We had a slow morning a couple of days ago, so when we came across an unidentified red-brown shape paddling its way across the ocean, I jumped in to take a look.

It turned out to be a female crab carrying a clutch of eggs.

This is me honing my mid-ocean crustacean photography skills…

Crabs aren’t known for being genial, but this one was particularly pugnacious, perhaps because of the precious cargo she was transporting.

I tried being friendly, but she wouldn’t have any of it; she just scowled, simmered, and snapped. Sigh.

Within short order, the crab descended into the abyss…all the while wielding her pincers with vim and vigour…leaving no doubt whatsoever about her considerable disdain for oversized, appendage-challenged individuals like me.

…and this was my belligerent subject, a female crab carrying a clutch of eggs

Crabs are comical. There’s no doubt about it.

Following on the crab/ pipehorse test of wills I saw two nights ago, last night I watched as a crab and nudibranch matched wits.

From the outset, I had little doubt that the crab would come out the better of the two, but it was still a lot of fun to watch this mini-drama unfold.

It all started when I saw a nudibranch (Marionia pustulosa) making its way across the bottom. We’ve seen a lot of these nudis recently, so I didn’t give it much thought, and I was about to swim by…when I noticed something ambling across the sea bottom toward the nudibranch.

Within seconds, I watched as a crab walked in front of the nudibranch and grabbed the unsuspecting sea slug’s rhinophores to pull it down to a more crab-friendly level. The crafty crustacean proceeded to mount…yes, to mount…the nudibranch.

Of course, no self-respecting opistobranch wants to be seen in public with an unattractive accessory like this crab (much less to have its photo taken with one), so the hapless nudibranch resisted.

The besieged sea slug took off at top speed (for a nudibranch), but the nimble crab quickly changed strategy. It grabbed on from the side as the nudibranch sped away (again at top nudibranch velocity) and clambered atop the fleeing slug.

Once astride the nudibranch, the crab sat back(ward) and rode off into the proverbial sunset (there was, of course, no sunset, since it was just after 22:00 and underwater, but the mental image makes for a nice ending).

The ocean at night is witness to many a drama. Some involve life-and-death struggles between predator and prey. Others are just funny.

Last night was the first night of the Night Safari hosted by Kasawari Lembeh Resort. We started diving around 17:30, and I came up out of the water on our last dive at around 02:30 the next morning. The moon was full and bright, and Lembeh Strait was teeming with activity.

On the last dive, one of the guides pointed out a little pipehorse (Acentronura sp.), which looks exactly like it sounds…half pipefish, half seahorse.

Like many of the other animals we came across, this little pipehorse was quite active, prowling the bottom looking for food. I followed as it made its way across the sandy bottom of a site called Pantai Parigi, taking photos as and when the opportunity arose, since the pipehorse, like most Sygnathids, was camera shy.

Along the way, the pipehorse grabbed hold of various objects with its prehensile posterior…to steady itself and pause for short breaks.

The funny part came when the pipehorse latched onto a well-camouflaged crab:

Grumpy by nature, the crab was none-too-happy about the situation, and shook the bewildered pipehorse loose a few times. In each instance, the pipehorse turned with a puzzled expression, then wrapped its tail around the crab again…only to be dislodged once more.

Eventually, the crab grew weary of the clueless pipehorse and trundled off in a huff, as indignant crabs are wont to do.

I should’ve taken more photographs, but it’s difficult to hold steady when you’re overcome with uncontrollable laughter.

I’ve been struggling for some time now to find a way to take an interesting photo of what I call the “King Kong” crab…for lack of a better name. (Does anyone know the binomial name for this crab?)

This dark-maroon, velvety-textured crustacean is about the most un-photogenic (read: “butt ugly”) animal I’ve ever come across. This is the reason I set myself the challenge of creating a captivating image of this crab…to underscore the point that photography is art. In this case, the art of making this homely critter look intriguing.

So I as stared at this odd-looking animal, I thought of King Kong, and I imagined how this creature might have been portrayed in a King Kong movie. Here’s what I came up with:

What I saw in my mind’s eye was King Kong towering on the craggly rocks of a remote island, surveying his dominion, with the evening sun in the background framing his imposing figure (never mind that the crab is only a few centimetres tall).

Shortly after taking this picture, I came across another crab, this specimen nestled in among the polyps of a soft coral organism. Again, with King Kong in mind, I took the photo below imagining the great beast lurking among exotic trees in a primeval forest, poised to leap out and ambush unwary explorers.

Photography can be much more than just documenting what you see. It can be creating what you imagine…for others to see.

Oh…in case you’re wondering…yes, my mind wanders to strange, distant places all the time.

Yesterday…female hairy frogfish eating male hairy frogfish.

Today…octopus in a shell capturing and eating a crab.

The crab was alive and struggling, but soon after I took this photo, the octopus wrapped its mantle over the crab and devoured the crunchy treat.