3. Are Ghost Pipefish scary?
Are Ghost Pipefish scary?
No, not really, unless you are an unsuspecting tiny crustacean. They are cousins of the Seahorse family, and they are very good at hiding in plain view, floating head down, and ambushing the poor little things that make up their diet.
Ornate Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus)
Ornate Ghost Pipefish
The hairy wisps on the Ornate Ghost Pipefish exactly mimic the Crinoids (feather stars) they inhabit. More research may establish whether the many variations on the classic black and white colouring are the same species, or distinct.
Robust Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus cyanopterus)
Robust Ghost Pipefish
These pipefish like nothing better than to waft along pretending to be decaying leaves or bits of seagrass.
Robust Ghost Pipefish
The key to finding them is to approach every unattached leaf on your dive, and if that leaf swims away, it is not a leaf, but very likely one of these guys.
Rough-snout Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus paegnius)
Rough-snout Ghost Pipefish
Similar to the Robust Ghost Pipefish, but with whispy appendages and upturned mouth that help them blend in to the seagrass and algae beds they are most commonly found in.
Delicate Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus leptosomus)
Delicate Ghost Pipefish
This Pipefish is transparent when very young, and encourages filaments of algae to form to help disguise it. It likes nothing better than to blend into the background and hope nobody notices them. We all know someone like that.
Sometimes you only spot this one by seeing its dinner in its belly!
Two dives here flew by in one breath, it seemed, and my finger was constantly on the trigger of the camera. The emotion, enthusiasm and nitrogen saturation signal on my dive computer went through the roof. Dauin is internationally recognized as a macro classic. However, the time quickly approached when we had to stop diving. It was time to return topside, because tomorrow we had to catch a plane. Five days of diving in the south of Cebu passed in an instant. I have fond memories from the trip as well as uniquely bright colorful pictures, celebrating the Philippine sun and turquoise sea. The people are friendly and open, always smiling, and I cherished the opportunity to enjoy and photograph the unique wonders of the underwater world of the Philippines. ¦
So beautifully and elegantly put, and so glad you had an awesome time exploring the Dauin coast with us 🙂 Keep checking back in for more, we saw some amazing crabs this week, and clocked some rare “Disney” shrimps too….come back soon!