Anemonefish (also called clown fish) live among the protection of the stinging tentacles of sea anemones, to which they have acquired an immunity.

The sea urchins in Malaysia have a beautiful blue star pattern which emphasizes their five-fold radial symmetry.

A coral fan forms a resting place for some small wrasses.

My dive buddy was Kyoko, a Japanese girl living in Singapore.  She was remarkably patient with my constant picture pauses, and was also an excellent diver.

On Mahara Rock, strong currents bring food to colorful soft corals such as these.

Blue-ringed angelfish are commonly found in pairs, but this one's mate wasn't cooperative enough to pose.

The staghorn coral reefs at Tioman appeared very healthy, and there was no sign of bleaching from the recent El Nino episode.

A close-up of a crown of thorns starfish.  Don't touch!  The thorns are quite poisonous.

These spotted sting rays are quite beautiful and commonly seen.

John ?? is from San Jose (!) but lives in Singapore now.  He just got his basic certification, and (as you can see) still has some trouble clearing his ears.  He did fine on the dives, though.

I don't know what this is, but it looks kinda neat.

More anemonefish - I particularly liked the colors on this species.

The colors on this star coral were stunning.

This looks like a pipefish, though I can't identify a species.

More corals...

John's friend Diana also received her basic certification over the weekend.

Feather-duster worms were very common on the shallow reefs.

This black-spotted pufferfish was cruising around during our night dive.

Fish at night

A tiny soft coral peeking out from behind some hard corals.

The giant clams had colorful mantles extended.