Ryan's Technicolour Dream Critter List

Me, surrounded by whale sharks at Oslob, Cebu, Philippines, during my favourite underwater encounter so far. Photo: DD Virkki.

By Ryan Pearson

When I first embarked on my long-term love affair with the underwater world, I didn't really know what to expect, nor did I really have any goals as to what I wanted to see underwater. 200+ dives, and thousands of photographs later, my thoughts have changed. Here I present an ever evolving list of the critters I really think everyone should experience being in the water with (i.e. those that I have seen, and those that I still haven't checked off my list).

Melbourne feat. Flinder's Pier and the Amazing Weedy Sea Dragons

Weedy Sea Dragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus). Photo: Ryan Pearson

By Ryan Pearson

I went on a 10 day trip to Melbourne for my first temperate water dives and a hunt for some Weedy Sea Dragons. Not everything went to plan, but it was still an awesome trip either way.

Gold Coast Seaway at Dusk

Red-Netted Chromodoris (Chromodoris tinctoria). Photo: Ryan Pearson

By Ryan Pearson

Wow, it's been a while. I've been busy with finishing uni and trips to Melbourne and Mon Repos... but that's not what I want to talk about here. I've just been for a dusk dive in the Gold Coast Seaway. It was far from the greatest dive ever, and I didn't get any of the stonefish mating I'd hoped for, but I still saw some interesting stuff.