Pulau Hantu » Videos

Crabs, Chromodoris, Cardinals, and Cimbiolas

debby — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:43:36 +0000

We’ve got the 4C’s! Hantu Blog diver, Jimmy Goh, who’s used to taking great photographs for us of the reef and it’s inhabitants, puts together a video of the highlights from this weekend’s dive during the cold and overcast monsoon weather.

See more amazing photos and videos of Singapore’s sea life first on our Facebook Page!

Hawksbill Turtle at Pulau Hantu!

debby — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:49:47 +0000

Jeffry Low and Jani Tanzil bumped into a Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) at Pulau Hantu yesterday! Jeffrey described that the turtle was rubbing itself against a rock, perhaps to dislodge a parasite, or simply because it had an itch to scratch!

Hawksbill Turtle at Pulau Hantu, 7 Nov 2011. Photo: Jeffrey Low

The Hawksbill turtle is a critically endangered sea turtle that is regularly sighted at Pulau Hantu and around local waters. Below are more videos of Hawksbill turtles encountered on Hantu’s reefs during night dives.

Human fishing practices threaten E. imbricata populations with extinction. The World Conservation Union. classifies the Hawksbill as critically endangered. Hawksbill shells are the primary source of tortoise shell material, used for decorative purposes. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species outlaws the capture and trade of hawksbill sea turtles and products derived from them.^[1]

We in Singapore are very privileged to be able to dive with these rare and beautiful creatures. It is also very special that despite being an urban and highly developed island city, we are still able to find these creatures off our coast.

In 2006, a turtle fixed with a satellite transmitter and deployed off the coast of Melaka, where she went to lay her eggs, was found making a straight journey from Malaysia to Singapore in the southern islands. The turtle was named Puteri Pulau Upeh and you can read more about her at the WWF website.

Sea turtles are also known to nest on Singapore’s beaches, alongside city dwellers at East Coast beach! To see photos of baby turtles born in Singapore, check out the Wild Singapore website.

See more amazing photos and videos of Singapore’s sea life first on our Facebook Page!

Sand-diver attacks!

debby — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:40:49 +0000

A Sand-diver (Trichonotidae) fends off a horde of Butterfly whiptails and a Speckled goatfish, in the reefs of Pulau Hantu, Singapore.

See more amazing photos and videos of Singapore’s sea life first on our Facebook Page!

Tambja nudibranch meets current

debby — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:52:27 +0000

A Tambja nudibranch (Tambja sp.) pushes through the currents along the reefs of Pulau Hantu, Singapore.

We saw a heap of Tambja nudibranches out at Pulau Hantu today, and I’m not exaggerating! Check out the pix below!

This is just a hint of the amazing trip out to Hantu we made today! Stick around to see more cool pictures and videos!

See more amazing photos and videos of Singapore’s sea life first on our Facebook Page!

Juvenile Harlequin Sweetlips at Pulau Hantu

debby — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:54:39 +0000

The harlequin sweetlips can be found along the reefs of Singapore’s Pulau Hantu. Juveniles, like the one in this video, are brown with large white blotches and mimic the movement of a poisonous flatworm for defence against predators. They gain more spots and the spots reverse from white to black as they age. It spends its life in the coral reefs and feeds on crustaceans, mollusks and other fish.

Silver Moonies at Singapore’s Pulau Hantu

debby — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:11:54 +0000

Silver Moonies school in estuaries and near freshwater streams, in harbours and near jetties. Some species are inhabit brackish waters and may even swim far up into freshwater systems. They are also known as Diamond fish and Silver batfish, but they are not batfish. They are also sometimes confused with Pomfrets. We encountered this school at Pulau Hantu over the weekend. Aren’t they just magical? See more amazing photos and videos of Singapore’s sea life first on our Facebook Page!

Shrimp goby and commensal shimp

debby — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:46:30 +0000

There were two commensal shrimp in this burrow but only one was captured during the length of this video. As the fish was skittish and I didn’t have all day, I hovered quite a distance away from this burrow so they the fish and shrimp could keep doing what they do without too much disturbance. See more amazing videos of Singapore’s sea life first on our Facebook Page!

Pulau Hantu’s Sand-divers

debby — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:13:44 +0000

You don’t usually see sand-divers because they are quick to dart into the sand for safety as soon as they spot something unfamiliar near by, but on a day with a nice current, they are coaxed out of their hiding places to feed in the water that’s pushing through. Watch this video and check out how the sand-divers simply disappear into nothing at the end! That’s how fast they are! See more amazing videos of Singapore’s sea life first on our Facebook Page!

Football-sized Reef Cuttlefish

debby — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 04:26:27 +0000

Divers at Pulau Hantu last weekend got up close to this cool and calm reef cuttlefish. It probably thought it looked pretty much like the brown algae that was growing around the shallow reef, and it did! Because I only realised it was there when Volunteer dive guide Jimmy Goh pointed to something just inches below my belly, and I saw Chay Hoon get a mild shock by it when she almost bumped into this critter! Enjoy the video!

