Wet Blue Diary

Gizli Derinlikler için çekilen sualtı video görüntüleri.

Sualtı Fotografları cekerken alınan görüntüler

Turgutreis Çatal Ada Caves-Ağustos 2009

Yaban TV’deki Gizli Derinlikler için çekilen sualtı video görüntüleri. Enchelycore anatina
(Sivridişli muren) 25 metrelerde duvarda bir çatlakta dinlenmekte.

Turgutreis Çatal Ada Ağustos 2009

Yaban TV’dekiGizli Derinlikler için çekilen sualtı video görüntüleri.
Labrus mixtus (Benekli lapin-cuckoo wrasse) 20 metrelerde kaya altında Ircinia türü bir süngerin üzerinde dinlenmekte.
Turgutreis Çatal Ada Ağustos 2009

SPECIES HUNT IN KAS SCORE OF 7 DAYS

As the followers of WETBLUEDIARY and friends know I went to beautiful town KAŞ for photographing new species for the database project. Kaş turned out to be a very productive trip to me as I photographed around 20 new species for the project and many good photographs of the species I didn’t have high quality pictures in 7 days.

Here are the first group of fishes. I had some pictures of the rare sharp teeth murena Enchelycore anatina but it was taken with wide angle lens so I think this one sharper and has action inside with the teeth open (Its teeth is visible all the time because of its jaw shape). I had a chance to photograph some jack species and a small tuna species. The pictures of the fish in order is: 1-Seriola dumerili known as leerfish swimming on top of a wreck 2-Caranx crysos known as Blue runner caught while are hunting. They darken while hunting. 3- Auxis rochei photograped while hunting together with the blue runners

Sphyranea sphyranea under the both at shallow depth and I couldn’t help myself not to post the last picture of this big European barracuda posing nicely just at the perfect time If I had only know my buddy had something like that. We laughed looking at this picture for some time! The third species is beautiful Balistes carolinensis. The fourth picture is a very big specimen of Pagrus pagrus.

The third set of pictures belongs to a very important 4 species as I was looking for these guys for sometime. As you might guess it made me very happy, a smiley face for sometime (you must be thinking that I am a freak!) I looked so many places for the first two species until I found them; 1- Dactylopterus volitans-Gurnard-Kanatlı Kırlangıc, It was a huge one, Its always amazing to see this fish again. 2- Anthias anthias-Mediterranean fairy beasslet, At last! I found two colonies, they costed me 30 minutes of deco time (they were at 50 meters depth! ) 3-Pteromylaeus bovinus-Duckbill ray 4- Dentex gibbosus Lump headed bream, Although you can find this species in some places I didn’t had a chace to photograph it before.

And the last group of fishes. The first species, Serranus cabrilla-Comber.  I had this one before but this shot is a hit so I found it well worth to upload it here.  The second species is a new one for me,Vanderhorstia mertensi-Snapping prawn goby. It has a very interesting symbiotic relationship with the prawn where it shares its burrow with. The third one s also a new species called Striped remora-Echeneis naucrates. This one likes to live with big animals like green turtle Chelonia mydas or the duckbill ray above. This remora was lovely as it was trying to get protection from us. It was on my leg for 5 minute and Murat Draman carried it on his tank for 10 minutes without knowing that it was there.

I would like to thank here MURAT DRAMAN and GOKHAN TÜRE and all archipel staff for supporting me on my project and inviting me to KAŞ that allowed me to be able to take this wonderful pictures. Please go and visit their dive center ARCHIPEL in KAŞ. they have a wonderful crew and can offer many many outdoor sports like canooeing, hiking, biking and etc. apart from diving.

http://www.dragoman-turkey.com

New Grouper Species From KAŞ

Earlier I didn’t posted here about my dives in Gokova, Knidos and Datca where I get to find new species for this project. In Gokova One of  fish the species which I encountered there was this juvanile grouper species.

I highly suspect that it is young individual for the species Mycteroperca rubra.

The patterns on the fish and its shape just makes me think this way. But one cannot be sure and need further identification resources before a conclusion.

There was yet another species I encountered in Gokova a big adult gruper where I didn’t have a chance to photograp as I had my macro lens with me. Epinephelus sp. (the white grouper). Also in Datca I encountered a rare spieces of grouper Epinephelus caninus during a night dive which I didn’t have any picture of it before.

I already had some low quality shots of  Epinephelus costae female from Bodrum but  Iwasnt happy with the quality of them. So in Kaş some of the gave me very nice poses. Here is the result! The other species as I explained above are new for the database project: Mycteroperca rubra and Epinephelus sp.

http://www.dragoman-turkey.com

Day 2 In Kaş

Hippocampus hippocampus Deniz Atı

I was dying to capture a sea horse. Amazingly so many hours and years underwater I wasn’t able to see one before.  Third day of our dives in Kaş. I was so happy to watch one of my diving buddies making the horse sign (race horse jockey movement). They told me if I had seen one and we searched for it for 5 minutes and then suddently there it was. What an amazing creature. It is a very interesting creature and probably one of the most beautiful one in mediterranean sea.

Chelonia mydas Yeşil Kaplumbağa

Kaş is very close to major turtle nesting areas like Patara beach. As a reason of this fact you can see many turtles during your dives. One of this was at 35 meters approaching directly to me. We had ony 15 cm’s between us but then I was worried about my camera port had to back up. So calm and elegant creature these turtles. These ones are green turtles both.

The first turtle was ascending for getting some air into its lungs.

http://www.dragoman-turkey.com

SHRIMPS

Day 3 in Archipel Diving Center in Kaş

Two new species of shrimps shows them selves at the third day of the expedition. I was seeing the goby shrimp at many locations in Kaş but it was very hard to get a clear shot of the animal as it is very shy and always doing construction work which reduces the visibility.

Alpheus rapacida

This snapping shrimp species is a very big shrimp with 6-7 cm long. It is very hard to take a clear show. If it sees you it will hide in the burrow immediately and won’t come back for a while. You have to very quick to take the shot. They have an interesting  commensal relation with the goby, Vanderhorstia mertensi which both of them benefit from it .

Gnathophyllum elegans

The bumblebee shrimp is a very beautiful and vierd looking creature if you are lucky to see one. They are night time animals and hide somewhere during the day. They have beautiful colors and patterns. They are around 30  mm long. Before seeing it I was wondering if I could ever have a chance to photograph it.

http://www.dragoman-turkey.com

NUDIBRANCHES

Day 5 in Archipel Diving Center in Kaş.

Two new species of sea slugs emerge after 5 days  of search. I knew that it was not the best season for the slugs. They tend to be more crowded around spring timei but still I wanted to shoot some of the sea slugs occurring in Kas. So together wit these two species the number count is 15 in the project. Not all of them are here in Wet Blue Diary but I will upload them into the database sooner or later.

Hypselodoris picta

A very beautiful species of dorids. They can grow as big as 19 cm’s and can be found many in different colors and patterns. In the nomenculature it is also know as H. elegans.

Piseinotecus gabinierei

This one is a very small slug 1.5 cm long. There were two small one and a big one together. I found them at 26 meters on algae. Probably they spent their life on this algae and eat them as well.

http://www.dragoman-turkey.com

Location: Bodrum-Turkey
Date: August 2009
Model: Tugce
Depth 1-2 meters