When diving over sand area’s of a dive site there are so many interesting critters that are often not seen or ignored by divers, one of these is the symbiotic pairing of the goby and shrimp.

Almost all of our dive sites by there nature have sandy bottoms and instead of passing quickly over them it is good to swim slowly and enjoy watching the behavior of these interesting room mates.
The sandy bottom of the reef is full of interesting creatures and fascinating methods have been devised for survival techniques used by reef inhabitants to prevent becoming food to predatory fish. Often this results in some interesting partnerships between marine creatures. One of the more curious relationships that most divers could have come across is that between the goby fish and the shrimp.
The little goby that firmly stands his ground outside his burrow belongs to a very special group of gobies called “shrimp gobies”. There are 70 or so brightly coloured shrimp gobies recorded worldwide in tropical waters and the western Indo Pacific is home to most of them. Their uniqueness is that they live in partnership with “pistol shrimps”. Pistol shrimps are so named for the loud snapping sound and the jet of water that comes from the rapid closing of a modified claw.

The gobies spend their day near entrance ways keeping their eyes peeled for predators, such as jacks and lizardfish, while the hard-working shrimp bulldoze sand into the open from the burrow below.
The front entrance of the burrow is often reinforced with bits of shell and coral put in place by the shrimp.

The goby will usually sit at the entrance of the burrow maintaining a constant vigil against potential predators, while the shrimp is clearing gravel from the burrow. Whenever the shrimp needs to dump gravel outside the burrow, it is usually exposed to potential predators. However with the Goby keeping lookout, the shrimp places one tentacle on the Goby while exposed, so if the Goby darts inside the burrow, the shrimp is instantly alerted of the presence of a predator and it too darts back inside the safety of its burrow. Often pairs of gobies or pistol shrimps will inhabit the same burrow.

They work between sunrise and sunset, resting with the gobies, inside the burrow at night. And like most homes, burrow construction varies according to its inhabitants. Scientists have even found that the sizes and shapes of burrows depend on the type of sediment available and to some degree on the species of shrimp. So the goby gets a professionally constructed and safe house away from predators, and somewhere to lay its eggs.
Gobies eat micro-fauna and sometimes tiny fish they find near the bottom, the shrimps feed on what they find in their burrowing and hence they do not compete for food.

The special relationship that exists between these two species is called symbiosis. Symbiosis literally means “living together” and can take more than one form but it is always between individuals of different species. It can mean, for example, that only one of the species benefits with no effect on the other, or that one species of the pair benefits but the other is harmed in the process. In the shrimp-goby case both species gain equal benefit and they significantly increase their chances of survival in a hostile world. This particular type of symbiosis is called “mutualism”. Their relationship is one that has developed through a mutual need and benefit to both species.

These animals are dependent on each other. Remove the fish, and the shrimp stops burrowing; the shrimp forage while burrowing, so without a fish, they grow more slowly. The shrimp need their guard goby, and the guard goby needs its shrimp: deny the goby shelter in a burrow, and it will promptly be killed by predators (someone did the experiment). The shrimp keep the goby clean, too: they groom it.

So how do the Gobies and Shrimp find each other in the first place? Shrimp-goby researchers have been trying to figure out this one for a long time, and have conducted numerous experiments to determine whether the Gobies find the shrimp, or vice versa, and also to determine whether they locate each other optically or are attracted chemically. There has been no definitive answer as to who spots who in this symbiotic relationship but it appears that the short sighted shrimp uses chemical senses, and the goby uses it’s much better developed visual sense for finding each other at a very young stage of their life.

Find out more about interactions and partnerships by taking the underwater Naturalist  specialty course with Scuba Cat and see the goby and shrimps at many of our dive sites both by daytrip and liveaboard.

Scuba Cat organized a Finathon and underwater clean up event on the 16th of Feb 2013 under the banner of ‘We Belong to the Sea’.

This is the concept of Quang one of our sales and Marketing interns who is with us for 6 months on a placement from his school in Holland.
The idea is to develop more knowledge about factors affecting the sea and the marine life in our local area, by promoting conservation and raising public awareness through events and collaborations with local businesses.
We belong to the sea incorporated a sponsored fin and an underwater clean up at Paradise reef in the South of Patong on Phuket.
Scuba Cats owner and General manager Sarah Kench, donated the boat MV Scuba Fun for the day, along with providing food, the crew and drivers free of charge to make the even possible.

For the past 6 weeks Quang has worked very hard to promote the event getting the local newspaper. The Phuket News, and Live 98.5 Radio involved. There were several articles in print and a live radio interview with Quang and Kathryn Ridley the tour leader of our liveaboard MV Scuba Adventure.

From this we got some of our divers who took part in the day.
We decided to also include a treasure hunt to encourage divers and snorkelers to take part in the day. For this we needed some prizes, we got these in the form of vouchers and goods from some of the local businesses on the island.

