3 Sailed Triangle or a Shovel Nose Ray?

❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube 3 Sailed Triangle or a Shovel Nose Ray? PETER PARKS “I felt something touch my arm. My partner beckoned me to follow him and not waste time. We swam in silent tandem back towards the bay where our boat was moored. As we rounded the spur of mangrove, my partner indicated particular stealth and then held his arms wide, indicating large size. Oh yes, another big sting ray that would disappear into oblivion before we got anywhere near. My partner noticed my scepticism and broke surface, removing his demand valve sufficient to gurgle “Shovel-Nose Shark – huge!” Uh-uh, I thought all of a metre long. Into the gloom we returned and my guide then slowed, stopped and pointed. I peered. Solid gloom. Something vaguely sticking out of the sand – no, two things – no, …… three, all identical. I crept forward on finger tips. What were these three things and why side by side? My eyes accustomed to the low contrast scene. I looked left and right. Suddenly it dawned on me. The three things were all part of the same, and all were in line – occupying only the hind quarter of what I could now see was an enormous flattened body. My partner was absolutely right. This beast was indeed huge. I estimated it to be ten foot long and to weigh well over half a ton. This was a serious fish. The three vertical ‘sails’ were the tail fin, the adipose fin and the dorsal fin – all almost identical and each standing three quarters of a metre off the floor of the lagoon. The next question was how to do justice to it photographically. I decided, stills first, movie second. The Nikonos around my neck had a new roll of film in it and a 24 mm lens. To make this creature look the size it was, I was going to have to get very close. Very, very close. At this stage, I was broadside on. On the basis that being hit by half a ton of pointed ray was less to my liking than being flicked in the face by its tail, I decided to try the approach from the rear. Finger power eased me forward at a snail’s pace. Now my heart was thumping, not because of fright, just because I so wanted a decent shot. Closer and closer I crept, until the caudal fin loomed large in the viewfinder. I began to click away, scared that the percussive note would frighten her away. (The sex of the beast was female, I believe, since I could see no signs of claspers). The ray remained motionless. Click, creep, click, creep. I could now reach forward and easily touch the caudal fin. This was the shot, with those three sails, en-echelon. I backed away and began a laborious circumnavigation on a fifteen metre diameter arc, to get ahead of the ray. Now I had real reason to be apprehensive. From the front, this shovel nose looked extremely mean, and with those fins at the back end, she sure wouldn’t hang around when she decided to go. Now I was six foot from the snout. Click. Now five feet. Click. Four feet. Click. My nerve ran out. I eased off, reminding myself I still wanted a movie sequence, and a head on my shoulders! I sidled back to the boat, exchanged cameras and re-approached madam, from the side and a little behind. This time I wanted movement, but the roll of film had only twelve seconds of film to run. I crept towards the three sails. A lateral establishing shot first. Got it. Six or seven seconds left. Closer. Just before I settled for the shot – the intention movement of imminent departure – the operculum rose an inch or so. Sure enough, she was off and away in her own ‘smoke’ screen of sand. I shot it, but I would have so liked to be closer and to have had more film. Nonetheless, a memorable encounter and, like all fishy tales, my partner’s arms held wide had been out by a factor of two, but downwards, not upwards on this occasion!” ❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube From Tiny Egg to Underwater Chameleon… Read More Floating, Stinging and Beautiful Bubbles… Read More