Meter-long batfish at Pulau Hantu

debby — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:21:31 +0000

Yesterday, divers on a dive trip organised by the Hantu Bloggers encountered a large batfish along the reef of Singapore’s Pulau Hantu. This is the largest batfish encountered on the reef by the group in 8 years!

Hantu Walkabout

debby — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 05:48:15 +0000

Sunsets, squid, stars, slugs and shrimp. What’s there to see if you go walkabout at Pulau Hantu during the low tide? More than you can possibly imagine.

By SgBeachbum

dusky sunset 22Jan2011 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

peacock anemone 22Jan2011 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

ghostly shrimp fry 22Jan2011 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

broadnosed halfbeak 22Jan2011 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

octopus escape @ Pulau Hantu 22Jan2011 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

More videos from this trip at SgBeachbum.

Tiny reef cuttlefish employs superb camouflage

debby — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:30:42 +0000

Divers at Pulau Hantu encountered several reef cuttlefish last Sunday – from large rugby ball-sized reef monsters, to pinkie nail-sized critters like the one above, which were almost invisible. The large ones appear much more confident on the reef, keeping still when approached, seemingly unfazed by us curious divers. The smaller ones on the other hand put on all sorts of interesting displays in what may be an attempt to confuse or frighten us away. They only end up fascinating us further.

Swimmer crabs mating preamble

debby — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:37:58 +0000

A pair of Swimmer crabs (Thalamita sp.) are observed during an inter-tidal walk at Singapore’s Pulau Hantu. The male is the one holding onto the female, and walking about. The male is attempting to access the female’s apron. When that is successful, the two would have graduated from this frontal position, and have their abdomens facing each other.

Tiny Reef Cuttlefish

debby — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:35:20 +0000

A small cuttlefish on the reef of Singapore’s Pulau Hantu, finds safety by sticking close to the coral and prefers to rely on camouflage instead of fleeing when divers approach closely.

Reef cuttlefish are in the same class as the squid and octopus. “Cephalopod” means “head-foot.” They have two basic body parts, the head and a modified foot of arms or tentacles. Cuttlefish have 10 tentacles that surround the mouth. They also have a flat bone in their bodies that washes up on the beach and is sold as cuttlebone in pet stores. Cuttlefish can confuse their enemies by squirting out a cloud of ink. This smoke screen comes from a siphon under their head. The same siphon allows the cuttlefish to be jet-propelled. In an emergency, a cuttlefish can squirt a jet of water out of its siphon to escape. Cuttlefish blend in perfectly with the reef by changing the color and texture of their skin to match their surroundings. They feed on small reef fishes with lightning-fast strikes of their tentacles. Cuttlefish inject venom to paralyze their prey. Most cephalopods only live a short life, from one to three years. (Source)

Blue spotted fang blenny

debby — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:28:40 +0000

A pair of Blue spotted fang blennies are found frolicking about on the reef of Singapore’s Pulau Hantu. These fish are more commonly observed hiding in crevices, recesses, and discarded bottles on the reefs. It is also referred to as Gammistes Blenny, Striped Fang Blenny, or Striped Poison-Fang Blenny. It has alternating black and yellow stripes that run the entire length of the body, and can reach a maximum size of 4.3 inches.

The Hantu Blog’s most viewed videos

debby — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:40:29 +0000

The Hantu Blog has one of the most extensive collections of underwater videos from Singapore waters on YouTube. Recently, I plowed through the list of over 90 videos to see which were getting the most views. Interestingly, crinoids or feather stars seem to be a hot favourite:

Walking crinoid 1,405 views

Dancing crinoid 2,012 views

Dancing crinoid 3,269 views

But the Razorfish at Hantu seem to attract a good deal of attention too!

Razorfish at Hantu 2,496 views

Another fish that got plenty of viewers was this video of a Pufferfish shot three years ago:

Pufferfish 6,340 views

Of course, the symbol of Hantu’s reefs, and the critter represented on the Hantu Blog’s logo outdid the Pufferfish in terms of viewer hits!

Tigertail seahorse 7,613 views

Even with that number of hits, our charismatic Tigertail seahorse was not able to attract more hits than one of the simplest creatures on the reef – the flatworm!

Giant swimming reef flatworm 11,783 views

But the video that trumped all the others, and reaped the most number of hits, can neither swim, nor relocate itself if it wanted. You can’t see its head, and it’s hardly visible on the reef. I suppose, the fact that it’s so mysterious makes it sort of attractive and mesmerizing. Who would have thought that a barnacle could gain this much attention!

Hard working barnacle 17,396 views

Though fish are one of the most prominent animals on the reef, they have grossed comparatively little attention from viewers. It is apparent that people are attracted to the things they know little about. Barnacles are not creatures you would describe as “charismatic”. These creatures are lobbed off the bottom of boats and kicked aside when they are washed up on the beach! But if we took the time to explain their behaviour and cast a fascinating light on them, surely we can give 17,000 people, a reason to observe a barnacle for 20 seconds!

Singapore nightlife

debby — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:06:09 +0000

What’s going on beneath the water’s surface on a Friday night? LOTS!

