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Underwater city on low tide

Underwater City off Mafia Island, Tanzania

Seaunseen
18
5837
PHOTOGRAPHY BY HANNAH JANE AND ALAN SUTTON While on a helicopter flight off the usual flight path to Mafia Island off the coast of Tanzania, the tide was low and I spotted an unusually shaped formation in t...
slemmestad-wreck
3.7Awesome

Slemmestad Shipwreck

Alan Sutton
2
417
On the 27th of March 1951 the Slemmestad, laden with 3,500 tons of general cargo, including bitumen, brandy, kerosene, lube oil, matches and bagged cement, whilst on a voyage from...
Free-Diving Walden Pond

Free-Diving at Walden Pond

Renee Blundon
1
898
Nothing is more fantastic than free-diving in the waters of my own beautiful homeland. Floating face down on the surface of Walden Pond, in the world I forcibly left behind, instructor, Nick Fazah, from Eas...

The Experience of Night Diving

Renee Blundon
63
Diving at night is a surreal, lunar-like experience. I'm surrounded in complete darkness at the bottom of the Indian ocean, with only a beam of light to expose what's hiding and lingering nearby. Fish life, cre...

Lionfish Make Love to the Camera

Renee Blundon
107
Lionfish are unquestionably one of the most photogenic fish in the sea, with an eccentric, gaudy profile, elaborate, vibrant stripes and a cantankerous, unhurried demeanor; they glide along reefs like an underw...
Barred Cardinalfish Fowleria marmorata

Barred Cardinalfish-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
3
The Barred Cardinalfish (Fowleria marmorata) is not common in Tanzanian waters and in several years of diving we have seen very few specimens. APPEARANCE The body shape is similar to other Cardinalfish, w...
Squat Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) is also known as the Sexy Shrimp

The Squat Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
5
The Squat Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) is also known as the Sexy Shrimp. They are small colorful shrimp that form a comensual relationship with various species of anemone. They have a habit of holding their ab...
Pemba chromis (Chromis pembae)

Pemba Chromis – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
The Pemba chromis (Chromis pembae) is not a common fish on the Tanzanian coast and we have only seen them in three areas. They were only described by Allen in 2010, perhaps because they are generally found ...
Unicorn Shrimp in the genus Plesionika

Unicorn Shrimp- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
2
17
The Unicorn Shrimp (Genus Plesionika) are also known as the Narwhal Shrimp.  They obtain their name from the proportionally very long rostrum spine  extending out quite far from the carapace. The rostrum ha...
silver pearlfish, Encheliophis homei

Silver Pearlfish- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
18
The Silver Pearlfish (Encheliophis homei) is a very unusual fish with an out the ordinary lifestyle. They are not commonly seen, perhaps for several reasons. The specimens below were photographed on night d...
The Bigeye Snapper, Lutjanus lutjanus is also kmown as the Bigeye Seaperch, the Golden Striped Snapper, the Red Sea Lined Snapper,and the Yellow Snapper

Bigeye Snapper- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
14
The The Bigeye Snapper, Lutjanus lutjanus is also kmown as the Bigeye Seaperch, the Golden Striped Snapper, the Red Sea Lined Snapper,and the Yellow Snapper. They are not that common on the Tanzanian mainland c...
Sand Mason Worm ( In the Genus Lanice)

Sand Mason Worms-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
25
Sand Mason Worms ( In the Genus Lanice)  are not common inhabitants on the reefs in Tanzania, but if one keeps ones eyes open when diving, one can often pick them out in soft sand between corals and rocks. They...
Sleek unicornfish (Naso hexacanthus) is also known as the Blacktongue unicornfish

Sleek Unicornfish -Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
3
The Sleek unicornfish (Naso hexacanthus) is also known as the Blacktongue unicornfish. In terms of numbers they are probably the most numerous Unicornfish in Tanzanian waters. Fishes within the Acanthuri...
Cigar wrasse (Cheilio inermis) is also known as the Sharp-nosed Rainbowfish, Pêche madame, Julia Larguirucha and Kamasubera

Cigar Wrasse- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
25
The Cigar wrasse (Cheilio inermis) is also known as the Sharp-nosed Rainbowfish, Pêche madame, Julia Larguirucha and Kamasubera. They are not a common wrasse on Tanzanian reefs but neither are they uncommon...
rainbow runner (Elagatis bipinnulata), also known as the Prodigal Son, Spanish jack and Hawaiian salmon

Rainbow Runner – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
15
The Rainbow Runner (Elagatis bipinnulata), also known as the Prodigal Son, Spanish jack and Hawaiian salmon. It is a member of the horse mackrel or jack family. They are fairly common on the Tanzanian coast...
White-Mouth Moray eel (Gymnothorax Meleagris)

Unusual Moray Eel

Alan Sutton
545
While diving on Octopus Reef off Dar es Salaam, Tanzania I noticed a strange looking Moray Eel with its head protruding from a hole. It seemed unlike any other Moray Eel that I had seen before. A clo...
Palefin Unicornfish (Naso brevirostris) also known as the Shortnose Unicornfish, and the Spotted Unicornfish

Palefin Unicornfish -Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
12
The Palefin Unicornfish (Naso brevirostris) is also known as the Shortnose Unicornfish,  and the Spotted Unicornfish. They are the most common Unicornfish in Tanzania. Fishes within the Acanthuridae fami...
Yelloweye Sweeper (Pempheris flavicycla)

Yelloweye Sweeper-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
7
The Yelloweye Sweeper (Pempheris flavicycla) has two subspecies. One  is Pempheris flavicycla flavicycla which is found across the Indian Ocean from East Africa to Sri Lanka but not in the Red Sea.  The oth...
Flathead Slipper Lobster (Thenus Orientalis)

Flathead Slipper Lobster- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
17
The Flathead Slipper Lobster (Thenus Orientalis)  is a very unusual looking clawless lobster even by slipper lobster standards.  In Australia they are known as the Morton Bay bug. They are  only active at n...
Granite Moray Eel (Uropterygius sp. ) appears to be an undescribed Moray Eel found on the Tanzanian mainland coast

Granite Moray Eel – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
37
The Granite Moray Eel (Uropterygius sp.) appears to be an undescribed Moray Eel found on the Tanzanian mainland coast which is probably in the Uropterygius  genus.  To date no one has been able to identify ...
Eyebar Goby (Gnatholepis cauerensis) is also known as the Shoulderspot Goby, the Bridled Goby and the Cauer Eye-bar Goby

Eyebar Goby – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
10
The Eyebar Goby (Gnatholepis cauerensis) is also known as the Shoulderspot Goby, the Bridled Goby and the Cauer Eye-bar Goby. There is some disagreement as to the validity of this species and how they shoul...

Partridge Tun Shell-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
73
The Partridge Tun shell (Tonna perdix) is a large fairly reclusive mollusk rarely encountered on shallow night dives in Tanzanian waters. They are marine snails in the super family Tonnoidea. They are unusu...
Lunar Fusilier (Caesio lunaris) is also known as the Blue Fusilier and the Moon Fusilier.

Lunar Fusilier- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
21
The Lunar Fusilier (Caesio lunaris) is also known as the Blue Fusilier and the Moon Fusilier. They are not as common as the other Fusiliers on the East African coast and we have not seen them swimming with ...
Coral Scallop (Pedum spondyloideum ) is also known as the Iridescent Clam

Coral Scallop-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
26
The Coral Scallop (Pedum spondyloideum) is also known as the Iridescent Clam and the Blue Lipped coral Oyster. They are however scallops.  They reside within several species of hard stony corals, but are mo...