Hey Hivers. It's been a little while since I posted an underwater film so here's one that I shot right here in my backyard (scroll to the end to see the video). About 45 minutes by slow boat from Phuket's main pier (called Chalong Pier) in the south of the island are two beautiful islands named Racha Yai and Racha Noi. Both are Marine National Parks and are surrounded by awesome coral reefs.
The islands are very popular with day trippers for snorkeling and diving trips. The waters are normally crystal clear and on a good day just teeming with fish. The video is another narrated episode of Wild Oceans that I filmed and edited for my good friends at Earth Touch. The opening shot was taken from the boat before jumping in the water. How beautiful is it!
I had never dived this corner of the island so I had no idea what to expect when I entered the water and descended. The dive started in a shallow sandy bay with small coral areas. The marinelife was varied and prolific and the amount of different species was a good indication of a healthy and protected environment.
That black and yellow fish is called a Moorish Idol and is one of the main protagonists from the Pixar animated film Finding Nemo - does anyone remember? The streetwise and rough character called Gus. The first interesting species I film is a Masked Porcupine Pufferfish. I love this guy because they have such funny personalities - he always seem so nervous and stressed out when you meet him, like he is flustered and trying to hide from the camera. I'm like chill bro - just let me get a photo and I'll be out of your hair...:)
Next cool encounter was a Peacock Mantis Shrimp. You can see how they get their name. I'm always envious of the people that got to name the different animals you meet underwater. These kind of Mantis Shrimp is pretty common in Asian waters and they are exceptionally difficult to film - as you can see in this video. They rarely hold still long enough to get a good shot and they have this habit of hiding under corals or running down a hole. I got a few pretty OK shots though.
Next meeting was the big gun of the Pufferfish - he is rather unimaginatively named "Giant Pufferfish" I would have come up with a much better name but anyway - his name is fitting - these guys are huge. Again very difficult to film as they always always always turn away from the camera. This is a well-known behaviour of many fish and it's because the camera lens is presumed to be they eye of a giant fish that is a potential threat.
Next up is something a little special. When it comes to filming wildlife, either marine or terrestrial, behavioural footage is always considered to be of great value. So any clips that shows feeding, mating, fighting, laying eggs etc etc is special. This next clip in the video is of another kind of Pufferfish called a Porcupine Pufferfish feeding in the sand. Its very cool!
Next up is a beautiful close-up shot of the amazing Bearded Scorpionfish. The colours and patterns on him make for perfect camouflage either on the sand or hiding amongst soft corals. I have a pretty keen eye for spotting these guys though after many thousands of dives with a camera...:)
I hope you like this video and if you have any questions about any of the marinelife in there please leave a comment. Thanks so much!