Asian Diver (English)

Butterflie­s, Rainbows, Dragons and Ponies

Dive into the secluded waters of Romblon with Wayne Jones as he ventures deep into the hidden habitats of exotic diminutive shrimp, transcende­nt sea slugs and mysterious pygmy seahorses

- By Wayne Jones

The island has an atmosphere that is a welcome relief from the bustle

of other busy diving hotspots

Romblon’s somewhat isolated location has spared it from the developer’s knife. Situated northeast of Boracay in the Philippine­s, the island has a relaxed atmosphere that is a welcome relief from the bustle of other busy diving hotspots. There is a large, modern

2Go ferry which travels to and from Batangas, south of Metro Manila, and it’s the most practical way to traverse the overnight distance between the two ports. The fact that it only arrives twice a week at Romblon serves as a release valve of sorts from the pressures of eco-tourism.

The ferry arrives generally around six in the morning at the ferry point in Romblon. There was a tricycle waiting to transport me to my resort and I was donning my wetsuit and locking my camera in its housing in no time at all. I was literally treated like a king throughout my stay in Romblon and I would like to sincerely thank Kati, Philipp, Peter and Patrick and all the friendly staff for their amazing hospitalit­y.

BUTTERFLIE­S

Although there are several dive locations within the protection of the small islands where these fanciful little butterfly sea slugs can be observed and photograph­ed, shallow sites like “Butterfly Garden” offer a good population of three species at a depth of around eight to 10 metres so there’s plenty of time to do your best with these tiny subjects. The Cyerce nigra, Cyerce elegans, Cyerce bourbonica (sp.) are found here upon their algae perches for food and shelter.

Cyerce nigra, with its tiger stripes, is a deserved favourite and highly prized by many underwater photograph­ers. However, they are a strangely difficult subject to photograph. Apart from their diminutive size, they have a most jerky back and forth movement that one needs to time to perfection if the two small black dots that are its eyes are to be captured in sharp focus.

Cyerce elegans must be the sparkling jewel of the Romblon Cyerce crown.

It is also found on its green leaf algae where the flat sandy bottom of the substrate allows for creative camera setups and a 360-degree range for the diver without doing damage to nearby reefs or habitats. Their habit of flopping their large globular cerata across their face and covering their small black dot eyes, in a seemingly good night gesture, also makes them perplexing to capture. It is a photograph that only those with patience can procure.

The Cyerce bourbonica (sp.) is the third gem in the Romblon Cyerce crown. Although it was previously recognised as C. bourbonica, it has now been identified as a possible variant or separate species. It is yet to be named and its true identity will only be known when taxonomic studies have been completed. It is also found here on the usual green leaf algae that the majority of the Cyerce family live, feed and breed upon.

RAINBOWS

The colloquial name “sashimi shrimp” was first used due to its tell-tale colouratio­n resembling its namesake. There is no taxonomy on it yet and thus it does not have a scientific name. Although they seem more like “rainbow shrimp” to me because of their many colours, the sashimi title has stuck.

These tiny shrimp are easier to find during a night dive with the use of an ultraviole­t light. Scattered among clumps of reef on the sandy bottom, it is only their eyes that betray their location in the guide’s ultraviole­t light. They are exciting to behold due to their amazing diversity in colours and their tiny size, which obscures them completely from the naked eye. Using Nauticam’s SMC II dioptre, these minute shrimp (less than 10 millimetre­s in size!) seemingly explode in diverse colours and amazing details as the magnificat­ion of their brilliance unfurls their true story.

I wait patiently, gently kneeling unobtrusiv­ely on the white sand, for the next serving of “sashimi shrimp” to fulfil my creative palate with their kaleidosco­pe of colours – the little shrimp, my diminutive dive guide lays before me.

The tiny shrimp are scattered like illuminate­d droplets of rainbow among the low coral clumps that dot the mundane substrate. Glinting revealingl­y in the UV light, my little guide encourages another individual onto an abandoned oyster shell and delivers it into the awaiting range of my camera lens. While some seem frozen in time – allowing you the good opportunit­y for focus and compositio­n before suddenly “awakening” – the others allow you just moments to capture a sharp, tiny eye in focus before scuttling away and disappeari­ng into the soft corals and sponges.

Then the “sushi chef” returns with another dazzling little serving of “sashimi shrimp”.

DRAGONS

These sheltered bays provide a unique environmen­t that allows abundance to thrive and the “dragon’s lair” situated on the leeward side of Logbon Island is no exception. We descend down to around 20 to 25 metres as my guide introduces me to a pair of Miropandal­us hardingi, the dragon shrimp, together on a single gorgonian branch. As if getting two eyes sharp was not hard enough, four demand an even steadier hand as I slowly edge my camera downwards until the eyes come into view. I tilt up, down, left and right in an attempt to align all four eyes on a single focal plane. Then, holding my breath, I squeeze the shutter button. Nope! I go through the entire process repeatedly until finally, I get the shot.

Romblon’s other dragon, the Lembeh seadragon, lives around the large shallow coral heads similar to where the two pygmy seahorses, Hippocampu­s and H. pontohi are found. This is not surprising as they are related and live similar lives – including being very small and difficult to photograph!

THE PONIES

Although there are usually four species of pygmy seahorse – Hippocampu­s pontohi, H. bargibanti,

H. severnsi and H. denise – only the two rarer ones were prancing about their paddocks while I was there.

H. severnsi is about as small as a seahorse gets but the one that I spotted was an even younger and smaller one. It is found on a few different sites. I photograph­ed this little fellow at the Logbon sanctuary at a depth of around 10 metres. It was only with great patience and the occasional three deep breaths that I found the keys to success with these wild little ponies.

H. pontohi can be found in close proximity to H. severnsi upon the large shallow coral heads. Here, they are protected as they move and blend so well into the surroundin­g corals, sponges and algae, where they eat small amphipods, shrimps and the like. They are as hard to photograph as H. severnsi because both of them use their camouflage abilities as their main means of survival – making it difficult to separate them from their surroundin­g habitats. With immense patience and the right equipment,

I was able to capture their fragile beauty in my camera. Looking through the viewfinder at the marvels of

H. pontohi, I smiled as a realisatio­n washed over me – being lost in the land of butterflie­s, rainbows, dragons and ponies is truly one of the most sublime feelings in the world.

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 ??  ?? RIGHT: Cyerce nigra BELOW Cyerce elegansCye­rce bourbonica BOTTOM:Wayne JonesIMAGE­S:
RIGHT: Cyerce nigra BELOW Cyerce elegansCye­rce bourbonica BOTTOM:Wayne JonesIMAGE­S:
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TOP AND ABOVE LEFT: Sashimi shrimpABOV­E RIGHT: Dragon shrimpIMAG­ES: Wayne Jones
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 ??  ?? TOP: Lembeh seadragon MIDDLE: Hippocampu­s severnsi BOTTOM: Hippocampu­s pontohiIMA­GES: Wayne Jones
TOP: Lembeh seadragon MIDDLE: Hippocampu­s severnsi BOTTOM: Hippocampu­s pontohiIMA­GES: Wayne Jones
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