanths were identified off the continental shelf near Sodwana Bay at depths between 90-110m. These depths are with the limits of experienced technical divers either on open or closed circuit scuba. Rebreather diving would be optimal regarding gasses and bottom times.

Two Fish Divers are also offering similar expedition dives for Coelacanths in Bunaken Marine Park via our TEC diving services headed by Brendon. No one else has ever offered this kind of diving opportunity in this area that have the facilities, equipment and experience to pull it off… Until now!

Dolphins in Bunaken

It is common to see dolphins in Bunaken National Park. There are 28 different types of whales and dolphins that have been seen in the park, however they are shy animals and most of the times we see them in the surface rather than diving.

When we do see them then often it is in very large schools of 50-100+ animals, as in the photo on the right.

Here a little bit more information about these amazing animals!

Overview
They are mammals of the order Cetacea and the families Plantanistidae and Delphinidae and include about 50 species.  All have a beak like snout and sharp, conical teeth. 

Most dolphin species are about 6 ft in length, the males averaging 4 to 8 in longer than females.  The largest is the killer whale, which can be 19-22ft long and weigh between 8000-10000lbs. 

Dolphins feed on live food and are predators, except when trained otherwise in captivity.  The primary food is fish, mostly things like herring, mackerel, and sardines.  Some species seem to prefer squid, occasionally, shrimp and other crustacean are consumed, and even mollusc shells have been found in their stomach contents.

Physiology
The body is sleek and smooth and the hairless skin is rubbery to the touch.  Most species have jaws that protrude into a beak like snout.  Above the upper jaw is a large mass of fat and oil-containing tissue forming the so-called “melon” that looks much like a bulging forehead.

The anterior appendages contain the skeletal remnants of five digits that form the flippers, which the animal uses primarily as stabilizers, although occasionally in an oar like fashion.  The hind appendages are virtually absent and consist of a pair of small pelvic bones, deeply embedded in the connective tissue at the base of the tail.  The dorsal fin is formed from subcutaneous dermal tissue and is not movable by muscle action.  The caudal, or tail, fin is also primarily dermal in origin, rather than skeletal, and consists of a pair of horizontally extending flukes. 

The locomotion of dolphins is typical of the whale. The main thrust comes from vertical oscillations of the tail and flukes, and most species tested are capable of sustained swimming speeds of up to 18.6 mph and they jump at this high speeds travelling 30 ft or more.  Their normal “cruising speed” is about 23 to 25 mph, and if they are bow riding, they have been known to get up to 30mph (bow riding is when the dolphin rides the front bow wave produced by a boat/ship).

Because dolphins are mammals, they must breathe air and maintain a high body temperature.  The  internal temperature, between 97.9 deg to 99 deg F, is acheived by a thick layer of blubber under the skin.  Air is breathed through blowhole, situated almost directly on top of the head.  The dolphin normally come to the surface to breathe about every two minutes,  and each breath consists of a short, almost  explosive exhalation, followed by a slightly longer inhalation.  Dolphins can hold their breath for up to several minutes and are capable of rapid and deep dives of more then 1,000 ft.

Reproduction
Mating normally occurs during the spring months, like with most animals, with the male-female pair exhibiting courtship for some time prior to the actual mating.  A female dolphin has to carry her baby (calf) for 11-12 months.  The calf is delivered normally tail first, and the newborn is capable of swimming and breathing within the first minutes.  The calf will follow its mother closely, and suckling takes place frequently, with the mother tolling slightly and the calf nuzzling the mammary area.  The dolphin’s two mammary glands open into a pair of sacs on either side of the anal opening, and the calf’s beak fits into the openings on the sacs.  The nipple is grasped between the upper jaw and the tongue, and muscular contractions by the mother literally squirt mil into the calf’s mouth.  Nursing may continue for as long as 12 to 18 months after birth, although weaning is probably slowed or inhibited in captive animals.

Communication
Dolphins are extremely and almost constantly vocal.  They are capable of two kinds of sounds.  A specialized mechanism in the nasal passages just below the blow-hole enables them to emit short, pulse-type sounds.  These sounds, called clicks, can be produced in such rapid succession as to sound like a buzz or even a duck like quack.   The clicks are used as a form of sonar, in which echoes of sounds from surrounding objects enable the animals to detect obstacles, other dolphins, fish, and even tiny bits of matter in the water. 

Pat, Bunaken