How about photography?

 

The top photo is straight up land camera setting.  The next photo is an automatic computer enhanced image of the same photo, the "Quick Fix" decided on the colors

 You sure get different things out of a camera, and a computer.  This one, without the blue background, is after I changed the setting on the camera, there underwater while I was still in front of the sponge, to "Snorkel"  something like fifteen feet depth compensated-for-blue. 
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This is a fairly recent innovation in cameras because so many people are taking underwater images.  The best is to set the color translation before every photo, but I'd never get any pictures taken if I had to do that!
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This is a "Do Not Touch Me" sponge, has irritating spicules in the structure that can give you a nasty rash that burns, but only if you bang into the sponge, or like one ignoramus did, took a roundish one out of the sea and played football on the beach with it.  BIG mistake!
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Up close, you can see some little curls and funny things, Brittle Stars, a kind of starfish that's really skinny and spiny, but does not sting.  They obviously can live on this sponge happily for a long time, see the indentation in the middle where the starfish is deep into the surface of the  sponge!  I don't know anything about this symbiosis.

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And a fish picture.  These are Hardtailed Jacks that turned away from me just as I turned toward them to take their picture.  Silly fish, I wish they could recognize me as being a photographer, and not a predator.  They kept swimming back and forth behind me.  Some say they're fascinated by a diver's bubbles.
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And the bushy looking thing is a soft coral, a Gorgonian, being blown sideways in the current.

OK!  all for this day!  Thanks for stopping by!
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Hello! Guess I'll do a post---

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The camera seemed to behave yesterday.  Let's see what I saw.
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Oh, no, a class.  I'd better take off fast and go the other way.  I used to teach, and was always taking groups of students that I had to closely monitor.  And "Resort Courses"   Up to six people who didn't know anything about diving.  You can take a Resort Course, and after a minimum of instruction, and I mean minimum, go right out to 30 feet, 9m on a real dive.  Sometimes people would be jet lagged and hungover, sigh. But, if it wasn't a very safe thing to do, it wouldn't be offered.  Hundreds of people I took diving this way all came back with me with zero problems.
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Ah, a barrel Sponge.  What's around it, besides the Southern Green Ray swimming on by?










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OK, a gray Gorgonian, hard to tell apart the different kinds.  And a yellowish Butterprint coral, and some "Erect Rope" sponges, the wine colored thingies.  And the little bunch of sticks?  Oh, there are two Arrow Crabs.  Oh, the orange stuff is sponge of some sort.

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A closer look at one of the crabs.  I really did think the first one I ever saw was a bunch of sticks, then it moved!  They mostly hold still, but if frightened, they can dart away.   And sponges have holes in them.

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Cropped and up close, the crab.  The face and body(He's facing sideways to us) is on the bottom of the long spike, the striped part.  The spike is actually his snout.  And blue claws.  Yes, they can pinch!  Even make  small cut in your finger.  Hum, how would I know that??
They put extra food on top of their heads sometimes, the spike.  The reddish fluff there is cyano bacteria, resembles algae.  It grows in hot water, hot is one or two degrees fahrenheit too 'hot', and it's getting hot this summer.  Some corals are starting to bleach from the heat, booo.
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Back on the beach, kids playing with a surfboard.  One guy would get on, maybe stand up and wobble there for a second or two, before the others jiggled the board and made him fall.  They were funny to watch.

Ah, is nice to be posting.  Nice to have my camera working, (don't quit again!!)  And no, I haven't gotten the new computer yet.  OK, have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by!

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Hello!

Sorry for the break in posting photos for you.  My computer's hard drive is about to crash.  Sometimes when I click something, the whole machine starts vibrating frighteningly.  So, Monday it is to buy a Mac, I guess!

Have faith, I'll be back!

Melissa

Snorkeling----

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Ah, underwater!  Where are we??  Shallow because the top of the sea is so close.  I love these photos that have the surface, and reflections of the bottom.
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Peeking above, I snap a picture of the rocky shore.
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Hmm, looks spooky!  I wonder what's there...
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Fishies hanging out in the shade, nice and cool in the noonday sunshine.  I didn't go any closer because I could see them becoming nervous and beginning to think about swimming away.  OK, fellas, I'm not going to bug you!