A Titan Prank and Spear Gun Mishap…

❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube A TITAN PRANK AND SPEAR GUN MISHAP GERRY ALLEN “Jack had a wonderful sense of humour and was a good sport when he was on the receiving end of practical jokes. There are so many great stories from my travels with Jack and here are just a few examples. My good friend Roger Steene and I joined Jack for a lengthy sojourn across the Indian Ocean that was funded by the National Geographic Society in 1979. Knowing Jack’s passion to log more dives than anyone on the planet Roger and I set up a little practical joke while we were at Villingili Resort in the Maldives. The previous night we fetched a couple of scuba tanks from the dive shop and rigged them up with our gear before retiring. Then we set the alarm for 5 AM. The next morning, while it was still dark we hopped out of bed, donned the scuba tanks and took turns spraying each other with a garden hose. It looked like we had just emerged from a dive. Time to put the plan into action! We tip-toed over to Jack’s bungalow, deliberately clanked the tanks together several times and started loudly exclaiming what a great dive we had. Predictably, Jack rose to the bait. He bolted out of bed, grabbed his gear and virtually ran over to the dive shop to grab a tank. No way was he going to be out-dived, even if it meant diving at 5 in the morning. I think he finished the day with 6 or 7 dives, which was a typical effort. Absolutely nothing distracted Jack once he locked onto a potential fish specimen or photographic subject. With this knowledge Roger and I set a little trap for Jack while on the same visit to the Maldives. Female Titan Triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens) are notoriously aggressive when guarding a nest of eggs. We had both been molested by a particularly savage individual while taking underwater photographs the previous day. At one point I fended an attack by thrusting my camera towards the trigger. The fish actually seized the strobe-mounting bar with its teeth and swam off with the entire camera rig. This was one ferocious fish! It seems fiendish in retrospect, but somehow seemed entirely appropriate at the time… We hatched a plan whereby we would return to the same spot and line the triggerfish up between Jack and ourselves. Having set this up with ease we then frantically waved and shouted, indicating we had discovered something extra-exciting to photograph. Jack took the bait and swam in a bee-line towards us. Unaware of the trigger, he swam directly above its territory. Boom – the fish erupted like a heat-seeking missile. I’ve never seen anyone swim as fast as Jack with the trigger in hot pursuit. Afterwards, when we confessed it was setup from the beginning, he laughed as hard as we did! http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TITAN-TRIGGER.mp4 Another humorous incident occurred in the Solomon Islands. I was doing some underwater photography while Jack was collecting specimens with a Hawaiian-sling spear. These pursuits do not always mix as I learned from the hilarious scene that unfolded. Jack was moving at top speed in mad pursuit of a small rudderfish (Kyphosus). At last he lined up a shot and drew back the firing rubber. His concentration was so intense that he did not see me, in spite of the fact I was positioned just a few meters away, directly behind the target. He launched the spear, missed the veering fish, and shot me squarely in the butt! Fortunately I was wearing a thick wet suit and was far enough away that the shot had lost most of its impetus. These “scientific” moments are sacred to me. Funny you never hear or read about them at international symposia or in scholarly journals.” ❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube From Tiny Egg to Underwater Chameleon… Read More Floating, Stinging and Beautiful Bubbles… Read More

Reggie Ray Carrying Humans at Lizard Island…

❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube REGGIE RAY CARRYING HUMANSAT LIZARD ISLAND PETER PARKS 1985 “All wildlife filming engenders encounters with weird and wonderful animals and plants. It all requires some familiarity with the creatures, some knowledge of their habits and behaviour, some appreciation of the environment in which they live, usually a disproportionate amount of patience and always, but always, a huge dollop of luck. What one tends to forget is one other ingredient, and that is an invariable element of surprise. Early in the new year, back in 1985, I was alone on Lizard Island, awaiting the arrival of my colleague from OSF, as well as looking forward to Roger Steene joining us for a couple of weeks. Before either arrived, I was alone and enjoying some very calm, fine weather, and intent on searching a coastal stretch a mile or two from the station. Named Crystal Beach, it was storm beach, meaning one that collected interesting flotsam when southerly storms battered the island, and it was as white as snow, hence the name, “Crystal”, and it was half a mile long, dead straight, aback a coral shelf that extended up to two hundred yards seaward. To its north and south, lay similar rocky promontories that helped funnel incoming storms straight onto the beach. It tended to be little visited by the research students, because it was shallow and a bit boring. I kept a periodic watch on it, because it often collected interesting artefacts, like Nautilus shells, fishing trawl net floats and various dead fish. So, one fine day I set forth to investigate the full length of this pleasant beach. I moored at the southern end, wandered slowly down the full length, and back again. I kept back from the water because past experience had taught me that large rays frequented this beach, and a vague plan was building in my mind to see if I could approach one close enough to see it feeding. These rays were notoriously skittish, frantically flapping away across the coral platform, long before you ever came close, so somehow I needed to develop a methodology that did not freak them out. My walk, gave me the time to plan how I was going to attempt it. Accordingly, I kept well inshore, on my return walk. I slipped quietly into the boat to retrieve snorkel, fins, weight belt, camera and facemask. I eased myself into the water, floated face down, selected a depth such that I did not disturb the bottom, but shallow enough that I could touch the sandy bottom with my finger tips. Using nothing other than finger power, I began the slowest, longest glide down that half mile beach, ever performed. It was a snail’s pace. Sure enough, ahead I soon saw the cloudy disturbance that indicated that I was approaching a feeding ray. Most are bottom feeders, blowing a jet of water out, then sucking in water, sand, and burrowing sand dwellers, like shellfish, brittle stars, Sand Dollars, segmented worms etc which they filter out and swallow whole.  As I got nearer, I realized the ray was facing away from me. That was lucky. Surely I could get that much closer. More finger tip gliding. Not the slightest disturbance from me. It took twenty patient minutes, but by the time my fingers were beginning to think of cramping, I was only six or seven feet from “Reggie Ray”. For nearly an hour I studied him to my heart’s content, as he dug feeding depression after feeding depression along the beach, all within forty feet of the breaking surf. It was a wonderful experience, and I returned to base feeling both pleased and privileged. The next day, I repeated the study with as satisfactory results. The day after that, Roger arrived. I told him of the experience, and we decided to see if we could do the same the third day. Rog was always game for these sort of patient encounters, and that is why he is one of the very best in his field of underwater marine close up photography. Weather was still fine, and we did exactly as I had done on the previous two days. What we had not expected was what happened next. We got so close that we were literally touching Reggie, and he seemed not to care one little bit. He became so used to us that we each tried gently to move him. Ultimately, we found that we could gently grasp him at the base of his substantial tail, and nudge him forward to a new, undisturbed patch of sand to induce further feeding activity. It was extraordinary. He seemed to have absolutely no concern with our activity. Remember, this is the type of Ray that perpetually freaked off as you approached them, by slowly wading or swimming gently towards them. Reggie and his fellow rays were all Thornback Rays, rays that do not have poison spines at the base of the tail. Rog and I have often thought back to that unique experience.” ❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube 3 Sailed Triangle or a Shovel Nose Ray? Read More A Titan Prank and Spear Gun Mishap… Read More

