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Flying to the South Pacific recently from the UK, we stopped off in LA  for a few days. We had all of our dive gear and more (a bicycle). we planned to leave our luggage and fly cheaply to Phoenix.

At present there isn't a left luggage facility in LAX. 

the solution was, either upgrade to business class and for $50 we could take loads of luggage each,

or, LAX Luggage storage http://www.laxluggagestorage.com/ on (310) 670 4186 an amazing company who with one phone call, came to where i was standing in about 10minutes, took the lot for a few dollars a day each bag, and when i flew back, called up and hey presto,it arrived right outside the departure gate at the correct terminal. right where i was standing. i did not know they existed until 30seconds before i rang them. Magic.

Another consequence of fish relocating (see blog 26/10/2011) is their occurrence in front of your very lens when diving in habitats where they shouldn’t be.(according to the books) I often receive photo’s from divers around the world asking is this a ‘pink, upside down, black-spotted hose fish’ etc when they know that it is, but it has been photographed in the wrong location (according to the books). During my years of involvement with fish recognition and diving I am constantly aware that publications (and web-sites) re-print what is considered best guess. If one book says it is right then it becomes gospel. On whatsthatfish.com I try to give locations in general terms taking into account the location of your photos which have been submitted, and ballast relocation would appear to be a very good argument as to why some of this relocating is occurring. 

Many nonindigenous marine species have been introduced into new environments as a result of human activity. Transfers, either intentionally or not, occur by many vectors including ships ballast water which is necessary for safe ship operations and which may be taken on at the port of departure, both discharged and taken on during the voyage, and finally discharged at the arrival port. This movement and release of ballast water means no coastal site, whether it receives direct shipping or not, is immune to ballast-mediated introductions.

 In the 1990’s it was estimated that ballast water was responsible for the transportation of over 3,000 species of animals and plants a day.(National Research Council 1995). Ballast in a vessel from the Eastern Mediterranean arrived in the USA with over 50 actively swimming individual fish ranging from 12cm to 36cm in length. The grates over the ballast openings had fallen off allowing the intake of unusually large species. The grates usually allow only a 1cm wide organism to enter. However this can still be some fair sized fish, crustacean or worm.

Hence my suggestion (see Blog 3/3/2011) that the introduction of Lionfish to the East American coast may be due to Ballast discharge. More information regarding the specific types of Lionfish involved and their natural habitat will be gratefully received, and when we can shed more light on this we will let you know.

“stemming the tide” controlling Introductions of Nonindigenous Species by ship’s ballast water , National Research Council 1996  http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=5294&page=R1

Bonaire deaths occur on a daily basis!

No not divers  but Lionfish!!

Lionfish are not native to this Caribbean Island but have arrived! How come,  Well several theories abound.

1. Did they swim?    Maybe the water seemed better on this side of the ocean!

2. Did bad weather and predators send them in search of a new life?

3. Did they arrive in the ballast tanks of ships?

This happens when ships are in port and take on water in their ballast tanks before going on long journeys, and when they arrive in port, empty their tanks and discharge the water, and in so doing 're-locate' fish life from their home port to the new one. With this in mind, not only should there be more alien fish in the caribbean! but all fish should be found 'world-wide'.

4. Fish tank keepers maybe dumped them in the water? Well, they do grow big don't they, also with its renowned appetite for all other fish smaller than itself, that in itself is a good reason to get rid of it. Also lets be honest but those nasty spines are a real problem when cleaning out the tank. The first case of Lion Fish poisoning i ever saw was a local fish shop keeper whose hand had come too close and received a gentle stroke, wow did it blow up !!

5. Another theory is that a hurrican destroyed an aquarium in Florida and they escaped?

Possible, but it means that not only do they breed 'like Rabbits', but that they can swim thousands of miles North (as far as Bermuda) & South (Bonaire), take their mate with them and then set up home miles away in a foreign country .