Like I said in another post, if you turn your face up, you can feel the heat of the sun.  I presume it penetrates as deeply as the light, gradually fading as the deeper and deeper water absorbs.
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One look back, and off to open water!  All of four feet deep, a little over a meter.
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One Brain Coral has made it through the smashing waves of hurricanes.  Have LOTS of babies, old boy!  Or are you a girl?  Or both?  I have more to learn.
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A little fish!
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And a better photo, a juvenile French Angel fish.  The bright yellow stripes will fade with age to a black with yellow edges to each scale, a speckled effect.  The French Angels have rounded tails, and the very similar Gray Angels have straight edged tails.  Not many Grays here in St Croix's waters.

Sad news.  My old, old computer, five years old, is not much longer to function.  Sometimes when it goes to Desktop, the hard drive vibrates terribly.  During the work on this post, it started really fussing, and so loudly that I could hear it.  And if you knew me, and how hard of hearing I am, you'd be impressed.  So, dear readers, I must take a few days' break, to buy a new computer.  Groan, always a trauma, hey?

"Soon Come"  Thanks for stopping by!
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Company

Visitors keeping me busy!
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A bit of a snorkel on the western side of St Croix, more later!  I must dig through 268 photos.  Oooof!

And a Tropical Depression named Ana just went by, dropped one whole inch of rain at my house.  She might be headed to Florida in a few days.  The himmacane named Bill is headed toward Bermuda, going to miss the Caribbean.

Thanks for stopping by!
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Friday!!

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Let's just wander around the shallow reef today.  That pale yellowish stuff that looks like spilled pudding is a colony of something I haven't discussed, Zoanthids.  zo an thid   More strange little critters!

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Blue sponges, yellow-brown corals, and a soft coral leaning away, a Gorgonian.

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A happy Barrel sponge, all crowded with other critters.  And  a shy Parrotfish running away from me.  Silly fish.

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There!  In the sky!  it's. it's ...a squid.  But not the sky, just up.  Once I was puttering around on a dive, and saw two divers in the distance approaching.  I was in a big sandy area, and I ascended to about twenty feet over the sand.  The two people were looking at everything around, but not up.  They swam right below me, not seeing me at all. Teehee.

I learned to look up when some people asked me if I'd seen the whale.  "Whale?"  I had just gotten out of the water, and was taking off my gear.

"Yes!  He went along right at the edge about twenty minutes ago!"

I'd been right under a whale and didn't know, because I didn't look up.  But I probably would have killed myself trying to go say hello.  sigh.

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Bladed Fire coral, so pretty.  One of these days it'll be very calm, no waves coming in, no surge pushing me around, and I'll be able to get some close photos.  This coral is so brittle, and breaks easily, stinging at the same time.  Little fish like to hide in its' shelter.  Not whales.

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Sponges swooping and swirling around.  Oops, no, this just an impression, they don't move.

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More sponges, standing over some Mustard Hill coral.  Hum, and see the bits of red?  Preditory Boring Sponges.  Oh, my.  I'll talk about them one of these days.

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This is your brain on coral!

 (That ad sure did infiltrate American talk, hey?)

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Thanks for stopping by!

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Fishie Thursday

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Oh, no, not another Squirrelfish!  I have to look at these guys on every dive, so you need to see them, too.  Dark eyes from staying up all night.
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A Stoplight Parrotfish.  They have a most strange habit of changing from female to male if they live long enough.  All the eggs hatch as females.  The girls sometimes school, with one male 'guarding' them from other males. 
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Oh, this is the "Initial Phase" color.  When the fish is old enough to do the presto chango, they change color, also.  They used to be called "Super Males"  but the name was changed a few years ago to "Terminal Phase"  haha.
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No, I didn't have anything to do with the name change.  The Stoplight really is underappreciated, I think with the dramatic tail, and the rest of the rainbow colors it's one of the prettiest fish on the reef.
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This gorgeous turquoise blue guy is a Striped Parrotfish.  The Initial Phase color is brown and white striped.  So is a Princess Parrotfish.  Hum, didn't do something right, here's the Princess Parrotfish below, jammed against the next photo.  Will I ever get the hang of this posting??
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Let's have a yellow here, a French Grunt!  They make grunting noises if caught by a human(not me!) and taken out of the water.  I do not know why they are French.
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A little Sharpnose Pufferfish, down in front.
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And the face of a Parrot, saying 'oh dear', just before she turns and runs away.

