I'd like to be, under the sea.
In an octopus's garden in the shade.
He'd let us in, knows where we've been.
In his octopus's garden in the shade…
We would sing and and dance around,
Because we know we can't be found…
Ringo Starr
The Covid Years, 2020/2021
'"When anxious, uneasy, and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused."
Rainer Maria Rilke
I don't know where you were in the Covid years. It seems, happily, more and more like a distant bad memory, but it changed many of us for ever. Loss of loved ones, unfamiliar isolation, loss of freedoms we take for granted, including access to the beach and sea, our place of healing. Situations you never would have thought possible. It crystallised our thoughts and made us celebrate and appreciate the things we have, and the things we lost.
Dudley and I worked through the worst waves of Covid and it changed our view of life and medicine for ever. In a strange way, and largely in retrospect, it was a privilege to contribute. In other ways it was the scariest time of our professional lives.
Luckily we also managed a few snatches of mental health time in Sodwana within the whirling chaos. And discovered the truth of a very wise French saying, 'Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose." I am happy to report that Sodwana remained a constant in this time of upheaval.
So we present to you Covid therapy.
The Eyes Have It
Tiny glassies mirroring the light inside a cave.
Super macro is a term for trying to take the pictures at extra magnification. We have the option of diopters, lenses that can be fitted on the camera port, or to increase the magnification strength of the lens. We have a 180 mm lens, chosen for this reason but it is not well balanced, the slowest auto focus ever, and has a ridiculously narrow depth of field. Despite these challenges we have had periods of success. Here are some of the usual suspects in closeup.
Mouth of a Clown triggerfish, Ballistoides conspicullum
Looks like an advert for improving dental care!
The eye and nose of a Seamoth, Eurypegasus draconis
White Paper fish, Taenianotus triacanthus
We used back lighting to produce an almost see through effect
Porcelain crab, Neopetrolisthes maculatus
This minute crab is only just a bit bigger than the anemone polyps it occupies
The eyes of a Durban dancing shrimp, Rhynchocinetes durbanensis.
Note the strange faceted eyes.
Scorpionfish eye, Inimicus didactylus
We think this is a rare scorpionfish, an Indian Ocean Walkman although it is not described in Sodwana
Fish Portraits
Taking fish portraits is often the default on a day when there is not much else to find but don't be deceived, it is far from an easy option. Fish are experts at turning and avoiding the lens, indeed they have a sixth sense which flicks on even as you think about shooting them, so face on portraits are the exception and not the rule.
Sea Goldie, Pseudoanthias squamipinnis
This is one of my favourite fish to shoot. Goldies are all beautiful but the male Sea Goldie in full mating colours is hard to beat. Below is his good lady. Not so shabby either in the looks department. A true power couple.
Pineapple fish, Monocentris japonica
A shy fish hiding in caves and overhangs, very rare for Sodwana, slightly more common in Aliwal.
Yellowfin surgeonfish, Acanthurus xanthropterus
Semicircle Angelfish, Pomacanthus semicirculatus
A beautiful and fairly friendly angelfish which occurs alone or in pairs. The juvenile has distinctive blue white and black semicircular lines and the transition to adult colouration occurs around 8-15 cm
Peacock Razor Wrasse, Iniistius pavo
This is a juvenile distinctive for the long detatched dorsal fin and the sinuous drifting movements which mimic seaweed and render him almost impossible to shoot.
Pink Paper Fish, Taenianotus triacanthus
Another favourite model the paper fish comes in a range of bright colours of which the pink is the most dramatic. It mimics a leaf in shape and habit and sits under ledges and in caves and crevices, almost always face down and bum in the air. Challenging.
Longnosed Hawkfish, Oxycirrhites typus
Deep water fish almost always associated with black bushy coral or gorgonian fans.
Fire Dartfish, Nemateleotris magnifica
Found over rubble and sand, living in burrows, typically in pairs. If approached they dart back into their burrow.
Palette Surgeonfish, Paracanthurus hepatus above
Twofer Humbug, Dascyllus carneus below
Both these photos show juveniles sheltering together in table coral heads. As you approach they all disappear into the coral.
Manta Ray, Mobile biostris
Taking a manta on a 100 mm lens can be challenging.
Weird Shapes and Wonderful Colours
Frogfish reporting for duty, both juveniles, the one on the right looked fresh out of the box and measured a few centimetres at most.
The bright yellow hairy legs of a Hairy Yellow Hermit crab, Aniculus maximus
Weedy Scorpionfish, Rhinopius frondosa
Always a great find, this year they were reddish brown. Although they are said to prefer deeper reefs and have been recorded up to 297m, we always find them on the rocky reef of Mellow Yellow at 12-14m
Lionfish, Pterois miles shot up into the water column for a perfect black background.
One of the finds of the season , a Paddle flap, Popeyed or Mauritian Scorpionfish, Rhinopius eschmeyeri
Very rare for us in Sodwana. Colour varies through yellows reds pinks and oranges. Distinguished by the fleshy paddle like eyebrows.
Leopard or Zebra Shark, Stegostomia tigrinum
Another incredibly exciting find this season. These sharks are rare and most active at night and we found him sleeping on the sandy bottom. Called either a leopard or tiger shark. As juveniles they are striped and as adults they are spotted. Go figure!
Bits and Bobs
Back to the little stuff. A few odds and ends of interest
From the safety stop, a salp and a sea angel
Nudebranchs and flatworms
Flatworms are usually found pasted onto rock but can and will swim free with undulating movements. Graceful and colourful.
This Bornella Anguilla is the only nudebranch, apart from Spanish dancers, that may chose to swim from place to place
Another unusual nudibranch, Ardeadoris undaurum
Soft coral cowrie, Globovula sphaera
These delicate little cowries eat the soft coral that they resemble. They are virtually impossible to fnd , often subcentimeter in length, but if you find a finger soft coral with a dead white area on it look carefully as one or 2 of these guys may be munching their way across the coral.
Are you feeling better yet?
So even when circumstances conspire against us, we can still believe that beyond stress and grief and pain there remains a place we can return to and be restored. Our Sodwana. We wish you peace and health.
"Saltwater cures everything, sweat, tears and the sea"
Isak Dineson
