It's only been a day or so since I've gotten back from my trips aboard the MV Golden Dawn, and I'm still struggling to catch up with correspondence, phone calls and meetings.
There's a lot I want to write about and many images and video I'd like to post, but the way things are going, it doesn't look like I'll have much time before I head out again in a few days.
The story behind this photo is too good to keep quiet though.
Craig, who's the captain of the Golden Dawn, has been visiting the beautiful reefs of the Eastern Fields for something like 20 years. In that time, he's apparently never come across a large frogfish like this one (I think it's an Antennarius commerson).
So, when one of our divers spotted this fish and showed it to Craig, he was so happy that he literally shrieked(!) with joy. I was at least 20 metres away, around the corner, when I heard him making a racket.
I assumed something was wrong and rushed over, only to see a half dozen or so other puzzled divers...everyone wondering why Craig was giggling and clapping his hands together like a happy little schoolgirl who had one Twinkie too many during recess.
The frogfish was pretty big, maybe 30cm or so in length, but they're not particularly rare...so I (and everyone else) didn't quite get what fuss was about.
"At least no one's in trouble", I thought to myself, and lingered for a while to watch as other people took photos of the frogfish.
In hindsight, I think the reason Craig was so excited must be because he's partial to pink.