Blending In

Do you ever feel invisible? Like no one really notices you're there? Let's face it: Sometimes it's hard to stand out in a crowd! However, there's a silver lining - it's a pretty good thing to blend in if creatures are constantly trying to eat you. So here we have it - the frogfish! These guys can be so hard to spot because they completely blend into the background. It's even kind of hard to see in this photo.

He manages to look like a piece of coral covered in sand. Incredible! Like a chameleon but even more fantastic because his texture even seems to change. But his mouth gives him away, and he always seems to look a little grumpy with the corners of his mouth turned down. I was really excited to see him, though, because they can be very tough to spot!

So this was during one of my first open water dives, and I'm including a picture of myself to show some really BAD scuba technique. I'm finning all over the place and stirring up sand, my buoyancy - well, I had no idea about buoyancy. I'm way too close to the bottom, and I'm not wearing gloves. I had way better training than that! My instructor taught me about the importance of not touching anything if I can help it so I don't impact the delicate ecosystems. I was also taught to wear gloves so that if I do touch something (especially if I want to clean up trash), I won't hurt my hands. This dive was great other than that. I was with Charlie Dolfin, the instructor at the Grand Wailea where they have an amazing Discover Scuba program you can do if you want to try it out, but you're not sure you want to get certified. Charlie was great. I think he teaches mostly kids, so he's really patient, and that's exactly what I needed on these first dives.

Hugs and Fishes,

Jenny Mo