Whatever the reason these fish are not wanted because they reportedly eat all the other fish around the islands So divers are asked to take a cork and piece of string to mark where they see a Lion fish, and report back the depth and position of the cork so they can be 'disposed' of accordingly. The strange thing about doing this and marking them to be removed later, is that it means these fish do not travel very far. ( hang on we just reckoned they swam thousands of miles) Any way.take this a step further and in theory if they stay in one place the Lion Fish shouldn't be a problem as they could all be rounded up and 're-located'. Problem solved.

Lionfish have a few natural predators, apparently Groupers being one of them (and there are quite a few groupers in the Caribbean). I saw a Scorpionfish corner and devour a lion fish once, feathers everywhere.  Why is it that there are plenty of Lion Fish in other areas like Indonesia and the Maldives and at the same time they are pushed for space with all the other small fish sharing their accommodation.

This raises the question, are the Lionfish really eating the local fish out of house and home. Maybe there is another predator who is upsetting the balance between nurture and nature. Take for instance us humans and our eating habits. Fish appear on all the menus on all the restaurants in all the countries of the world. Fish products are given to our animals to eat, fish oils are used in cosmetics, and so on. Pollution and chemicals wipe out great swathes of fish life.

Maybe it is the lion fish which is adapting to changes in its natural habitat brought about by other factors, and we are not seeing the wood for the trees and blaming the reduction in fish life on ITS eating habits and not OURS.  Should we really be blaming this beautiful fish for the lack of local sea life?

Having recently been diving off the shores of Bonaire during their worst rains in living memory, the mosquitoes have been out in force. They were a pain, especially when we were warned about the big mosquito with black and white legs, the Dengue mosquito. All sorts of myths abound about its biting habits, some say dawn & dusk, others all day long. Certainly if they are in your apartment they bite all night long as well.

We had hundreds of bites, didn’t matter when we went diving off the shore, they were there. 6 to 7pm was an absolute disaster and it is well known they like dark damp places. Damn it every wet suit I have ever seen is dark and damp and these fellers loved hiding in them. They bite through thin material so dinner at dusk is a disaster too. An electrified tennis racquet was the perfect killing machine but not really practical in the field, or on the shore.

The good news from a personal perspective, and I haven’t seen anything untoward in the medical press either, is that despite being bitten repeatedly during this freak winter I nor anyone else I know went down with Dengue fever. So if that’s what it’s like when its bad, let’s not worry about the flying bugs and concentrate on what’s in the water. After all that’s why we go to beautiful Bonaire. The diving is amazing and the coral pristine. No bleaching or pollution. But do be prepared to be bit, and take precautions , anti-itch and anti-bite as well as anti-everything else, and wait for the sunshine to dry up the breeding grounds and let divers do what they do best, Dive Bonaire.

We stayed at Coral Paradise Resort where they supply free electrified Tennis racquets , the good news is you don’t have to wait for an opponent to play  ‘mosquito tennis’ they just sort of turn up !!

Dengue is a viral disease, spread by mosquitoes which causes a high temperature, headache , muscle and joint pains and usually a rash. It occurs in almost all of the warm water diving locations around the world. Now compare those symptoms with a mild attack of “The Bends” and you have a dilemma. (read on as it gets worse).

If you haven’t dived for 24hrs, then the Bends is unlikely. However if you wake up ill, in the night, after a days’ diving, that’s not helpful. !

The height of the temperature is probably the most deciding factor. Dengue will really make you sweat, and that temperature will climb and keep going. Whereas The Bends, it just makes you feel lousy. Dizzy, short of breath, worn out. That feeling when you have a heavy cold and you just want everyone to go away and leave you alone.

They both attack your joints and muscles. The Bends usually hitting the larger joints with varying intensity from deep ache to excruciating. This doesn’t help though as Dengue was known as ‘Breakbone fever’, enough said!!!.

Dengue is often diagnosed with the presence of a triad of 3 factors. Fever, rash, headache & other pains.(typical of the medical world to have a triad of 4 features).

