Open Your Eyes! Spotting Sea Moths, Frogfish And Harlequin Shrimp

Rob: Wow, what a week of diving. I had just finished doing the first dive of a Discover Scuba Diving course in Koh Ha Lagoon working on Koh Lanta’s Daytrip Big Boat. While changing my equipment, Natalie, one of the other instructors, said she had found a pair of Sea Moths near the buoy line at 6 meters. Now I have been wanting to see these crazy critters since last year’s dive season but never seem to find them, with many people joking that I have to open my eyes.

Being very excited nearly all the staff jumped back in the water to have a look. It took maybe 5 good minutes to locate the Sea Moths again and to everyone’s surprise their wasn’t just 2 but 4 together. They are camouflaged perfectly and my first impression was like watching two mechanical birds that have fallen from a tree walking around. They stay together In pairs and are really hard to take photos of as just when you are ready they turn away. It’s like watching comical synchronized dancing.

Frogfish at Koh Ha Lagoon

Whilst under the water we decided to locate a frog fish, with the information kindly passed on by the Liveaboard trip staff. It really wasn’t to hard to find as so many people were with their cameras and it is also in the Lagoon at 7 meters. I took Chris to see it when he came to visit at the beginning of December and he managed to get some shots of it even though the frogfish is wedged deep inside a nest of coral.

My favourite though are the tiny harlequin shrimps on Koh Ha 2 and not many people know their location yet. I have heard there are 3 pairs all together but I have only seen one pair. They are always munching on the Blue Sea Stars and usually like the dark so I always check protruding blue legs sticking out from every crack. They are by far the funkiest things in the water. One being bigger than the other and one having pinkish spots and the other blue spots. Every 18 days they vibrate their carapace off, part of a mating ritual which sadly I haven’t experienced but maybe it would make me blush seeing two lovers together.

Harlequin shrimp at Koh Ha Lagoon

It’s more easy to spot difficult to find critters like this when divemastering than teaching. With teaching taking care of new, inexperienced divers is a must. But a few days ago I did a Nitrox course and dived at Koh Bida Nok in the Bida Islands. Nitrox is a different blend of oxygen - it doesn’t let you go deeper but it allows you to stay longer at certain depths. After planning on the boat we cruised around at 25 metres and shallowed up to 20 where we checked out a rock covered with marine life, shrimps and some incredible soft and hard corals.

Whilst having a look I noticed something move which didn’t quite look right. Turning my head to focus properly I saw a black Feather Star sitting their but no movement. Then bingo it moved again. It was an Ornate Ghostpipe Fish, Black in color maybe 5cm long and my first one of the season. I was all cocky on the boat as no one has spotted one yet, but in a few more weeks its possible to find up to 8 on most dive trips. Still being cocky and making fun of the rest of the crew I just told them to open their eyes or get a prescription mask. Sadly I wasn’t armed with my camera as we don’t take them while guiding for safety reasons but it’s really worth you getting a cheapy underwater digital camera if you come diving on Koh Lanta - there’s so much to see if you open your eyes!