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From the book "Bali Island", part 5 "East", episode 31.

8°30'29.81"S 115°31'8.07"E

Tanah Ampo – sea port in the East of Bali, large cruise ships come here from Singapore and Australia. But we are interested by the pier, there are a lot of unique characters under it.

We added to our collection such kind of nudibranchs :

Phyllidia multifaria Yonow Chromodoris reticulate
Jorunna finebris Hypselodoris krakatoa
Hypselodoris nigrostriata Flabellina rubrolineata

The pier is filled by fishermen in the evenings, they throw baits and sometimes fish guts into the water, and it attracts marine predators. Sea snakes, for example..


Sea snake - Hydrophiinae

Pipefish - tubular seahorses are not rare here.


Pipefish - Syngnathinae

Boxer shrimps – of cause, here you are..


Boxer shrimp

Harlequin mantis shrimp, it also called as luxurious mantis shrimp. Well, it is just beautiful :-)


Harlequin mantis shrimp - Odontodactylus scyllarus

Large cuttlefish, mollusks of the cephalopod class, is a desired catch for fishermen...


Cuttlefish - Sepiida

Monoceros or trigger fish (Monacanthidae). It is clear why they got their name – horn over the head is noticeable..

Filefish Stephanolepis hispidus Filefish Acreichthys tomentosus

Boxfishes, they are various, often they different from each other..


Papuan toby - Canthigaster papua


Roundbelly Cowfish - Lactoria diaphana


Longhorn cowfish, Horned boxfish - Lactoria cornuta

And this is their close cousin - the pufferfish.

Flatfish (Carpet Sole) is a master of disguise.

Cornetfishes are hiding between the pillars of the pier..


Cornetfish - Aulostomidae

Striped blennys make their nests in bottles and fragments of pipes..


Striped blenny - Meiacanthus grammistes

There are a lot of interesting things here. But at night you should be very careful, because there are many scorpionfish here, a variety of them, and there is a danger to run into their poisonous spines.


Lionfish Parapterois heterura


Scorpionfish Inimicus sp.


Cockatoo waspfish - Ablabys taenianotus


Stonefish - Synanceia verrucosa


Flying gurnard, Trigla - Dactylopterus volitans

And yet there are very big and various frogfish (Antennariidae), also named as sea devils. Strange creatures with the leg-fishing-rod on the head..

And here you can meet octopus, various types of them and quite large. Well, if fisherman will not catch them all before you arrive.. :-)


Marbled octopus - Octopus aegina


Red Octopus - Enteroctopus dofleini or Octopus rubescens

And special luck to find here a large flock of sardines swirling around the pillars of the pier. This is a cosmic show!

Watch our movie about diving in this unique place:


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