We all know though that the Bends can give you a rash. Infact most of us divers get a bit of an itch at some stage in the holiday, and have had the Bends associated skin symptoms rammed down our throats that we all get a bit worried. Not so with Dengue. The rash here is ‘the nasty one’. That rash that we are taught to look out for in our kids, where you put a glass onto the skin and the purply pink/red rash doesn’t disappear. AAAgh meningitis. Yup the very same type of rash. Due to bleeding into the skin, rather than an inflammation of the skin it doesn’t blanch with the glass test.

So now you are really sweating (literally),you  have a headache from hell and a rash, you are no longer worried about The Bends and Dengue, but do you have meningitis ?. Great just what you want in the middle of the night on a tropical vacation.

Now for the GOOD news.

Look at your illness objectively and you will see the different  illnesses  sort themselves out.

The Bends make you feel weird, almost anxious and your skin will be itchy and the fine rash (if there is one) is usually on the face and upper body .Those classic aches & pains with  dizziness, short of breath, exhaustion with confused memory and mood swings. You need a partner to get you off your butt and receive treatment. You won’t care, and will be worried about causing a fuss about nothing.

Meningitis will hit you like an express train: fever, headache, pain on bending your neck , your eyes won’t like the light and you become floppy, unwell. The blotchy rash of glass test fame means that the bug is in your blood, and boy do you need help fast.

Dengue comes on about a week after being bit, so unlikely to occur while you are on holiday, but typically when you get home.  It starts with the typical hot & cold chills before the temperature goes sky high. You get a headache, and muscle pains from the start then  everything aches including your eyeballs when you try to move them. Oddly your pulse stays low ( it normally races with a high temperature), and your eyes look ‘ill’, a pinkish look typical of an infectious illness. All sorts of things can then happen. You may get better in a day or two only to succumb again. Sweating but feeling frozen, and then ’ that’ rash covers you from toe to neck, but not your face. Do not take aspirin, or ibuprofen type drugs as they make the problem worse. Fluids is the mainstay of treatment and your doc will keep an eye on you. This viral illness is usually self-limiting, but like all things it can turn nasty, in-fact very nasty especially in kids.

The home of diving freedom.

Just what does that mean? well for whatsthatfish it meant 10 days of diving at our own pace, on our own, and choosing where and when to dive. The only limiting factor was the mosquitoes which were out in swarms and the odd current. Boat diving, as per usual, is available from all the local dive operators with excellent dive guides etc. However the beauty of diving here is beach entries and pristine corals a few yards off the beach. Being able to enjoy diving at your own pace, photo for as long as you like,and surface when you and your buddy want to.

Not for the novice diver, (except there is always the boats, and the diving is wonderful). A bit scary that there is no logging in or out of the dive, and because of petty crime you can't take a mobile phone etc in your car. so if it goes wrong the sh*t really hits the fan.we stayed at Coral Paradise Resort, Bonaire. wonderful location for boat and shore diving, and Brenda the PA is a pro. photographer (H20 visions) and a mine of information as to where to dive to see that elusive seahorse etc

Swimming muscles make up the bulk of a fish's body.They are arranged in sections, identical on either side of the body.Contracting on one side causes stretching on the other, resulting in a wave like motion passing down the body giving propulsion.Fast swimmers like Tuna and Jacks are able to thrust their body and tails from side to side (without much deviation)and shoot through the water with minimal resistance from their smooth skin and streamlined tail. As a result of the energy required to produce this burst of speed (which enables them to catch their prey)they have more 'red'(blood-rich) meat,and hence are more sought after by us meat eaters !!

In the beginning there are Phytoplankton.(Algae with chlorophyll) they provide nourishment for both Zooplankton(organisms drifting in the water)and energy for the biological pump(an important source of Carbon,basically a compost heap on the ocean floor, required for life in general)and Krill(shrimp like crustaceans,and small fry). Phytoplankton multiply in cold waters as do their predators the Zooplankton and Krill.These make up the largest part of the diet of fish around the globe.krill generally do a diurnal vertical migration, providing food for predators near the surface at night and in deeper waters during the day. So both herbivores and Carnivores are catered for.

