"Rocket Girl"

Prior to taking the shot of Rocket Girl above, I had been watching her when an adult female green sea turtle swam by. I followed her into some shallow and more murky water attempting to get some shots of her flipper damage. I would guess this is shark bite and no idea how old or fresh. Her left rear flipper was missing most of its mass and her right front flipper was missing a large chunk on the trailing edge as well as broken loose in the leading edge. When the flipper would be articulated in such a manner which I failed to photograph, a large gap could be seen on the leading edge. In the captured shots, the leading edge is closed with no real indication of the tear or gap; aside from some obvious raw white tissue.

In a close up zoom of the above image, you can see the coral below the right flipper and make out the missing portion on the trailing edge. The flipper when hinged more rearward shows a similar gap in the leading edge.

Above you can see what little is left of her rear left flipper. She was headed north over the reef and although I was able to keep up with her fighting some southbound current, I didn't stay with her long as I figured she didn't need any distraction from me. I wish her well and doubt I will encounter her again.

For the last month or so, when I swim the reef, I visit a sandy lagoon at the north end which is home to a single juvenile rockmover wrasse. It will hang a few inches above the sand and drift in and out with the surge. If I dive down for a better look, at some point, the fish decides I am too close and it immediately dives into the sand. After a few minutes, its head will pop up and after insuring the coast is clear, it will come out completely and go back to drifting and hunting over the sand. Lately, it has allowed me to get in closer; whether it recognizes me or not, I have no idea. Playing hide and seek with it is a fun part of the swim at any rate.

A few days after the shot above was taken, I got the photo of the rockmover below:

The last couple days, the rockmover has been absent. Hopefully it has found a new area to haunt and not become a meal for another fish. While watching it when the above shot was taken, there was a sole swimming near it and it looked almost as if stalking it.

In years past, there is this one large and distinct coral head that was often the shelter for a young green sea turtle. It does not provide great shelter from interested swimmers and for that reason, I have assumed that it is no longer used much. It was a pleasure to find a beautiful small green using it a couple days in a row:

Elsewhere on the reef, "Little T" can often be found in its shelter and I took the photo below as it came up to the surface for some air:

There is a long standing "cleaning station" on the reef and as often as not, as you approach it you will see a couple adult needle fish hovering above. I have tried to get shots of them many times in this area. Yesterday I drifted down on the station and there was one needle fish so intent on getting cleaned that it didn't seem to mind my presence and almost behaved as if I was to take my turn in line. It would move off when I got too close but come right back for more. It would open its mouth wide for the cleaner wrasses and its skin color would change to a bright and iridescent hue as it was being administered to. The camera could not capture the details and color that I enjoyed in person, unfortunately:

While on a swim headed north, I encountered a very large female green sea turtle heading south. She was swimming at a very slow and leisurely pace and coming towards the surface as she got closer to me.

She took a couple breaths right next to me and then continued south. I noticed something strange on her back.

I followed her a bit and once above here could see what seem to be the scars of probably a propeller that walked across her back at one time. I wasn't able to get a very clear shot.

I have been taking pictures of Green Sea turtles for years and my focus has been on capturing images of healthy, good looking turtles. Unfortunately not all of the turtles are healthy and good looking. There were years where most of the turtles I would encounter had some level of Fibropapilloma Tumor manifestation. In some cases, one could assume that these were primarily cosmetic but in many, it seemed obvious that they were life threatening. Yesterday (11-27-08) I had a female green sea turtle swim by underneath me and I doubt very much she was even aware of my presence. I decided to take a couple shots of her and I am confident that she didn't see me when I came in close for the photos:

From above, it looked like her right eye was host to some small tumors and I didn't want to startle her by getting on that side of here and all of a sudden coming into her view. Scientists still don't understand the circumstances which have brought about these tumors but the suspicion is strong that man is to some unknown manner, connected and our presence has contributed to the spread of this virus. Most of the turtles I have seen have a much greater number of smaller tumors about them and this female is exceptional in sporting a very large tumor on her left eye while her neck and other soft areas are clear of any tumors. She does not present a pretty picture; rather a grim reality instead. :(

The next day I went out with the Nikon as I felt the visibility would be good. It wasn't as good as I hoped but oh well. I hadn't been out long when another female green sea turtle swam south, under me. She also had a serious case of tumors but her eyes didn't seem to be too effected as of yet:

One of the large needle fish was again at the cleaning station:

I had hoped to get some shots of Melinda for the Hawksbill gallery and I did get some nice shots of her.