We need to thank the following people and organizations for their involvement in this.

2C Phuket Residence
Dive Supply Phuket
Phuket Lager Beer
Fun Mags Media
Phuket Guide by Southern Three Media.

Prizes ranged from crates of larger to a nights accommodation in a hotel, to food and drinks vouchers in local restaurants.

We also need to thank the following organizations for cash donations for the finathon, get swimming to stop shark finning. This is a way to raise awareness of Shark Finning by Project AWARE.

Amazing Thailand Maps
Sonya’s Guest house
Asia Pacific
Aquamaster Phuket

The day started at our shop in the Kee Plaza with Quang introducing the event and welcoming the participants. We had 15 divers and snorkelers in total. regional manager Tony Andrews was there to see the opening.
Everyone then went to our Boat MV Scuba Sport which was a platform for the day.
The divers did the first dive removing bags of fishing lines, lead weights, bottles and cans.

During the surface time we completed the Finathon, this was the sponsored snorkel, everyone on board took part in this and completed the 1km swim in no time.

The second dive saw more lines and weights brought up, along with fishing lures, bottles and a broken fish cage.

After the event everyone was invited back to Molly Molones Irish bar who put on free food and gave a discount on drink for those who took part.

Everyone also won a prize with the treasure hunt, even Josh who won an xs ladies wet suit:) (he is an XL man).

The lionfish is a common site in the Andaman and seen on all of the dive sites we go to, both by daytrips and liveaboards.
Nobody knows for sure how they got their name, and they are also known as turkey or dragon fish in some area’s. One thought is when they spread out their pectoral fins it sort of looks like a lion’s mane, and they are ferocious predators

They are beautiful and fascinating fish but due to their colouring, as is common in nature, most times bright and beautiful means dangerous. Its bright colours advertise its poisonous tentacles. The venom of the lionfish, delivered by up to 18 needle-like dorsal fins and is purely defensive. A sting from a lionfish is extremely painful to humans and can cause nausea and breathing difficulties, but is rarely fatal.
The scientific name for the lionfish is Pterois, and there are fifteen different species in the Pterois Genus of fish.

The largest of the lionfish species can grow to about 40cm in length, but the average is closer to 30cm, with the smallest around 6cm, and they weigh somewhere around 500 to 900g. Their lifespan in the wild can be around 15 years.

They are mainly active during the day and at night the Lionfish find crevices among rocks that they rest in, this is so they are not out of the open where they would be at risk of predators consuming them.

It relies on camouflage and fast reflexes to capture their prey which is mainly fish and shrimp.. Adult lionfish use their distinct pectoral fins to attract the prey. As soon as the prey comes within their reach, they swallow it in a single motion. Though not quite unique, this method of hunting is highly successful in regions where the lionfish is a non-native species as the native population of the area is not used to such traps. They are able to move around very quickly in the water. They are very good at using those long pectoral fins to herd fish and other prey into a confined area, trapping it making it simple for them to get their food. The lionfish’s stomach can expand to 30 times its normal size so they can really fill up, this is why it is such an invader in the Caribean.

They are solitary and they will become very aggressive if they feel that their home territory is at risk. The males tend to be more aggressive overall than the females. While adult lionfish are solitary creatures, juveniles are known to live together in groups. Over the course of time, they become highly territorial and don’t even hesitate to take on the other members of their group to capture and/or defend their territory.

The native habitat of lionfish spans the rocky crevices and reefs of the Indo-Pacific waters, but they can be found in the eastern coast of America. It is not clear how they have found their way there but it is thought that some specimens who were released by certain aquariums, and have begun to thrive in these warm waters without any natural predators. There is one documented case of lionfish escaping from an aquarium located in a house damaged by Hurricane Andrew – the fish were seen swimming nearby after the storm. The “on purpose” introductions are assumed to occur from hobbyists who dumped them into canals (not knowing any better) when the fish either got too large for their aquariums or became unwanted. Genetic evidence from recent scientific results suggests multiple introductions.

Learn more about marine life in the area with our AWARE Fish ID, Naturalist or Advanced open water courses.

Family name: Antennariidae
Order name: Lophiiformes
Common name: Frogfish or Anglerfish
Scientific name: Antennariidae
Frogfish are very misunderstood and very little is known about this unique underwater lie-in-wait predator. They live generally on the ocean floor around coral or rock reefs throughout tropical and subtropical waters. Most species live in shallow water although some species are deep dwelling. Recreational divers in Asia are most likely to spot certain species including giant, clown and painted frogfish.

Around the Andaman we have seen frogfish in the Similans, Richelieu Rock, Koh Tachai, Koh Doc Mai, Phi Phi, Racha Yai and Noi.

