While it is always exciting to see the big stuff like the whale sharks,
manta rays and thresher sharks, half the fun of diving in the Philippines is spotting the tiny creatures that populate the waters here. Many times the dive guide will spot them, it's their job after all, but it's nice when you notice something they haven't.
Bubble coral Shrimp Vir Philippinsis as the name suggests these little guys live in bubble coral, they are quite common and easy to find if you know where to look.
Commensal Shrimp Periclimenes holthuisi another common shrimp but a real bugger to photograph. They tend to live in anemones and are always dancing about.
Popcorn shrimp Periclimenes kororensis. Popcorn shrimp isn't the real name it's another
type of Commensal shrimp but their heads always remind me of little bits of popcorn so the name has stuck.
Whip coral Shrimp Pontonides ankeri My fish book does say theses are quite common but I've only fond them a couple of times over the years. They are hard to spot though.
Whip coral goby Bryaninops yongei Another whip coral inhabitant are these little goby. You normally find them in pairs and the scoot around the other side of the coral if you get too close.
Banded Cleaner Shrimp Stenopus hispidus These are cute little shrimp you will sometimes see them doing a bit of dental work on fish that pass by.
This photo was taken in the Maldives but it really is the best one I have of a cleaner shrimp hard at work.
Goby and Buldozer shrimp Alpheus djiboutiensis Interesting little bit of symbiosis going on here. The shrimp is blind and in return for protection and scraps, it keeps the gobys burrow clean. Venture too close with your camera and they will both disappear back to safety in the blink of an eye.
Porcelain crab Neopetrolishes maculatus These little crabs live in the anemones alongside the anemonefish they are not that common and hard to spot sometimes as they hide under the anemone a lot of the time.
Coalman shrimp Periclimenes colemani These little shrimp live on a fire urchin which is quite poisonous but they seem fine. You normally find a male and female pair when you do see one.
Ornate ghost pipefish Solenostomus paradoxus This little critter usually lives in feather stars and they are really well-camouflaged for that.
But occasionally you catch them out in the open and they stand out a mile like this little family group.
Nudibranchs. There are thousands of different ones in the Philippines, so that will really be a separate post for another day. But here are a few of the more common ones to wet your appetite. If the slugs in your garden were this colorful I bet you wouldn't pour salt on them.
Well Hivers I hope you enjoyed that at peak around for some of the smaller things you can find diving in the Philippines. Most of these photos were taken diving on the different sites around Moalboal with Cebu Dive Centre and Kasai Village resort. There are always things to spot you just need to keep your eyes open and have a good dive guide.
