The legendary rainbow tripod fish ( #Bathypteroisphenax) eventually settles on the seabed and lives its life sitting on its fintips above the silty abyssal plane. In its larval form is is one of the most stunning fish we see on our #blackwater dives. #deepsea #marinelife

A #blanketoctopus (genus #tremoctopus) three ways. The little bubbles on each of her back suckers are pieces of siphonophore that it tears off to use as a “spicy” stinging shield. #marinelife #plankton

Fun fact, the worms have eyes, THEY CAN SEE YOU 👀 I can't tell for sure which type this species would have, but they are all cool 🧪🦑 www.cell.com/current-biol...

Christmas tree worms extend their spiraled feeding crowns, while a spinyhead #blenny peeks from its burrow in front of one—two tiny reef icons sharing the same real estate in #PuertoRico. Life on the reef is small, colorful, and endlessly intertwined. #marinelife

This longsnout seahorse (hippocampus reidi) has been taunting me by hiding inside of hydroids for my last few visits, but I finally found him puttering about at night. I love how striking they are compared to the typical lined seahorses. #seahorse #sygnathid #marinebiology #marinelife #ocean

I was recently challenged by a scientist to image the pharynx of #HermodiceCaruculata, the bearded fireworm. This was my best attempt at playing #fireworm dentist. Imaged using the Nauticam SMC-2, the most powerful underwater magnifier in the world. #marinelife

For my #plankton lovers I have a few blackwater and larval #marinelife Valentine’s Day cards you can steal for your special someone. #valentinesday #marinebiology 🦑

Happy Valentine’s Day from my ocean to yours! #valentinesday #marinelife #underwater #nudibranch

This is a pelagic #mollusk called a sea elephant and they’ve never known a hard surface in their entire life. What do you think this one’s name is. I think they look like a “Gumbert” #marinelife #plankton

At nearly 6 inches long Felimare juliae are one of the biggest nudibranchs we have on the Florida reef tract. This giant has striking aposematic coloration warning predators of its toxic body. #nudibranch #seaslug #scuba #underwaterphotography #marinelife

Last night we encountered 8 species of #dragonfish larvae will drifting in the Gulf Stream. Goofy as kids, they have a goth glow up as adults. At this stage their digestive tract trails outside of their body for some reason. #marinelife #plankton

Nomeus gronovii, or man o’ war fish, share a symbiotic relationship with the Portuguese man o’ war. Partially immune to the venom of the man o’war, these fish can live among the man o’war’s tentacles and feed on them. This particular one hit me in the head while I drifted offshore. #marinelife

This has been my face for the last ten or so days. Pelagic lined seahorse found drifting in the gulfstream. #seahorse #marinelife #grumpy

Titled “Everything’s A-OK” I am reminded by this bold doctorfish to hold fast with a smile, stay prickly when challenged, and calmly know we’ll make it through. I am pleased to have secured First Place in CUPOTY with this image today. #marinelife #fish #doctorfish #lizardfish

It’s #siphonophore Sunday!!! I believe this is Forskalia formosa and they can pack quit a sting if they bump into the space between my mask and my stache. #marinelife #plankton #blackwater

Recently we were treated to fantastic visibility under Blue Heron Bridge, so much so that I couldn’t help but bring out my wide angle lens (for once!) in the first image we have a big ‘ol 12oz steak size Warty Sidegill slug, Pleurobranchus areolatus. #marinelife #seaslug 🦑 #malacology

Just letting Bluesky know that I am an independent dive guide that specializes is showing all the weird and exotic underwater #urbanwildlife you see on my feed to my guests. If you ever want to see the very best critters in Soflo, check out my website in bio. #scuba #marinelife

Hot on the heels of naming my #simplifiedseas project I present an image of a lined seahorse from earlier this week. On the shallow seagrass beds, these are the big dogs, effective pipette feeding predators that need to eat almost constantly. #seahorse #white #marinelife #underwaterphotography

This is kinda different than my normal type of picture, but I enjoyed the reflections made by the manatees against the still spring water. #manatee #reflection #marinelife

The Mad Manatee’s Mullet Monocle. I had fun swimming with these Potatoes in the springs today. #marinelife #manatee #marinemammal #underwaterphotography

The orange cup coral was first observed in Puerto Rico in 1943, scientists believe these corals first made their way to the Western Atlantic from the indo-pacific by hitching a ride and spawning along the way inside of the ballast water on ships. #invasivespecies #coral #marinelife

The #Atlantidae is a group of planktonic gastropods, which all demonstrate a strong adaptation to pelagic life. I love them because they endlessly flap those lil wingys (part of its mantle) and have funny googly eyes. #marinelife 🦑 #plankton #blackwater

Most divers need to fly to Indonesia to find the legendary Leaf Sheep/Shawn the sheep/Eyespot Costasiella, but we have a population living in a ditch on the side of the road right here in South Florida. #marinelife 🦑 #seaslug #sacoglossa

For my #newyearnewnudi contribution here is Plocamopherus lucayensis. Fun fact these guys will blink with (very weak) bioluminescence if I disturb their bryozoans home. #nudibranch #marinelife #underwater #🦑

As the temps finally drop here in Florida, the Manatees move into their winter homes here in the springs. Happy #Manatee season! #marinelife 🦑 #marinemammal

The lined #seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) are poor swimmers and rely on their coloring and texture to camouflage themselves among the sea bed where they ambush much smaller prey by sucking them into their toothless snouts. #fishmas #sygnathid #marinelife 🦑 these are wild animals, imaged on scuba.

