Violence on the Reef

The pristine reefs of Gorontalo have shocked recent divers with reality. On the massive pinnacle we call Sunken Island divers saw the remaining half of a cushion star – and the mature trumpet shell that had just eaten half of it!

On another section of reef a coconut shell octopus disproved the notion that anemones protect decorator hermit crabs that hide under their stinging fingers. Divers watched the quick work the octopus made of one crab by carefully turning the crab shell so as to avoid the anemones and then with two other arms simply rip the helpless crab out and gobble it down!

Imagine hearing the scream of our dive master. He was watching a large and unusual sea hare nudibranch lumber over the sand when suddenly the head of a large bobbitt worm lunged out of the sand, its four jaws spread wide open, grabbed the nudi and began dragging it under the sand.