Trip report Destin last two weekends.

[Puffer Fish]

I have been neglectful, and not done any trip reports the last two weekends....me bad.

Water is slowly warming, vis (when not dark from storms) has been pretty good... 40 -50 ft (until someone messes it up).

I've been shooting a lot of macro images (kind of fun for a change)..

Got images of a new fish for me... pigmy seabass and found out we have a species of shimp here, I thought did not live this far north.

So, as with all good trip reports (this is for you Glenn).. a couple nudibranch images:

 

[fab50diver]

Beautiful! Destin has always been a favorite vacation destination for us as well as the Port St. Joe area. Looking forward to diving there.

 

[Puffer Fish]

More later, have to go exersize.

OK, I hate those tiny images.

Some frog fish are always around:

and no trip report from the northern gulf would be complete without some seaweed blenny images:

That is my gloved finger in the bottom of the last image... seemed he (she) liked me a lot.

 

[deeper thoughts]

nice.

 

[Puffer Fish]

I tend to play a lot with octopus... but if you decide to do that, just be aware that every so often, one will do more that come out of their hole, they sometimes jump on you...

Here is one in the process of doing just that:

I actually got in a fight with one this last Sunday, ended up hitting it to get it off the strobe... it inked me.. and was not happy.

Better still is to give one something to eat... but be careful not to do the same one several times... or again, you will have them on you..

Here I am handing a shell to one...

Here he is happy with his new found dinner:

Just doing the happy finger dance will get them out usually.. one just has to not be too good at it.

Oh, and consider carefully what might happen if you find a really big one...

 

[Puffer Fish]

Now the new stuff... after doing this for, well, lots and lots of years, I am amazed that every year I see stuff I have not seen before...

For fish, we have the spotfin jawfish (a pair actually):

Hope one day to get the whole animal.

And the pygmy seabass:

And last, a terrible picture, but what you are looking at is a shrimp I would have bet did not live in this area.. and here it is, the Red Snapping shrimp... now that I know what they are, will work on getting the whole animal..

 

[Puffer Fish]

Here a couple of the other shrimp we have:

Not much bigger than the claw on an arrowhead crab, these guys are hard to see:

Pederson, on the otherhand are somewhat easy:

 

[Hetland]

I received my first octopus bite about a month ago. More like a nibble, but enough to convince me I had outstayed my welcome.

Excellent photos as always.

 

[Puffer Fish]

And some general images:

Last month has been fun...shame summer cannot last a lot longer.

 

[Puffer Fish]

Some are very aggressive, and a big one is a lot stronger than a human. I've had two this month that jumped me...would hate to get bit by a big one..

punching one seemed to upset it enough to leave...so there is always that option.... pulling on the arms does not work.

I received my first octopus bite about a month ago. More like a nibble, but enough to convince me I had outstayed my welcome.

Excellent photos as always.