Special Finds

Indonesia is home to some of the most unusual and rarest marine creatures on earth, but this
doesn’t mean they are always easy to find.

Creatures like the much sought yet and seldom seen
rhinopias have some of the most adapted camouflage in the underwater world. The rhinos that dwell in the smooth rocks have a similar skin pigmentation as well as a smooth body where as the ones that call the algae home have a near identical color pallet and leafy skin appendages to match. They are an absolutely fascinating creature and everyone onboard Mermaid II for our Ambon-Raja Ampat ‘Bio- Special’ was ecstatic when we located two in Ambon’s rich waters. Though we had so many incredible encounters with hundreds of sea snakes, whales, mantas and untouched reefs the rhinopias still topped everyones list of highlights. I suppose this is the reason why so many macro enthusiasts refer to them as the ‘holy grail’ of the critter world.

Mermaid Liveaboards II
Ambon – Banda Sea – Raja Ampat Cruise
Feb 20 to Mar 02, 2016

By Alex Lindbloom