When disaster strikes and 'Pollution' occurs, the Coral Reef and fish population suffer. However The fish recover quickly and are back to similar levels within the year. Unfortunately the Coral Reef is slower and takes about 5 years as long as their is no ongoing pollution, otherwise re-growth is significantly stunted.

Jacks hunt in groups on the outer reef edge, and alone when shallower. Their hunting behaviour has 4 phases- Patrolling, when they make no predatory moves Quatering, zig-zag moves at high speed Hunting, when it identifies a victim Attacking, when within striking distance, moves in for the kill The jack has a protrusible jaw,and the prey is sucked in. Fish which are the Jacks prey recognize and adapt to these 4 stages. The prey ignore the Jack when patrolling, but immediately seek shelter when quatering starts. Once a kill has occurred the other prey return to the open reef and resumed their foraging. This explains why divers see prey and predator swimming near one another in apparent peace.(watching fishes by R.& J.Wilson)

Parrotfish, bite off chunks of coral to get at the algae inside or outside. Triggerfish,bite chunks of coral to get at the invertebrates hiding inside. The habits of some territorial damselfish are destructive to the corals they claim as their property. The Caribbean threespot Damselfish bites the coral, causing an open wound so that algae can take a hold, and in this way cultivates algal mats on both staghorn and common star coral. However this algae meal also attracts grazing parrotfish which muscle in and gnaw the coral to get a good bite of algae inside and out.

Fish eating fish (piscivores) do so in the half light of dawn and dusk. Many fish have a ‘protrusible jaw’. This allows the mouth to move closer to the prey by extending forwards and then sucking in the prey. They literally vacuum up their meals. In the throats of many fish is a second set of jaws, which grind up whatever has been sucked in, so the fish can dart around grabbing what it can and let the sorting out and grinding up be done inside at its leisure. Algae need not be seperated from the coral, or crabs ripped out of their shells, all goes inside to be ground up and sorted out.

A novice diver usually requires more belt weights than an experienced diver of like displacement. The beginner, apprehensive, involuntarily inflates his lungs too much and needs more ballast to be equilibrated. After a few dives he breathes normally and finds that he is overweighted. Then he learns the wide possibilities of adjusting air ballast by his own breathing discipline, a factor that has a range of 6 to 12 pounds on his displacement. At the beginning of the dive the air cylinder weighs about 3 pounds, as it is consumed the diver weighs less with each breath. When the air is gone the cylinder exerts a 3 pound ascension force. The perfectly adjusted diver begins slightly overweighted,( in order to sink) and returns at the end of the dive slightly underweighted in order to ascend. From “the silent world” by Jacques Cousteau

one of the whalesharks pictured here has been identified as M-031 by the ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library. Great news, for more info see the whaleshark page

Manta Rays can leap into the air and give a flat resounding crash as a ton of flesh hits the water. They have no teeth or grinders, no tail stinger, but relies on speed to survive.They are plankton eaters. (From “the silent world” by Jacques Cousteau) I have only seen a Manta "Fly" once,on a liveaboard in South Male (Maldives). According to an 'expert'from the Florida fish and wildlife Commission stingrays also take to the skies to escape predators. So it doesn't only rain cats and dogs !

I have difficulty reading about fish when the chat is about its genus, and its fins are caudal,dorsal or downright blobblob, and i come away not knowing what on earth was being said. So instead of describing 'genus' i will try and write about 'groups with similar characteristics'= a genus, !!! and everyone will know what i am talking about. similarly, lets call tails, tails and not just caudal fins, pectoral fins (add in side fins), dorsal=back, anal and pelvic at least are fairly self explanatory except for those of us who talk out of the anal end......

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