Damselfish.The vegetable grower.farmer fish!

Small but fearless. Next time you scuba dive on a shallow reef.
And you come across this puny little fish aggresively darting at you.

Once..it is warning you to steer clear..
Twice if you stubbornly insist on confronting it..

Third time is usually a charm..the little bugger will really take a nip at you..

This damsel buggers are really fearless..They will take on fish or divers 50 times its own size..
Not that it hurts , actually more amusing than painful when bitten by a damselfish.

 But have a heart. There is a good reason why it is so aggressively trying to chase you away from the vicinity.
Some damsels are nicknamed farmer fish. In the real sense of the word.
They actually grow their own food, just like a vegetable farmer would do.
Damsels are known to cultivate their own crop of algae.

 Certain types of damsels graze on algae among the coral reefs and some actually swim around collecting algae and plant it all in a chosen patch, concentrated on a rock.or coral.
They will graze around and gather the algae onto a small patch on a selected patch , the algae they harvested .

So have a heart,next time you are diving the reef and the damsel have a go at you. The thing is merely protecting its algae farm it has so carefully cultivated and when you wander too close ,you are perceived as threat to its crops,stealing the spoils of its hard work.

Raiding its store.

 So if you get accosted by the damsel,if you look around ,with a keen eye and you may notice a patch of healthy thick clump of algae concentrated on a rock or coral patch , close to where the attack happened,That is  what it is defending...It's food source...
Like in the video above ....
See the healthy clump of algae on the bleached staghorn...





Yup indeed.these Damsels are fearless and by no means helpless  in Distress

snorkelling vs scuba diving

Snorkelling is a terrific way to enjoy the sights of flora and fauna of the marine environment.So tranquil and relaxing,
as you float on the surface drifting along taking in the sights underwater,only sound you hear is from breathing from your snorkelling tube.
submerged your face in the water wearing a mask and snorkel and you basically block out the entire world if only for the brief period,its so surreal ,the feeling ,looking down upon a realm you are totally alien to ,yet ,awe by the seeming tranquility as the creatures here just move about nonchalantly,graceful ,silent.
Yet , behind the seemingly tranquil appearance is a world fraught with mystery ,neverending wonder,with a cast of the very bizare to the violent,ugly to enchantingly beautiful.colours of which isnt match by anything on dry land.
We can only be a visitor here,never a participant ,and only for very short periods,
because we just dont belong.
With snorkelling , its observation and admiration from a distance.The cute damsel fishes ,will be bold enough to feed off your hands, cheeky clownfish dart out and back in to their host anemones to chase you off if you venture too close, Or if you are lucky ,a turtle will swim up close to you to take a breath. Even the not agressive reef sharks make an appearance now and then.These are what beckons in shallow areas.
Alternatively ,just float on the surface and admire the corals from your vantage point,if you look closely enough ,you may just spot activity going on in the coral heads.crabs ,shrimps,eels , or the very well camouflaged octopus .
Then you will start to have an urge to be closer to the action, have a closer more personal look at it to your hearts content.
Or if you are a good enough skin diver(breathhold diving)you can always venture out into the slightly deeper areas , and just free dive down swimming with whatever it is you encounter. It is a fantastic sensation ,because you feel so free ,even if it is for a brief period , the environment so quiet when you dive in,it will be the closest sensation you will have to whats its like to fly. Albeit its will last you just as long as your lungs can withstand.nonetheless ,if done right ,can repeat the experience again and again.


Curiousity will get to you ,if you have been avidly snorkelling ,you will be intrigue to know whats down in deeper water,not accessible by conventional free diving because its too deep and your lungs cannot hold out that long ,esp. in depths of more than 20 metres and evn if you can manage to swim down to the depth ,theres not enough time to take in the view .And it is a different view in deeper environments.
Corals are more diverse and beautiful ,not similar to their shallow water cousins,larger predatorial fishes lurk around in this environment, fishes and other creatures mainly can be observed in their more natural habitat.
In shallower water there are waves and currents to contend with for many sea creatures ,which is why in deeper water ,there is more variety of critters ,from the tiny , weird and wonderful all at this depth avoiding the shallows.,that can be rough and turbulent at times.
even corals have more colour,soft corals,known by all to be very beautifully coloured
thrive in the deeper waters because of the lack of waves,so they dont need to be sturdy like their hard coral cousins in shallower waters.
and of course ,access to this world can only be done with a scuba gear.

Main difference with using scuba of course is the ability to stay for a longer period and take you own time to observe the creatures and also be able to cover a larger area underwater,up close and personal feeling with the sea critters cannot be had with snorkelling.
plus the fact that you do get a kick out of the fact that you can actually breathe underwater.
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age,whats the limit to learn scuba diving?

