15 Apr, 2008

The Earth-Touch crew headed up to Nine Mile Reef in the Isimangaliso Wetland Park today, on a dark and cloudy morning. They came across a green coral tree, a potato bass and a moving feather star, and then, on their return, bumped into a small whale shark.

This morning, the cold front that had just passed through Sodwana Bay, on South Africa's Indian Ocean coast, had left the air crisp and clear, and we hoped the conditions beneath the ocean surface were as clear as on top.

We decided to head up to Nine Mile, a reef that is seldom dived these days because of its distance from the launch site, which is 15km (9mi). We also hoped to see a whale shark – the world's biggest fish – on the way.

It took 25 minutes to reach our destination, where the water was clean and looking good.

We dropped down, and landed right next to an amazing green coral tree. When the lights lit up this structure and all its inhabitants, there was an explosion of colour.

Shoals of sea goldies (Pseudanthias squamipinnis), damselfish (Abudefduf sp.) and whitebarred rubberlips (Plectorhinchus gaterinus) were all around and amongst the branches. We spent about five minutes with the tree, then drifted down the reef to explore more.

I found a big potato bass (Ephinephelus tukula) that had found a cleaning station, and this fish allowed me to get close. It was interesting to observe the relationship between the potato bass and the tiny cleaner wrasse.

Next, I found a pair of regal angelfish or royal angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus), for me the most beautiful of all the angelfish. Filming these fish, I noticed some movement below them. As my eyes became accustomed to the light, I realised I was seeing a feather star slowly crawling across the reef.

It's been a long time since I have seen one of these animals moving. It's captivating watching them slowly crawling, using their many feather-like legs across the reef.

These echinoderms date back millions of years, and enjoy living in areas with strong currents. They use their feather-like arms to sieve plankton from the water and feed their strange-looking mouths with their prized catch.

Another great dive, and on the way back to Sodwana we found a whale shark (Rhincodon typus). Although this was a small one of about 2.5m (8ft) in length, it is always a great sight watching these gentle giants slowly swimming along their migratory path.

– by Barry Skinstad, Earth-Touch crew © Earth-Touch

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