Exotic Aggression – Balloon Protecting Squid…

❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube EXOTIC AGGRESSION – BALLOON PROTECTING SQUID The Broadfin Reef Squid is found throughout tropical shorelines, all round the Pacific. Sepioteuthis is the fastest growing of any invertebrate species, up to 600grams in half a year. They are also very short lived, seldom exceeding 300 days. http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SQUID-AGGRESSION-1.mp4 Females lay tethered egg capsules with about five to ten eggs per capsule. Adults guard the eggs and display quite aggressive behaviour towards any species that approach the beds of communally laid eggs, attached to bottom rocks or secure weed or old coral. http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SQUID-AGGRESSION-2.mp4 The nerve axons of these squid are used extensively in biomedical research. Their capsules contain up to ten or so eggs, but the first embryo to hatch goes round killing and eating the remaining eggs or younger siblings in that same capsule. These Squid feed mainly on shrimps and prawns of several species. http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SQUID-AGGRESSION-3.mp4 ❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube 3 Sailed Triangle or a Shovel Nose Ray? Read More A Titan Prank and Spear Gun Mishap… Read More

The Floating Blue Community that all Eat Each Other…

❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube THE BLUE FLOATING COMMUNITYTHAT ALL EAT EACH OTHER INTRODUCTION There is no realm within the vast assemblage of marine plankton that we have studied in greater detail and depth than the group that we call the ‘Blues Brothers’.   This is a community of ever drifting surface-hugging blue and purple creatures of extraordinary beauty and mystery, and one which periodically drifts on westerly gale force winds and currents from the mighty Gulf Stream, to end up stranded on our most westerly shores, particularly the beaches of Cornwall. GLAUCUS TO VELLELA Though much more refined than Janthina when devouring prey, Glaucus, the Blue Sea Slug takes no prisoners when it encounters Velella, Porpita and Portuguese Men-O-War, or the sargassum anemone. Glaucus eats them all, and uses for its own protection the stinging cells of their prey. They simply move the stinging cells to their finger tips, where they can fire them in anger… PORPITA Porpita resides on the underside of the ocean’s surface, whereas Velella sits on top, with tentacles tipped below. Porpita sweeps its tentacles vertically down periodically.   Porpita is a Chondrophoran, a modified single Hydroid polyp. The team are arguably some of the first to recognise multiple colour morphs.  GLAUCUS TO PORPITA The Blue Sea Slug, Glaucus, feeds avidly upon Porpita, as well as other members of the Blues Brothers Group. PHYSALIA A full grown Physalia colony can have a float 250mm long and around ten tentacles that extend to thirty or forty metres, packed with powerful and dangerous stinging cells along the entire length. JANTHINA Blind and incapable of swimming, Janthina. The Purple Bubble Raft Snail, has to rely on wind and wave driving it to within a few millimetres of its Velella prey before it can effect capture and enjoy a meal. There are thousands of stories that can be told about the complex network of relationships that occur between the ‘blues brothers’ – to name a few: Janthina eat Glaucus – Glaucus eat Physalia, Vellela and Porpita. Janthina also feed on Porpita, Vellela and Physalia. Physalia, Vellela and Porpita all feed on plankton and small fish. These various stories we intend to tell physically and digitally, through our venues around the world.  ❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube 3 Sailed Triangle or a Shovel Nose Ray? Read More A Titan Prank and Spear Gun Mishap… Read More

