(Another!) Juvenile Smooth Trunkfish

I spotted my 3rd juvenile Smooth Trunkfish the other day! Unfortunately, Jessee missed it again! This one was quite deep - around 90 feet. And this time, I had a camera!



And here's a slideshow of photos taken over the last week:

Dives and Snorkels from 15-22 Sept 2009
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmatulis/sets/72157622434171526/show/)

More Photos

Now that we've got an underwater camera, the number of photos we want to share might get a little overwhelming. So I created a Flickr account to display them in slideshow format. Don't worry, we'll still have pictures in all of (most of?) our posts. This is just so you can see more. You should be aware, though, that some email clients and feed readers might not display these slideshows properly (in the same way that they often do not display embedded videos). So it's always best to view our blog on the web (http://livingoncaicos.blogspot.com/).

The shots in the slideshow below are from yesterday - a snorkel at Shark Alley in the morning and a dive at The Grotto in the evening:


Slideshow
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/42339135@N07/sets/72157622196675231/show/)

Filling Tanks

With all the diving that goes on down here, filling tanks is always a job that needs doing. Recently I had the SFS Dive Safety Officer train me in how to use the compressor so that I can help fill them too. That's what I spent a few hours doing this afternoon.

Filling Tanks

Filled Tanks

There's not much involved, really - just switching out tanks when they've filled and purging condensation that builds up in compressor. I figure (as a diver) its a good skill to know, and besides I need to earn my keep around here. In between switching tanks I was also working on some of the final edits for my article. I should have another draft complete soon, and hopefully the review process will go quickly.

Being Studious

This evening I went out on a dive and emptied one of those newly filled tanks. And, believe it or not, I saw another juvenile Smooth Trunkfish! I'm starting to wonder if they have a breeding season and now just happens to be when juveniles are abundant. I hope so. Jessee gets back tomorrow (granted she is able to make the connection in Provo), and she'll be thrilled if we can go find one.

Juvenile Smooth Trunkfish

This evening I saw something that made Jessee extremely envious: a juvenile Smooth Trunkfish. It's a tiny black and yellow-spotted fish about the size and shape of a pea! It's about the cutest dang thing that's ever been in the ocean. I had to call Jessee as soon as I could to tell her.

Juvenile Smooth Trunkfish

I made her guess what I'd seen. The conversation went something like this:

B: Guess what I saw!!
J: Oh my god, a Tiger Shark?!
B: Nope. Smaller.
J: Okay good. Give me a hint.
B: It's something you've always wanted to see.
J: A Kangaroo?
B: No. I don't think they swim.
J: Okay, give me another hint.
B: It's vastly smaller than a Tiger Shark - you could say, pea-sized.
J: You didn't! Awwww! I'm so jealous!
B: I did!
J: Awwww! ...uh, I have to go. I'm in a restaurant and I'm making a scene.

The juvenile Smooth Trunkfish barely have fins. They just sort of float around. We were able to scoot it out of its little hole and cup it in our hands for a close look. Its little mouth sticks out with little puckered fish lips. Smooth Trunkfish, odd-looking things themselves, are relatively common, but the juveniles are much less so and quite difficult to find, being that they are so small and probably spend most of their time hiding.

Adult Smooth Trunkfish

Video of Smooth Trunkfish