"Where's the beef reef?"
The old Wendy's commercial replayed in the back of my mind as I floated on the surface looking down trying to find the reef that was only 20ft below. Thanks to all you northern folks who decided to send some of your cold weather and high gust northern winds to south Florida(no flame mail please 
), the visibility was down to 10ft at best. Of course, like all underwater photographers, even if we're diving in a mud pit we could still find enough joy in the dive to say it was a great dive. So was the case today...
There's an unwritten law for the underwater photographer that states that the best place to find that unknown creature or that once in a lifetime shot would be.. where?!?! Under the boat! Sure enough, as I decended down the bouy line, tucked down underneath a small patch of reef was this little fella...
These little guys were everywhere! Not too easy to spot but since I was spending at least 10+ minutes on a little piece of coral no bigger than my computer desk (it's small) I would find these little guys tucked up close next to a coral on almost all the patch reefs I searched.
It's almost like a Sears Craftsman guarantee. Find the curly anemone and you're sure to find one, if not more, of these little fellas hanging around. If you're lucky, you'll see them waving their bodies around as if they were dancing The Lambada. When you do, don't pass up the opportunity to get a free manicure. But as Elmer Fudd would say (if he was a scuba diver), "Be vewy vewy still."
This little fella must have been family to those real curious Angels who made me hyperventilate a couple of weeks ago (see previous post). Reason being.. He stuck around for quite some time but luckily for me I wasn't ganged up by every species of puffer at the same time.. otherwise I would have probably hyperventilated again.
2nd dive of the day...
I'm swimming along (vis went up to 12ft) and I find this enormous yellow sponge. This thing was almost my size and when I take a closer look this little itsy-bitsy baby shrimp is smiling and dancing thinking he found himself a huge piece of cake--at least that's what it looks like.
So I'm busy checking him out.. looking at his parents not to far away and I can sense it! That feeling which shortens my breathing, makes my heartbeat rocket... It's near! VERY NEAR!
Sure enough, I feel a tap on my shoulder and I look to my side and there they are! Just a couple inches away! Two gray angelfish who must be spokes persons fish for Close-Up toothpaste.. they're not shy at all. I take a couple of shots.. take the camera away from my face and they're easily 4 inches away. My breath quickens.. my heartbeat races..... Oh no, not again! ;D
As I barely leave the scene alive, I could hear a whisper in the background say..
"I'll get you next time, Gadget--next time!"
Laz
