Rose Bubble Tip Colony

[scotter]

Hi Everybody!

Thought you'd be interested to see a huge anemone colony I just ran across in Fiji. I'm posting videos in the scuba diving forum under "Happy Holidays from Fiji." I'll post the relevant video here. Go to minute "3" in the video to see the anemones.

Happy Holidays!
Cheers,
Scott

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[Meshmez]

Holy cow! nice video! That colony is amazing!

[SC Reefaholic]

WOW! Some day I want to get over there. BEAUTIFUL!

[BonsaiNut]

What other species did you see there?

[xtlosx]

That is unbelievable!!!! What an amazing RBTA garden!!! Thank you for shooting that in 1080p, it's simply stunning

[cet98]

who ever thinks there's no "Heaven on Earth" needs to go to Fiji and dive the reefs...

thank you Scott for sharing this amazing moment with all of us...truly a beautiful sight to behold!

Happy Holidays :cool:

[aandfsoccr04]

oh my goodness! That's UNBELIEVEABLE! I know what I'm asking for this christmas!!!!

[rssjsb]

Yes - thanks very much for posting this.

[scotter]

It is indeed an amazing "garden" (xtlosk: yes, better word) covering the better part of a quarter acre.

BonsaiNut: I will put together a short clip of the anemones I filmed so you can see some of the other species. In hindsight, I could've filmed more extensively the clownfish/anemone pairings, but 2 factors interrupted me: (1) current (quite strong in Fiji); and (2) the need to keep up with the dive group, the dive masters, and my fellow camera man/dive buddy. Unfortunately, anemones/clownfish are very common in Fiji and after the first 2 minutes, most divers are very "ho hum" about seeing them, "Oh yeah, there's another one, yeah, and another one." Stopping for an extended period of time to actually watch the interactions of the clownfish with their wild counterparts will be a future endeavor. I know you can't possibly imagine clownfish being "ho hum", but when you're surrounded by every fish you've ever desired, the anthias are swarming you in the hundreds of millions (I'm not exaggerating and I'm still trying to figure out how they cost as much as they do since they're as common as sea water), your senses get overwhelmed.

[Alex482455]

Amazing video. Thanks

[charleneatkins]

thanks for the Christmas video

[deehz]

THANK YOU!! Some day, some day I will get to the islands to dive. Absolutely breath taking! Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year to all!

[1carpenter]

Crazy beautiful!! how'd you get a video of my tank! LOL seriously tho that's great thx for sharing. Looks like an amazing trip!

[sonofgaladriel]

Thank you for sharing this! Wonderful reef. Gotta wonder how many generations of rose clones there are?

[z's_N_p's]

wow!!!!

[scotter]

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OK - did a quick review of clips with anemones. Sorry again for not taking more. There was plenty of opportunity and plenty of anemones.

Interesting observations:

(1) Rose BTA's are common. Claiming they're "rare" is the biggest marketing scam in our hobby. Yes, brown anemones are more common, but that doesn't mean "rose" is rare.
(2) You're seeing a zone of death in these pictures. As you know from your tanks, anemones kill everything around them.
(3) BTA's like to reside in large mounds (meters high and wide) of pocillopora coral. Of course they kill it off, but I have a theory why these locations are chosen verses others: butterfly fish prefer stag horn and table coral polyps, you rarely see butterfly fish around pocillopora; and (2) if any predator tries to grab it, it can easily retract into impossible-to-reach recesses.
(5) Melanopus prefer BTA's. Clarkii/Orange-fins prefer carpets. These are generalizations, not a rule.
(6) Baby two spotted black-domino damsels love BTA's, but you won't find any adults - not even on the reef. I think they've all been eaten.
(7) Adult jewel damsels and 5 line wrasses hang around every colony - as do small gobies and anemone shrimp. I didn't bring down a macro lens to film so I have no close-ups of the almost invisible shrimp.

Happy Holidays! And thanks again for all the accolades. It was fun to film. I'll post the shark video in this forum as well so you can see what showed up. SCARY!

[Conrad25]

amazing videos. Thank you for sharing and have a merry christmas

[deepblue68]

very cool. thank you and happy holidays !!

[Doni]

Awesome videos! Thank you for sharing them!

[scotter]

No problem! Glad you're enjoying them. Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy New Year!

[scotter]

https://picasaweb.google.com/108200827356430782655/Fiji2011#5689121016034217826

Taken just to the west of Beqa Island.

If I knew how to post the picture so you could just see it on this site, I would.

