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Anonymous

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I had the good fortune to go snorkeling here two weeks back. These were all taken at Sale Cay Rocks in the Abacos just east of Great Sale Cay. It's an interesting biotope, mostly gorgonians and macroalgae, but also some great sponges, brains and the occasional porites and bull shark.

Here's what the rocks look like approaching in the dinghy. This is the middle section of a 200 yd. by twenty-foot-wide outcropping. The water surrounding these rocks is no more than 20 ft. deep for many miles in every direction. It's a shallow outcrop in shallow water.
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Underwater it was mostly hard packed sand and lots of very fat, bushy gorgonians.
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This one is bushier,
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... and a garden of algae. My favorite local fish at the top, a large Atlantic Blue Tang. Apologies for the drab colors, it was silty, choppy and overcast this day.
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Sponges are good for color,
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And what the Bahamas is known for coral-wise, a Diploria. Just a baby:
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This was interesting. Directly down from the face of one of the steeper outcroppings was this 15+foot deep vertical hole. In it lived this angel. And, the interesting part, at the bottom of the hole were those dead Acropora skeletons.
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The angel had the territoriality of a fish that's outgrown its aquarium.

I love these yellow featherdusters.
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And the prettiest scleractinian I saw was this purple Porites. She's doing alright for the murky dim water she's in.
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One of the most prolific, prettiest of all purples is Gorgonia ventalina. I'd walk the plank for this one.
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A snapper sizing you up,
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From the dinghy on the way back. You can see how steep the limestone is. At the top you can see the silhouette of what must be some kind of winged fish./
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Ben1

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Queen angels are my favorite part about diving in the caribbean, that and all of the colorful sponges. The A. palmata are cool too. Looked like you had a good time the gorgs are always abundant in those areas and are a nice thing to watch. You see those pipefish hiding vertically by them sometimes, and those neat predatory snails on them. I've been jonesing to get back to the islands and go diving. My son turns 10 on feb and if he is swimming well enough (He's been swimming since he was born lol) I am going to do that padi jr diver course with him. Thanks for posting the pictures. Unfortunatly I dont see as many of those big brains anymore where I dive. They have been mostly killed off and the small ones seem to suffer from all the anchors dragging over the reefs and such..

Anyhow nice pics.
 

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