The sad clown. This polka dot #batfish was fishing with its lure and using a snoot I believe I have found Emmett Kelly, the sad clown, in his next life. #marinelife 🦑 #wildlife

For this 20th day of #crustmas I present to you the double rainbow of tropical western Atlantic urchinspotters, both G. Americanum and G. Mineri on ONE urchin AND in the same frame! Typically I see urchins colonized by one or the other. #marinelife #seaurchin #shrimp

A duo of amphipods have made this radiolarian their home. Radiolarians are part of the marine #plankton. Individual radiolarians are normally hundredths to tenths of millimeters in size, but some species amass into colonies like this one which may reach size of a whole centimeter! #marinelife 🦑

These sea angels typically whizz by super fast, though if you’re lucky, you can see them drifting with its egg cloud. To me it looks like they are laying a mini galaxy. #plankton #marinelife #seaangel #mollusk 🦑 🤿

ne of my favorite local slugs, the gold Line Sea Goddess (#Felimareruthae) can usually be found feeding on the encrusting sponges found under rubble and shells at the bottom of South Florida Canals. #nudibranch #seaslug #underwaterphotography #blueheronbridge #marinelife

The holidays are upon us and today/tomorrow are the last days to order from my ocean nerd plankton & Nudi merch shop! I suggest yall check it out, at least for a laugh. www.etsy.com/listing/1753...

Think carefully before buying a Greenland shark for the holidays. They are, after all, the world’s longest-living vertebrate.

I guess I’m a psychic because about an hour after I posted about my wonderful arrow crab friend, I got notification that the same photo is 1st place in the NOAA sanctuaries photo contest. #noaa #noaasanctuaries

On the 12th day of #crustmas I present The yellow line arrow #crab Stenorhynchus seticornis. This guy isn’t typically built for camouflage, but he is right at home posing in front of this Diadema long spine #urchin. #marinelife 🦑 #scuba #underwater

Merry #crustmas This inch long #bumblebeeshrimp (Gnathophyllum americanum) hitches a ride on a three-rowed #seacucumber (Isostichopus badionotus). Not unlike the Fremen of Dune riding the sand worms, Hitching rides on enchinoderms provides safety for these little shrimp. #shrimplore #marinelife 🦑

Freedrifting longsnout seahorse (hippocampus reidi) about three miles offshore while drifting in the #gulfstream. After a #seahorse give birth, their larvae sometimes get swept out to sea, joining the #plankton where they will then grow up on the drifting seaweed. #marinelife 🦑 #blackwater

In honor of #reeffutures I present a single free swimming coral planula. In late August I see plenty of these drifting with the #plankton swarms on gulfstream blackwater dives. They are about the size of a grain of rice. #coral #reefrestoration #planula #marinelife 🦑

Lined seahorses (Hippocampus erectus) are masters of camouflage and can change color or grow cirri over time to match their home. Cirri are skin filaments that #seahorses grow on their bodies to help them camouflage in their surroundings. #seahorse #sygnathid #marinelife 🦑 #wildlife

The longfin inshore #squid (Doryteuthis pealeii) Is a common visitor on #Blackwater dives in Gulfstream. I frequently see them hunting in pack surrounding the down light. This big one has just munched on a squirlfish and inked me so it got a pic. #marinelife 🦑 #underwaterphotography

I found this cool pteropod on my shark dives this weekend! Its two back appendages have evolved to look like leaves. How the heck does a mollusk that never sees dry land let alone the sea bed evolve to look like leaves from a tree? Any malacologists on here? #mollusk #🦑 #marinelife #plankton

During their Larval stage, Remora hang in the water column amongst the plankton and display huge, colorful caudal fins. This 2 inch long specimen displayed their yellow fin so brightly I thought it was bioluminescent. #marinelife #plankton #nekton #blackwater 🦑

Happy to have my image “everything’s A-OK” featured on @forbes.com as party of the CUPOTY shortlist. You can read more about this image here: tinyurl.com/24hee2m2

The #bioluminescent Phylliroe genus of nudibranch are pelagic and will never encounter a solid surface during their entire life cycle. Due to convergent evolution, their bodies have taken a form similar to a tiny fish. This gives them better control during their nightly hunt for food. #nudivember 🦑

A 3 mm Ercolania fuscata traverses a blade of Stalked Grape Algae (Caulerpa lamourouxii) in its quest to find more chloroplasts to slurp. These little #sacoglossan slugs come to visit us in the tropical western Atlantic for a short time in late summer and fall. #nudivember #seaslug #marinelife 🦑

Coryphella verta can be distinguished from all the other local white nudibranchs with red cerata by the thin white lines running on its face and down its body. These guys love to eat hydroids and can move super fast. #nudibranch #seaslug #scuba #blueheronbridge #nudivember #marinelife 🦑

Since I’m new here I think it’s also worth mentioning that I’m a nekton enthusiast. Do we have any other blackwater divers on here? Composite image of various planktonic creatures photographed in the Gulfstream off Boyton Beach, FL #blackwater #plankton #nekton #marinelife 🦑

Felimida binza are one of the most common nudibranchs found under the blue heron bridge, A light search around discarded shells is certain to turn up at least a few of these guys! 20mm subject Imaged #marinelife #marinebiology #nudibranch #seaslug #uwphoto 🦑

The nudibranch Learchis evelinae feed on delicious hydroids which contain stinging cells called nematocysts. They then store the nematocysts on their back in cnidosacs and then they can then shoot out the stolen stinging cells when threatened! #marinebio 🦑 #ocean #underwaterphotography

The most camouflaged of South Florida’s underwater urban wildlife are the crustacean specialists that cover themselves with suits made of sponges. The neck crabs (genus Podochela spp.) are exceptionally hard to ID because of the extensive sponge tissue covering. #underwaterphotography #marinelife 🦑