[garygb]

Along with BTAs, is that mertensii, magnifica and crispa in that last video?

Beautiful videos. Thank you for posting. It's good to hear they are thriving with healthy populations there.

[scotter]

Yep. They're all there. Great identification skills!

[scotter]

As promised, here is the shark video. As you'll hear from my narrative (after the music), the circumstances surrounding the dive were unfortunate. A tropical depression was overhead (a mini-hurricane w/ a disorganized eye) so the water was really stirred up. Very low visibility. It got so bad that when we jumped in for the 2nd dive, we immediately got out. You couldn't see more than 5 feet in any direction and with the bulls and tiger in the water, we scrambled up into the heaving boat (huge waves) faster than you can imagine. Enjoy!

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[garygb]

Thank you for posting and the narration was great. You're braver than I. Sharks give me the creeps.

[scotter]

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Not quite clownfish at the beginning of the film, but damsels are cousins. Blue damsels like muck and dead coral rock. Anyway, here's the description for the video on YouTube:


Named for the patriarch of Matangi Island Resort, Noel Douglas, this dive site, located a few kilometers to the east of Matangi Island and a few kilometers north of Laucala Island, is one of the best wall dives in Fiji.

In the past ten years, two category 5 cyclones have swept over this reef, removing most staghorn acropora coral and large table acropora corals. All that's left are the mounding corals that depend upon these same storms for their survival. If left untouched, the faster growing acropora corals will quickly overgrow and shade the much slower growing mounding corals, so this site is a classic example of nature's balance.

The seamount where this dive site is located is called "Motui Levu" in Fijian. When the seas were lower this was an island atoll. The rim of the atoll is only, in places, 6 meters below the ocean's surface. Besides Noel's Wall, other dive sites at this location are Yellow Wall, the Edge, and the Corner. At the present time, only one dive operator visits this atoll, Matangi Island Resort.

What makes this dive spectacular is the clarity of the water. Far from shore, there are no run-off sediments, like most other dive sites in Fiji. Unfortunately, on the day I filmed, a large tropical depression had just passed overhead and the sediments on the seamount itself were stirred up, clouding the water somewhat. With perfect weather, the visibility is 50+ meters.

Another trademark for this dive site are the large pelagic fish that visit the wall, which extends down to 400 meters depth: barracuda schools, fusilier schools, gray reef sharks, jacks, and tuna. However, these large reef predators only come into feed when the current is right. I did not dive at the right time. The dive master/instructor of Matangi Island Resort was still stuck in Suva when I did this dive (due to the storm) and she would have timed the dive better to see the fish. Timing dives with the currents is crucial for successful Fiji diving!

The beginning of the dive starts out on the lip of the seamount (submerged atoll). There are a few coral bommies, but most of the area is coral rubble with a few mm of detritus coating the surface. It is perfect habitat for damsels (the blue fish at the very beginning) and very small juvenile fish, such as the bicolor Angelfish (the blue and gold fish). Damsels, unlike their chromis cousins, prefer coral rubble to coral reefs.

The next few shots highlight the gradual descent of the divers to 30 meters depth. As a diver, it's a phenomenal feeling to experience inner space. Along the wall, there is actually very little coral, but tucked in crevices, you will find fish, such as the sunburst anthias and pyramid butterflyfish.

The dive ends at a shallow coral garden plateau. And then you swim out into the open ocean to catch the boat back home.

[BonsaiNut]

(6) Baby two spotted black-domino damsels love BTA's, but you won't find any adults - not even on the reef. I think they've all been eaten.

They're probably there - just not recognizable as such. They look very different from the juvenile color pattern.

[tkeracer619]

Amazing! Thank you for sharing!

[Ohio]

This is simply amazing!!!! Thank you so much for sharing. I snorkeled the reef around the Florida Keys about 7 years ago and I don't think anything will ever top that experience in my life. I couldn't even begin to imagine how beautiful that was to be there. Jenn

[08TRDOFFROAD]

WOW!!! Hopefully I will get to see that with my own eyes at some point in my life!

[scotter]

Thanks to all and my hope is that you all can see this too some time soon, rather than later. I'll have another video to post later this weekend. I just have to find the time to sit down and put it together.
BonsaiNut: If you watch the film I posted "Anemone Cousins" up above, somewhere along the wall, you'll see the domino's all grown up. They are around, but in comparison to the number you see in anemones, they are truly rare around the reef. Adult clownfish are much more prevalent, probably thanks in part to the protection the anemones provide.