Hantu Blog volunteers, Peimin, Cindy, Chay Hoon, Abby and myself plunge into the dark waters of Singapore for a spectacular wildlife experience! Here’s a sample of our experience in a tiny video clip. Pictures coming soon!

Razorfish on Pulau Hantu’s reef

debby — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:32:30 +0000

With the outgoing currents blasting through the channels around and between Pulau Hantu yesterday, we strayed only as far as the reef crest and enjoyed some local marine life in the shallow waters.

Blog Log, 27 June 2009 (Part 1)

debby — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:16:19 +0000

Toh Chay Hoon, Hantu Blog diver and nudibranch enthusiast

Pulling into the shallow reef of Hantu this Sunday during the low tide required some careful maneuvering by our skipper. Thankfully, we had Hup Heng at the helm, who’s only been navigating local waters for the past several decades! As soon as we plunged into the water, Chay Hoon (above photo) looks to me and exclaims that the water temperature (that’s usually between 27-29degC) was at a searing 33degC! We confirm this later when we check with another volunteer who’s computer also reads 33degC.

Wandering about the depths that actually weren’t as murky as they looked on the surface (or have I just got too used to the low visibility!?), the weekend began with tiny little critters such as this perfectly camouflaged crustacean on a whip coral (left). The photograph next to it shows a whip shrimp, another well camouflaged crustacean. The whip coral has its feeding tentacles extended and helps the shrimp seem more invisible.

There was also a massive crinoid perched right on top of a large boulder with its legs or feeding arms widely spread, taking in all the tiny little bits of yummy plankton. Crinoids are also known as featherstars or sea lilies.

Crinoids are capable of swimming (or walking!) about by undulating their “arms” and are sometimes found with a small crustacean known as a squat lobster. Though it’s called a “lobster”, they look more like crabs. Crinoids are a kind of echinoderm, related to sea cucumbers, sea urbins, and seastars (starfish). Other divers managed to spot a squat lobster during this dive but I was snooping around elsewhere so missed the action and the chance of photographing it!

What I initially thought was one sea slug turned out to be two sea slugs, resting close to each other along the side of a boulder. The lines and patterns on their bodies really do help to break the outline of its shape when they’re huddled together like that! The thumbnails show other Phyllidia seaslugs that were spotted during the dive.

Above are some shots of crinoids hanging out with other marinelife such as (from top left) a sea fan, black coral, and a juvenile on a whip coral. Crinoids can be found in an array of different colours but the variety most commonly spotted in our reefs are a maroon colour, which really makes them stand out! Come crinoids also like to hide in nooks and crannies within the reef during the day time and crawl out of their holes at night.

A detailed look at the polyps on a black coral. Black coral is a threatened species. It has for centuries been harvested for the manufacture of jewelery and other accessories. Unlike other corals it has a black skeleton.

We managed to spot a few Ceratosoma nudibranches. The most commonly encountered one in our reefs is the Slender ceratosoma. From the two above pictures you can see that their colours may vary slightly.

Certain individuals can get really large! Here, Chay Hoon photographs a Ceratosoma nudibanch. You may be able to estimate its size relative to her camera!

Just after I spotted the Ceratosoma nudibranch, Volunteer Dive Guide Pei Min pointed out this Giant Reef cuttlefish to me. It didn’t seem too bothered to be photographed and at a point even extended its arms. It might’ve looked like it was yawning or stretching but my guess it that it probably spotted a prey in the murky water and was about to snatch it out of the water but didn’t in the end. Cuttlefish, like squid, have both arms and tentacles. The tentacles are the two longer arms that you only see when it’s about to snatch its prey. Hidden beneath those arms is a pair of formidable beaks that resembles the beak of a parrot.

The first dive of the day ended with these two fish. On the left is a brightly-coloured and very dangerous though very beautiful Blue-spotted Ray, and on the left is a what I thought was a Kite butterflyfish Parachaetodon ocellatus, but was later informed it is a Golden-girdled or Orange-banded coralfish Coradion chrysozonus. Marine biologist and PhD Candidate Jeffrey Low informed me that it is one of just five butterflyfish that have been recorded in Singapore. And like the Parachaetodon, it is not as common as the copperbanded and 8-barred butterflyfish. This shy fish is usually found solitary or in pairs, over reefs and also in estuaries. It feeds on coral polyps and small invertebrates. Though is it a popular aquarium fish, they are less often sighted in in the reefs and are difficult to photograph due to their skittishness.

(To be continued)

Yellow-lipped sea krait

debby — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:55:09 +0000

A young Yellow-lipped sea krait finds me on the reef as I try to untangle some fishing hooks snagged on the reef. After jumping out of my wits, I hit the video on my camera on and follow the young snake as it goes about the shallow reef, popping its head that encases some of the world’s most deadly venom, into little nooks and crannies on the reef. Eventually it goes up to the surface to take a quick sip of air and shoots back down into the water again. Please pardon my rather superfluous commentary at the surface (at the end of the 3rd video). I couldn’t help myself.