And away I run!  Sorry to be so late today, had a hectic morning.

Thanks for stopping by!
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Wednesday---

 

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Oof.  Overloaded today, only one photo for you today, a lovely Eagle Ray gliding by.

More tomorrow, have a great day.

Thanks for stopping by!
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Tuesday Tuesday

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One of my favorite formations, an overhang.  This one is about seven feet, 2m, out there, suspended.  There are usually lots of fish hanging out in the shade. 
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Once I noticed this habit of their's, staying under things, and I turned my face upward and held still for a moment.  You can easily feel the heat of sunshine on your face!   I was amazed.  Although the deeper you go, the more sunlight, and heat, are absorbed by the water.
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 A Black Durgon.  They are shy for me, and difficult to photograph closely.  They have marvelous patterns of colors that can be seen only close-up.  They swim by waving the two fins that run along their back and belly.  They steer with their tail and pectoral, side, fins.

 A Stoplight Parrotfish.  They swim by sculling their pectoral fins, and steer with their tails.
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 More pretty scenery. I love the sunlight dancing on the sand.  The Sea must be very calm for this to be.
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 Someone named this coral Mountainous Star coral.
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 And this is called Yellow Pencil Coral, but this is my old camera's photo that is too blue.
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 A magnificent Barrel Sponge, towering over the neighborhood.  The little fish is a Sargeant Major.  First fish name I ever learned.  They swim by just swimming like a fish.  (??)

Funny, yesterday I googled images for a Shamefaced Box Crab, and it's the first time Google has let me down.  Only someone feeding their eel in an aquarium.  No box crabs!  I'm on a hunt now!

OK, have a great day, and I'm going right now to the Post Office to find out if my stinking camera has come back from Mr. Fixit yet!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Monday

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Watch out for this fish!  He'll bite you!  A Damsel fish, hmm, where's the book?  There are the Longfin, Dusky, Threespot, Cocoa, Beaugregory, Bicolor, Yellowtail, Night Sargeant, and Sargeant Major.  Whew, see what books do for you?  I'm guessing this guy is a Threespot, because of the yellow 'eyebrow'. 
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They are very territorial, growing and tending a garden  about a meter/yard square.  See the fuzzy stuff behind the fish?  It's full of little thingies that the Damselfish eats.  Get too close, and the fish goes nuts trying to chase you away, charging right up to you menacingly.  Then rushing away to prepare for the next valiant charge.  And they will eventually bite, but it's just an tiny pinch to the Giant Bubbling Monster(me). 
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All divers agree that if these fish, smaller than the size of your palm, were a foot long, we wouldn't be able to get in the sea.
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Another danger!  A "Do Not Touch Me" Sponge.  You'll get a burn, stinging itchy rash that lasts a day.  OK, just stay away.  But,  if you're following a diver that gets too close, and their fin hits the sponge, they'll be OK, but the sponge will release tiny-to-invisible bits into the sea, and if you swim through the cloud. you'll be stung.  Wowee!  Dangerous Sea!  (I'm trying to be silly here...).

Coral colors, a pale gold Meandrina or Maze Coral.  Purplish blue Rope Sponges, and some burgundy colored ones, and one little feather worm.
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Lovely rich brown Boulder Brain coral, with two attending rope sponges.  This coral can have green grooves, or the whole beastie can be green, or gold, or other duller colors.
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Anothe Maze Coral, with white polyp's tentacles extended, feeding during the day.  Makes the coral look metallic, silvery gold.  A Bicolor Damsel fish lurks in the shade.  Sometimes Bicolor Damsels have three colors.  ??
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Some deep scenery, sponges and wire coral.  And a few bits of plate coral.

I had a terrible dive yesterday, with a dear friend, her Great niece and the niece's instructor.  I saw two Shamefaced Box Crabs, one wasn't afraid, was just tottering around on the surface of the sand, while the other one dived in and disappeared under the surface.  And then there was a Furry Sea Cucumber, and then, a  PURPLE Scorpionfish resting on a YELLOW mound of finger coral!!!  And I didn't have my camera!!  Terrible dive!

Ha.

Thanks for stopping by!  (Silly camera better come in the mail today!!!!!!)
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