Staff from the New England Aquarium recently traveled to Belize as part of a long-term research program run by Aquarium scientist Randi Rotjan, PhD, to monitor coral health near Carrie Bow Cay. Today's post from aquarist Peter Gawne, who was able to photograph some spectacular sights on a night dive, is part of that series.

Channel clinging crabs (Mithrax spinosissimus) leave the shelter of the reef to forage at night. This particular specimen’s legs spanned over 2 feet.

We had a little extra motivation on our last night at Carrie Bow, so we decided to head out and see the reef after sunset. While it can be difficult to build the enthusiasm for a night dive after a long day of diving, I have yet to feel remorse for having done one.

Caribbean reef squid (Sepioteuthis sepioidea) is attracted to the lights, and poses briefly for the camera.

During the short boat ride out to our chosen spot, we noticed an unusual amount of bioluminescence in our wake. Small flashes of blue-green visible light spread out behind the boat, likely bioluminescent algae which emit flashes of light when their environment is disturbed. Bioluminescence is light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism. While we most often observe this phenomenon on hot nights in the summertime in the form of fireflies, most bioluminescent organisms are found in the ocean in the form of fish, jellies and bacteria.

This queen parrotfish’s (Scarus vetula) mucus cocoon may shield it from parasites while it sleeps.

We got a chance to see some animals that we rarely see during the day. After more than 200 dives at Carrie Bow Caye, I saw my first Belizean blackfin snapper (Lutjanus buccanella), bonnetmouth (Emmelichthyops atlanticus), and southern sennet (Sphyraena picudilla) on this night dive. Parrotfish, while seen regularly during the day, rest in mucus cocoons at night. Parrotfish secrete a mucus bubble which may function as a “mosquito net”, protecting them from gnathiid isopods, and other biting parasites, while they sleep.

While typically reclusive during the day, octopuses are often seen out of their dens during night dives.

It was great to get out for one last dive here at Carrie Bow. Special thanks to the Smithsonian’s Zach Foltz and M. Scott Jones, and the University of North Carolina’s Clare Fieseler for making the trip both successful and memorable. It has been a great trip!

Aquarium divers are on an expedition to the Bahamas right now! They will collect fish destined for the Giant Ocean Tank. Chris will be blogging live from the boat with pictures and stories about what it takes to bring fish from the Bahamas to Boston. 

Night dives are both fun and a great way to collect some critters that are hard to get during the day. Everyone carries a flashlight and a backup flashlight. We also all hang glow sticks off of our tanks, so we can identify each other without the use of fin or weight belt color. And, we hang a long glowing green light "saber" off the back of the boat, to ease return at end of the dive.

— Chris

On March 28, we completed the last dives of the trip. We did an evening dive and then a night dive at the wreck of the Sapona, which is a concrete-hulled cargo steamer that ran aground during a hurricane in 1926, and before then was used as storage for supplies of rum and whisky during Prohibition. The Sapona is always a favorite dive spot on our collecting trips.

Interior of the Sapona wreck

My favorite aspect of this dive site was the amazing invertebrates. On the night dive we saw many impressively large sea urchins and sea cucumbers. The hull of the ship was covered in corals and basket stars that are curled up and inconspicuous during the day but unfurl their branching arms at night to capture plankton. The most beautiful coral we observed on the wreck was Tubastrea, commonly called sun coral. This coral has huge yellow-orange polyps which open up at night in order to feed. You can see a fiberglass replica of this coral in the Giant Ocean Tank that looks just like the real animal.

Unfurled Tubastrea with a large urchin seen during night dive

We also saw this awesome redeye sponge crab climbing on a column in the interior of the wreck. Sponge crabs wear a “cap” of living sponge as camouflage. They cut and shape the sponge and hold it in place with their rear legs. Sponge crabs usually hide under their sponge during the day, so this night dive was a great opportunity to check out this crustacean when it was active.



You will probably notice many white particles in the water in these clips. These particles are living plankton of all sorts that was attracted to the light from our flashlights. We scooped up some of this plankton from the water surface while we on the boat to take a closer look. We saw a fantastic diversity of tiny animals – shrimp, fast-swimming polychaete worms, amphipods and larval fishes. If you look carefully you might be able to spot a larval crab and a tiny pipefish!



