Aruba Pics!

[johnnybravo234]

I thought you guys might enjoy these:

I think this is a galaxy coral and it was about 10 feet tall.

 

[iamfor3]

wow great pics

 

[ReefDoctorMicromussas]

Very nice pics... looks like you had a great time! I just dove Grand Turk and St. Thomas WOW!

 

[johnnybravo234]

It was amazing to see a reef in real life. You can see the plankton floating around the reef (the cloudiness in the pictures). I saw some brain coral that was 5-6 feet in diameter. There was beautiful encrusing montipora everywhere in blues, greens, yellows, and many other colors. What we enjoy in our tanks is miniscule compared to wild coral. You never really realize how many parrotfish are out in the wild or how big they get since we only see them on occasion in stores. Tangs and parrotfish are everywhere. I actually swam out there from a remote beach on the northwest coast. It was really difficult to get to without getting maimed. The currents are no joke in there so definitely dont go snorkeling by yourself! oh yeah and watch out for jewel damsels

 

[ReefDoctorMicromussas]

Sounds like you had a great time... yes any time I scuba on true reef I am amazed at the $$$ we spend for such small pieces LOL

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

johnny- did you take those pics while snorkeling ?
Were you far from the lighthouse?

 

[johnnybravo234]

Yes, I was snorkeling. The reef is near the light house about 100 yards off of the northern side of arashi beach. It doesnt look like theres anything out there except for rocks but there is. I dont think many people know about it. Here are some more pics.

huge trumpetfish

what kind of coral is this?

this puffer was about 18 inches long and its head was the size of a basketball

toadfish

the antilla wreck

another pic of the antilla

 

[johnnybravo234]

sorry heres the puffer

in the mislabeled pic you can see some of the blue monipora

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

There are several types of corals in this pic but I think you're referring to the 'Elkhorn Coral' Acropora palmata.
The 'Pillar Coral' in your first pic is Dendrogyra, not Galaxea.
Nice pix. What camera and housing were you using?

 

[johnnybravo234]

Thanks for the id. I should have been more specfic. I was using a pixetreme digital sports camera. I got it for about $100 on ebay. The camera itself is kinda cheap and doesnt do closeups but the case seems well built and is acrylic.

 

[paininthewrasse]

awesome.. So if I read it correctly you were just on the beach and decided to swim out and ran into this? Or did you know it was there? How far out from the beach was this?

 

[johnnybravo234]

I had a hunch. I saw waves breaking and light and dark spots. It starts about 100 yards out.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

The Antilla is pretty far offshore. Most people arrive there by boat. If you snorkeled all the way out and back that's very impressive- especially considering how strong the water currents can be.

 

[johnnybravo234]

lol no i went on the Mi Dushi snorkel trip too and visited the antilla. The rest of the boat trip besides the antilla was kind of boring after seeing the reef ...but they did have open bar and a rope swing!