I only had a chance to do one night dive during my stay in Lembeh. I could've done more, but I was too tired at the end of every day. Muscles aching, joints creaking, eyelids drooping...
Of course, the one day that I managed to do four dives, I saw a lot at night. There were many cephalopods on the prowl, like this little octopus that seemed truly surprised to see me:
and an adorable little bobtail squid...sound asleep until my strobes went off:
The cutest crustaceans I came across had to be this little crab couple. The one on the left encircling the one plunked down in the sand was always protective of the other crab, and literally "hugged" the other crab every time they moved.
I suspect the cuddler was a male, and the cuddlee a female. Perhaps I'm imagining things, but it sure seemed like the crab I thought to be the male kept communicating: "She's mine! She's mine!" every time I got anywhere close.
I didn't know how to reassure him by saying: "Not interested" in crab-language though. In any case, they were adorable.
Diving at night presents some unique opportunities to observe and photograph the residents of Lembeh, as the critters active after dark tend to be different than the ones during the day. There's also a lot of courtship and mating activity that takes place in the early part of the evening, which is always fun to watch.
I'm really looking forward to my next trip to Lembeh, which will be for The Night Safari planned for 27 February to 6 March 2010, when we'll spend a large proportion of time diving at night. The resort will be on a night schedule, so we'll have all the logistical support we need to have an enjoyable time...like having hot chocolate after dives!
While at Kasawari this trip, I also arranged to have big lights for us to hang during The Night Safari above the water to get squid (and perhaps other stuff?) to come close, so we can watch them hunt and hopefully get some cool images and video.
If you're a muck, critter and night diving fan, consider joining us for this unique opportunity to party the night away...Lembeh style.
See this post, or contact Sanah or David at Scubacam for more details.