Creature Features
We at Travel The World all have our own favourite marine creatures and we know you have too! For some, diving with sharks and huge schools of fish is the ultimate; others long to dive with manta rays; underwater photographers go on macro diving trips to seek out seahorses, flamboyant cuttlefish and other incredible macro wonders.
Whatever your dream underwater encounter, one thing is certain: a little prior knowledge can improve your enjoyment of a scuba diving trip immensely. Travel The World is the best online resource for fascinating information on your favourite marine creatures and where you can dive with them.
Why do hammerheads swim the way they do? Why do the chromatophores on a cuttlefish pulsate? What is the result of parrotfish crunching through coral? Which marine creature’s mouth inspired the movie character ‘Alien’? Which is the heaviest bony fish in the ocean? Which is the smallest ‘great whale’ in the ocean? Which fish has the fastest ‘gape and suck’ action to swallow prey? Find out this and more. Knowledge is power!
So browse our selection of creature features below. From whale sharks to wobbegongs, manta rays to mandarinfish, sea lions to seahorses, read all about the stars of our underwater world.
Diving with Harlequin Ghost Pipefish: Masters of Disguise
Divers of all kinds just love these fish. Colourful and distinctive, small and delicate, motionless and elongate, they blend in so well with their surroundings that they are near-impossible to find and divers practically drool over sightings. Amazing camouflage of...
Diving with Frogfish: the Obdurate Anglerfish
A pair of frogfish with amazing colouration in Kapalai, Malaysia. Photo Courtesy: Ketrick Chin Open any coffee table book of underwater photography and you are almost certain to see a few pages dedicated to the majestic frogfish. One of the critter kings, anglerfish...
Diving with Whale Sharks: the Largest Fish in the World
If you have been there then you know. If you haven’t, then it is difficult to describe the feeling of sharing the water with this, the biggest fish in the sea. More like a whale than a shark, these fish are right at the top of most divers “To...
Diving with Clownfish: Finding Nemo and Finding Out All About Him
Scuba divers have long held the clownfish close to their heart but in recent times, thanks to animated movies such as Finding Nemo, suddenly this little character of the coral reef has entered the mainstream consciousness. What is it about the clown fish that...
Diving with Barracuda – The Tiger of the Sea
Barracudas are perhaps one of the most feared marine creatures for non-divers but those in the know crave underwater encounters with these sleek and misunderstood creatures. However, many such scuba divers might agree that their villain appearance could send a shiver...
Diving with Bumphead Parrotfish – Bumping Coral Reefs into Balance
Finding yourself engulfed by a large school of bumphead parrotfish as they nonchalantly munch their way through acres of coral reef, is an experience not easily forgotten. Bumphead parrotfish in Raja Ampat. Photo Courtesy: Mermaid You may be busy inspecting the nooks...
Diving with Goliath Grouper: Is the Term Jewfish Offensive?
Jewfish has been the colloquial name for the goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) for quite some time. Is it still being used? Is this naming a bit out of step with our politically correct times? Do you think that the term is offensive? Have we ‘evolved’ into such a...
Diving with Wobbegongs: Wobbe-what?
The wobbegong! A quite rare form of shark whose name is believed to come from the aboriginal word for a shaggy beard, after the tasselled appearance of the species found in the western Pacific. A tasselled wobbegong. Photo Courtesy: Fabrice Dudenhofer There are 3...