Frogfish, are named because of their squat resemblance to the common amphibians, they range in size from around 5cm to the giant frogfish’s 40cm. The resemblance to frogs is that their fins are more like legs, which they use to walk slowly over the sea bed and on top of sponges and corals to lie in wait for their prey.
Colour is often not much help in identifying different frogfish since they can change this to allow themselves to camouflage and blend in with the environment they are in. Depending on the species, this change might take seconds or weeks. Some frog fish’s skin is also covered by bumps, flaps, hairs and tassles which further allow for mimicking the nearby seabed, corals, sponges or weeds. This also explains how divers can often cruise straight past, not noticing their presence.

There are not many other fish that you could mistake for a frogfish but it can be exceptionally difficult to distinguish between the sexes or species. Unless you get out your scalpel, there is no way to tell male from female. Since colouration is not a method of identification for all but the most rare species, you should be looking out for species-specific features such as what form the lure takes (maybe it is mimicking a worm or fish), the number of eye spots and the number of spines.
Frogfish move very slowly but they have the fastest strike speed of any other animal on earth. They move by gulping water with their massive mouth, then forcing the water through the gills, this allows them to move about the reef or bottom.

As the frogfish is scaleless and unprotected camouflage is an important defense against predators. Some can also inflate themselves, like pufferfish, by sucking in water in a threat display. In aquariums and in nature, frogfish have been know to when moved from their hiding spots and are clearly visible, to be attacked by clownfish, damselfish, and wrasse, and even to be killed.
It is the feeding approach of anglerfish that makes it such interesting creatures. They are perfectly camouflaged and lie in wait for any prey. The lure may be used to attract prey in a variety of different ways, depending on the species.

They can also use a chemical attractant so sometimes they just lie in wait for some unfortunate creature to venture too close. When the prey is within grasp the attack takes place. The frogfish expands its oral cavity engulfing the prey with a reflex that instantly sucks it in by creating suction pressure inside the mouth. Taking no more than around 6 milliseconds.

Frogfish have also been seen stalking their prey by sneaking towards their target along the sea bed.

They eat mostly small fish, shrimps and crabs but their prey sometimes being up to twice their own body size. As they are toothless the frogfish swallows its prey whole, allowing digestive enzymes to do the rest. The prey can often be seen twitching and writhing against the walls of the its stomach until they no longer are alive. Frogfish have also been observed to eat lionfish; the poison appears to have no effect on them.  In addition to expanding their mouths, frogfish can also expand their stomachs to swallow animals up to twice their size.

What eats anglerfish? the main answer is another frogfish, they are known for being cannibalistic. However considering that they are designed more to catch fish swimming in the water column, this is a rather rare phenomenon. Moray eels have also been witnessed eating frogfish, but again, this is an uncommon sight.

Learn more interesting facts about the local marine life to Phuket by joining us on a Naturalist or Fish ID specialty course.

On the beautiful SUNday of the 16th of December the Scuba Cat team had a great day with Go-Eco Phuket with a dive site cleanup at Paradise Reef.
“Scuba Diving for Cleaning” was in the sequence of events during the “Environmental Day”- the second day of Phuket Carnival at Patong 2012. Together with the beach cleanup by local inhabitants, rubbish-recycling was also competed by the school children, “Scuba Diving for Cleaning” involved scuba divers in Phuket.

On the morning of the event, 12 divers consisting of recently certified dive instructors from our last IDC, tour guides, fun divers from our previous trips and Quang- our marketing intern attended the kick-off on the beach.

There were also a total of 70 volunteer divers from Royal Thai Navy, Go-Eco Phuket, and other dive centers in Phuket.
There was a welcome speech and a chance to meet the other divers during photograph sessions before the start of the event at 9:30am.
The long tail boats arranged by the Thai government took us to our half day boat MV Scuba sport, which was waiting to take the group to the local house reef at Paradise beach.

Gary- our tour guide- briefly introduced the boat, the dive site and the program of the day which included the 2 underwater clean up dives.

Thank to our divers, we have collected more than 10kgs of fishing lines and fishing lures, lot of fish nets, many bottles and cans, plastic trashes, shoes, batteries and many wooden lantern frames which were probably released from Loi Krathong Festival few week ago.

We returned to the beach at 1PM where the closing ceremony for the event took place with music, dancing and magic acts. Everyone involved in the event received a Scuba Cat wristband from us, a lovely medal and an honoured certificate from the Thai government.

At the end of the day the collected rubbish was weighed and the divers collected a total of 250kgs of debris. Moreover, it was great to know that this was the first time Patong organized the beach and diving cleanup with a major involvement of government and entrepreneurs in the region. Congratulation to Thai nation for their timely awareness of the ocean protection and environmental educations for kids!!!
Scuba Cat felt honoured for participating in the event, as did our volunteers. Many of them shared that they had enjoyed the event with ScubaCat and would like to come back for future events we are arranging.

We would like to thank all volunteers for the willingness and kindness and look forward to see you at our brand-new “We Belong To The Sea” in February and April 2013.