The average age of active scuba divers, is 36, and there are physicians who suggests that scuba diving beyond 50 years old may cause health related issues or outright hazardous to it. But then theres the wonderfully endearing image of the great Jacques Cousteau, who scuba dived at the ripe old age of 87 and continued diving until the very end of his life. And even in his old age, despite having problems walking ,the famous Frenchman , requested his friends to take him close to the sea and he had regretfully said that it was very hard for him to imagine his life without scuba diving.
So when older divers are questioned about their passion for the sport ,Cousteau's example is often used to dispel doubts about the physical ability of the golden folk. Some have been diving for decades , but curiously enough ,there are those who started or learned to dive at the age of 70.

Actually, There arent any restrictions on age limits , for most of the diver training agencies ,

and 70 seems to be the acceptable to many agencies provided of course that physically there are no concerns to disqualify one from participating in the dive activities.


But ,on one hand , doctors and rescuers, they tend to be more on the reserved side,

when it comes to their opinions on age limits. at least in regards to people of that age group but with no experience in scuba diving or those who've shelfed diving a while but resume scuba diving after a considerable time gap of no dives . Even if clearly there are physical and psychological benefits from recreational scuba diving and social adaptation of elderly are evident and encouraging, it is also noticeable that accident statistics involving the older aged in scuba diving have risen . It is a fact not gone unnoticed, but hardly alarming enough to put a cap on the restrictions.


If well equipped, adequately trained and responsibly supervised when older divers are joining in individual or group dives, these elderly scuba divers, both freshmen and veterans, still can enjoy the pleasure of getting in touch with underwater world. But dive like this will need more better planning and be very safety minded affair.It has to be planned meticulously anticipating any potential situation and methods to deal with it.Safety in mind at at all times.



If you are a in a older age group, and seriously comtemplating signing up for a dive course then it's highly recommended that you learn slowly until you feel you are both mentally and physically ready to take your first scuba dive at a desired site to suit your specific needs, your individual limits, and your personal diving experience. Just bear in mind that of recreational scuba diving.Age is not a barrier. You can be as young as 8 till as old as 70 and still can take up diving if your body allows it to.
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learning to scuba dive

If you are interested in getting started in scuba diving, there are a few things to consider.
These things include your personal comfort level inwater to learn more easily the scuba diving basic skills.
The best thing you can do if you are interested in exploring the depths of the ocean is to take a basic scuba diving class..Sessions known as discovery dives where a dive pro will show you some basic skills and get you to practice them in a shallow water environment and then take you for a brief and controlled swim around underwater. Just to see if you can get the hang of it , some people are just cut out to be divers .Natural.

There are certifications that you can get starting from the 1st basic level ,all the way till you are qualified to teach scuba skills and certifiy divers as well. So if you are really thinking of trying it out to see if you are up for a full course then spend a few hours at 1st with a professional who can explain everything you need to know at the beginner level and go for a dive.. Most resorts and dive shops offer a basic course to get you started in a safe environment with a professional. You can learn a few steps and things about safety to ensure you have a good time and you know what you are doing. Most certified divers actually started this way. They werent very sure if they are capable of doing scuba diving at 1st so try it out to see.
Then once they realise just how easy it is to learn and not that demanding physically,they will sign up for a full course right after the intro dive.

IF you already are a capable swimmer ,it will be a cinch for you to take up diving..
Usually during the beginner course , you will learn what the diving equipment does and how to use it safely.For example , how to breathe properly using the breathing apparatus known as the regulator ,how to use the buoyancy jacket to control your diving profile while underwater,
how to clear your mask of water or use fins more efficiently.
All designed to maximise your enjoyment of the time spent underwater.
The 1st course is conducted usually over 5 dives where you will practice all the skills deemed important for safety considerations, plus a little bit of diving theory,learned very easygoing manner with dvds and textbook highlighting again whats safe and whats not ,(most people dont have problem with the theory part) and you are on your way to a full certification at the beginner level.
Scuba diving is a terrific way to unwind and meet people while on holiday, An added excuse
to go travelling to exotic tropical locales.And thats usually what gets a lot of divers hooked on the sport.
Build up your diving experience once you get your certification,Only way to do that is to dive , dive , dive . Slowly ,you train yourself up to dive with the best of them and thats where the adventure really starts.
There are so many dive destinations to choose from ,and all theses places have fantastic underwater adventures waiting for you to explore.
Diving is fun and therapeutic,no kidding! Imagine hovering about a weightless environment just drifting slowly along taking in the sights.
Well it is as close as you will get to what an astronaut feels like doing the space walk..
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