This episode of The Dive is a great introduction to Puerto Galera, and the incredible dive sites of the Verde Passage, “The center of the center of marine biodiversity”, with Scandi Divers as hosts and guides to the UNTV team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8wpm2okTrQ
Check out this great video from UNTV’s show The Dive, showing you what Scandi Divers Resort has to offer. Includes an interview with resort owner David, and some amazing footage of some of our favourite dive sites: Sabang Wrecks, West Escarcio, and The Alma Jane!
Let’s take a closer look at one of our most sought-after critters in Puerto Galera! The blue ringed octopus or more commonly known as ‘the blue ring’ is one of our biggest crowd-pleasers. The scientific name for the octopus is Hapalochlaena maculosa. They grow to around 20 cm in size and weigh a massive 25 grams.
What is really unique is the blue ring is the only venous creature in the world that doesn’t make its own venom. The octopus finds bacteria in the water and stores it within its saliva. If you are a crab that’s in its path while hunting at night then you better look out. The blue ring uses its razor-sharp beak to break into the shell of a crab, it will then basically spit the bacteria contaminated saliva inside the crab and it will become paralyzed making it much easier to eat. Crabs reading this blog will be quaking in their boots.
The blue ring also has three hearts which pump blue blood around its body. Each octopus has around sixty blue rings on its body. You might have noticed that if the octopus is relaxed then the blue rings are not visible. Only once the octopus is feeling threatened it will flash its vibrant blue rings telling you to back off. There has only been a handful of human deaths from the octopus bite in the entire history of the planet but it can still happen. So, its better to keep your hands to yourself underwater.
This wonder of nature can be found on many dive sites around Puerto Galera. Some hot spots to look for them include giant clams, Fantasea reef and Small la Laguna. They are most active at night time when they are feeding so we recommend doing some night dives with us at Scandi Divers to increase your chances of some blue ring interaction.
Hope you enjoy the video below:
In the latest Scandi Divers blog we’ll have a closer look at one of the most sought after critters in Puerto Galera. The flamboyant cuttlefish with its pulsating colors and mesmerizing movements really grabs your attention. They are basically standing their ground flashing colors at us, telling us that they are the boss and will move for no man. The beauty of this brave behavior is we get a chance to observe it’s behavior. You have excellent opportunities to get great images and video footage as it will stay in the same area. It is probably one of the most photogenic species on the Puerto Galera dive sites.
There are some facts about the flamboyant cuttlefish that are really interesting. Despite growing to around 8cm in size they actually have toxins that are on the same level as its relative the blue ringed octopus. In case you are not sure about the level then think ten thousand times more powerful than cyanide. Luckily for us they and the blue ringed octopus don’t have much interest in eating us so they keep the toxins for the small fish and crustaceans that they feed on.
The flamboyant cuttlefish is very special, it’s one of the few species of cuttlefish that actually walk on the seafloor. They have a rather tragic short life span of just a year. After mating face to face the female will find something like an old coconut shell and lay her eggs one by one, attaching them to the shell with a special glue like substance. Once the eggs hatch the female has completed her life tasks will die shortly afterwards. These cuttlefish can be found on a number of dive sites around PG, the most common places are Giant Clams and Ship Yard.
On your next trip to Scandi Divers our dedicated dive team will try their best to show you one of our favorite critters.
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