5259 x 3543 px | 44,5 x 30 cm | 17,5 x 11,8 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
29 novembre 2002
Ubicazione:
Moustache Reef, Russel Islands, Solomon Islands.
Altre informazioni:
Nikonos RS SLR camera; Rene Aumann UW Services 18mm objective; two Nikonos S-105 strobes; Ektachrome VS 100 film; F5.6; 1/30s; TTL. Taken at: 25m depth; diving from MS. Bilikiki. Trip organised by Chris Newbert of RS Tours. Shot on: 11:00 29 March 2002; sunny day, flat calm with slight current. We baptised this deep underwater mount Moustache Reef as we had crossed it many times but not dived it – a treasure right beneath our noses that we had never seen, like a moustache. On the top has lots of rubble and several large brain corals. This one is dead and is deeply eroded so has many chasms. On several occasions we have seen giant cuttlefish here, but never before understood why. This female gave us the answer, as she delicately carries an egg in the tips of her tentacles and diligently seeks the perfect hiding place for it. She spends several minutes hovering over the coral trying several cracks until she finds one to her satisfaction.