Whale Snot Catching Drones – SnotBot

❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube WHALE SNOT CATCHING DRONES – SNOTBOT OCEAN ALLIANCE Our very close association with Iain Kerr’s Ocean Alliance – the world’s foremost whale conservation organisation, admirably secures this field of our research and storytelling. Our two organisations, along with several others, are all part of a fraternity of ‘Share and Swap of images, stories, research and observation that guarantees that we all can preach from the same rich gospel and keep abreast of the daily influx of wonderful new insights into the goings on within our Oceans’ surface waters and the equivalent, less awe- inspiring, but still fascinating, stories from the freshwater habitats that we own and will thoroughly document. http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SNOT-BOT-3.mp4 Ocean alliance are leading the way with drone research technologies. They are currently using drones to capture the ‘snot’ from whales via drones. The purpose of Ocean Alliance’s SnotBot program has been to explore and push the boundaries of this new research paradigm, determining what data can be collected with a drone and how best to collect it. Using SnotBot has many benefits when collecting biological samples from whales: it is non-invasive, we get a huge range of data, and it is relatively affordable. http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SNOT-BOT-3-V2.mp4 SnotBot is a modified consumer drone that flies through the blow of a whale and collects exhaled “snot” on petri dishes. This blow contains a treasure trove of valuable biological information: DNA, stress and pregnancy hormones, microbiomes, and potentially many other biological compounds and indicators of the animal’s health and ecology. Best of all, the whale doesn’t even know we are there: This is a non-invasive tool that is safer for the animals and cheaper and more effective for the user. ❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube From Tiny Egg to Underwater Chameleon… Read More Floating, Stinging and Beautiful Bubbles… Read More

Swarming Hammer Shaped Aliens…

❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube SWARMING HAMMERSHAPED ALIENS IMAGERY FROM HOWARD HALL Hammerhead sharks exhibit an aggressive hunting behaviour, primarily preying on smaller fish, octopuses, squid, and crustaceans. While they typically do not actively target humans as prey, they display strong defensive instincts and will engage in attacks if provoked. Distinguished by their wide-set eyes, hammerheads possess an extended visual range compared to many other shark species. They employ a unique adaptation by dispersing their specialized sensory organs across their broad, mallet-shaped head, allowing them to conduct thorough oceanic scans for potential food sources. Annually, substantial congregations of hammerhead sharks assemble in specific locations along the coasts of various regions worldwide. Scientists are currently investigating the reasons behind these gatherings, with one hypothesis suggesting that these occurrences coincide with seamounts, underwater mountains, where hammerhead sharks congregate for feeding, breeding, and social interaction. These sharks have been observed forming schools containing nearly 100 members during daylight hours. This schooling behaviour is believed to enhance their foraging efficiency, as further supported by their seasonal migration to cooler waters during the summer months. In contrast, during the winter, they migrate back towards the equator in pursuit of warmer oceanic environments. ❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube 3 Sailed Triangle or a Shovel Nose Ray? Read More A Titan Prank and Spear Gun Mishap… Read More