The Sapona night dive was a really amazing experience and a great finale to our collecting dives.

For the past several years, the New England Aquarium has participated in a joint expedition to Fiji, along with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and other conservation-minded groups and individuals. The last expedition took place in Spring 2012. 

Today's post about the joint aquarium Fiji expedition comes from the Aquarium supporter and Boston Harbor Cruises Vice President Alison Nolan. (Our partners at Boston Harbor Cruises present the New England Aquarium Whale Watch.) Photos by Keith Ellenbogen.
Last blog I had proudly logged 633 minutes of dive time on a grand total of 16 dives.

In fact, it was earlier in the trip on dive #7 while diving a site called School House that I took a few deep breaths, looked around and realized that diving was in fact for me and something that would carry through the rest of my life as a personal interest and passion. So there I was, hooked on dive #7, full of enthusiasm but still nervous and keenly aware of being few thousand dives behind those around me. I continued to spend as much time thinking about what I was doing and where I was, as I did looking at the reef and fish that surrounded me. I was stuck but the sense that in some ways I was missing the best part of the movie.

Water column nearly empty at sunset, planktivore fishes settled in for night  Site: Kansas Reef, Namena Marine Reserve, Fiji

So when asked to participate in my first night dive, it seemed a great and appropriate idea in this week of new things. So at 840 minutes on the dive clock I hit the skiff and, as we motored away from Nai’a, became keenly aware of how completely dark it was. Armed with my new underwater light and seated next to my fearless buddy Dive Master Joe we hit the water and began the night dive hand in hand. Being underwater in the dark is a unique experience much of which I was prepared for but one feeling in particular I was not.

Auger shell Terebra maculata occupied by hermit crab (Clibanarius sp.) Site: Kansas Reef, Namena Marine Reserve, Fiji

Visibility in Fiji is usually excellent which means that as far as the eye can see there is vibrant color, life, movement, activity and vast expanses surrounding you completely and in many ways overwhelming the senses.  It’s a singularly stimulating experience.

Black blotch stingray (Taeniura meyeni) resting on sand flat Site: Kansas Reef, Namena Marine Reserve, Fiji

However, once underwater in the inky black with just the beam of my torch and that of my buddy Joe I found myself suddenly and completely relaxed. This was my first experience of absolute calm and comfort underwater and so entirely unexpected for it to be happening in the dark. The narrowing of field of vision to such a small area had the effect of narrowing your focus so that outside distractions fade away and you are left with the enjoyment of the moment. My first night dive was another reminder for me that the things that are most fulfilling are not always the ones you expect. It is always worth the try.

Dash-dot goatfish (Parupeneus barbeinus) in night coloration Site: Kansas Reef, Namena Marine Reserve, Fiji	

Dash-dot goatfish (Parupeneus barbeinus) in day coloration

It wasn’t  new adventures for me, only. As it turns out, when a group as knowledgeable and experienced as the New England Aquarium and Monterey Bay Aquarium Joint Aquarium Fiji Expedition climb aboard the Nai’a; the vessel’s crew decide it is high time to check out reefs and locations that have yet to be explored.  Five unexplored dive sites to be exact! To me, there is no better group to explore and evaluate the health and condition of a reef and its inhabitants than this. Because of this trip, the Nai’a, her crew and the members of this expedition will continue to explore, monitor and advocate on behalf of these special sites for years to come.

Night creatures emerge: Giant Synaptid Cucumber (Synapta maculata), length, 6 feet  Site: Kansas Reef, Namena Marine Reserve, Fiji

As with my night dive opening new horizons for me, these five previously unexplored dive sites expanded the awareness and understanding of this delicate habitat. Continued exploration, study and awareness of the blue planet and its special places like Fiji are important not to just new divers like me who hope to return someday but for each of us.

Stay tuned to this blog to follow the team as they dive to collect data on the health of the coral reefs, pick up trash where they find it, check in with the villagers to see how some conservation initiatives are faring and further develop connections with the people that live on these beautiful Pacific islands.  

-Megan