The Swimming Spanish Dancer That Lays Ribbons…

❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube THE SWIMMING SPANISH DANCERTHAT LAYS RIBBONS The Spanish Dancer, scientifically known as Hexabranchus sanguineus, defies all expectations of a typical sea slug. Its name, “blood-coloured six-gills,” offers a glimpse into the captivating underwater world it inhabits. So named because it swirls its voluminous ‘skirts’ reminiscent of a female Spanish Flamenco dancer. This Nudibranch, (naked gills), grows to two feet long and like many of its kind, is hermaphrodite, meaning it is both male and female. http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/HEXABRANCHUS-TAKE-OFF.mp4 In the face of danger, it extends its mantle edges and takes to swimming – a manoeuvre resembling a graceful pirouette, earning it the fitting name of the Spanish Dancer. Depending on its location – whether it’s the Red Sea, the Western Indian Ocean, French Polynesia, or the Western Pacific – its colours shift and change, a living testament to nature’s diverse palette. Beyond its captivating appearance, the Spanish Dancer is a discerning diner. It feeds on sponges and has both male and female attributes, it’s a living testament to versatility. http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/HEXABRANCHUS-LYING.mp4 As if these amazing behaviours and characteristics weren’t enough, the Spanish Dancer adds yet another layer of intrigue to its story. Rather than laying plain eggs, eggs are laid in bright pink ribbons containing thousands of veliger larvae similar to the youngsters of marine snails. http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/HEXABRANCHUS-TO-SURFACE.mp4 ❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube 3 Sailed Triangle or a Shovel Nose Ray? Read More A Titan Prank and Spear Gun Mishap… Read More

Floating, Stinging and Beautiful Bubbles…

❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube FLOATING, STINGING AND BEAUTIFUL BUBBLES PETER PARKS We set out once to film nematocysts actually penetrating human flesh. Repeatedly, we had been stung during the expedition and learnt to our cost not to be careless handling our subjects. Apart from the intense pain of the initial contact with even the smallest part of a tentacle, there shortly follows a migration of the pain to the lymph nodes – especially those under the arm. A nauseous aching starts there and continues for hours. So it was with some trepidation that we set everything up, on-purpose, to be stung on camera. We were in very close on the finger that was to be offered to the tentacle, and through the camera viewfinder, I could see my own finger trembling as my partner brought the Man-o-war and its tentacles alongside the finger. Again and again we tried. Could we get it to work? Could we, heck! Trying it without a finger, and with a touch of acetic acid and the tentacles exploded into activity – nematocysts firing off in every conceivable direction. To this day we have never been able to explain this. We have however succeeded in filming the event, and I’ve included still pictures that we took at the time, in more than one of the spreads. ❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube 3 Sailed Triangle or a Shovel Nose Ray? Read More A Titan Prank and Spear Gun Mishap… Read More

From Tiny Egg to Underwater Chameleon…

❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube FROM TINY EGG TO UNDERWATER CHAMELEON – THE LIFECYCLE OF THE FLAMBOYANT CUTTLE The Flamboyant Cuttlefish, known for its striking purple and yellow patterns, is a small cephalopod species that primarily inhabits the Indian and Pacific Oceans, specifically ranging from southern New Guinea to the north and West Coasts of Australia. Mating involves remarkable sexual dimorphism, with females being approximately twice the size of males. During this phase, males deposit sperm packets into specialized pouches within the female’s body cavity, a critical step in the lifecycle. Egg laying is the next phase, where the female undertakes an astonishing endeavour. She selects hidden locations to lay her clutch of up to 200 eggs. Her exceptional camouflage skills are on full display as she remains completely motionless during this crucial period. Frequently, she secures her precious cargo beneath a protective coconut shell, carefully attaching the eggs to the inner surface. http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ADULT-FLAMBOYANT.mp4 Approximately 25 days later, the flamboyant cuttlefish’s lifecycle takes another remarkable turn as the eggs hatch. Miniature replicas of adult cuttlefish emerge, already displaying the species’ distinctive purple and yellow patterns from birth. These hatchlings possess immediate proficiency in camouflage and signalling, showcasing their unique abilities right from the start. http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FLAMBOYANT-EGG.mp4 Beyond their captivating lifecycle, flamboyant cuttlefish generally lead solitary lives, forming brief partnerships exclusively during the mating season. Their estimated lifespan, based on data from related species, ranges from 18 to 24 months, with some females meeting their end after spawning, adding another layer of intrigue to their remarkable lifecycle. http://openoceangroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ADULT-FLAMBOYANT-2.mp4 ❬ BACK TO STORIES Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube 3 Sailed Triangle or a Shovel Nose Ray? Read More A Titan Prank and Spear Gun Mishap… Read More