Part 1 of my documentary, "Mucky Secrets", about the fascinating marine life of the Lembeh Strait in Indonesia. Watch the full 90-minute documentary at    • Mucky Secrets (full) - The Marine Cre...  

In this video I introduce the Lembeh Strait's location off North Sulawesi, in Indonesia, at the heart of the Coral Triangle. The Coral Triangle has been designated on account of its extraordinary marine biodiversity, and the Lembeh Strait hosts a huge variety of marine critters on its seabed of dark, volcanic sand and silt. The type of exploration it offers has become known as "muck diving". The conditions and cryptic critters of the Lembeh Strait contrast with the clear blue water and coral reefs of dive locations such as the nearby Bunaken National Park.

I introduce some of the sessile animals that live in the Lembeh Strait, including corals and sea squirts, otherwise known as tunicates or ascidians, enjoying the currents at dive sites such as Critter Hunt.

There are English captions showing either the full narration or the common and scientific names of the marine life, along with the dive site names.

The full Mucky Secrets nature documentary features a huge diversity of weird and wonderful marine animals including frogfish, nudibranchs, scorpionfish, crabs, shrimps, moray eels, seahorses, octopus, cuttlefish etc..

The music tracks are "Mountain Breeze (pad)" by Purple Planet (http://www.purple-planet.com) and "Arrival of the Broken Kings" by Klangachse (http://klangachse.de).

Thanks to the staff and keen-eyed divemasters of Two Fish Divers (http://www.twofishdivers.com), for accommodation, diving services and critter-spotting.

The video was shot by Nick Hope with a Sony HVR-Z1P HDV camera in a Light & Motion Bluefin HD housing with Light & Motion Elite lights and a flat port. A Century +3.5 diopter was used for the most of the macro footage.

I have more scuba diving videos and underwater footage on my website at:
http://www.bubblevision.com

I post updates about my videos here:
  / bubblevision  
http://google.com/+bubblevision
  / nicholashope  
  / bubblevision  

Full list of marine life and dive sites featured in this video:

00:26 Batu Lohang, Manado Tua
00:31 Pyramid Butterflyfish, Hemitaurichthys polylepis, Ped, Nusa Penida, Bali
00:35 Harlequin Shrimp, Hymenocera picta, Seraya Secrets, Bali
00:39 Nudibranch, Hypselodoris kanga, Seraya Secrets, Bali
00:43 Dispar Anthias, Pseudanthias dispar, Ron's Point, Bunaken
00:48 Yellowstripe Goatfish, Mulloidichthys flavolineatus, Fukui, Bunaken
00:52 Ocellaris Clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris
Coral Garden, Tulamben, Bali
00:56 Porcelain Anemone Crab, Neopetrolisthes maculatus
Pura Jepun, Padangbai, Bali
01:25 Moorish Idols, Zanclus cornutus
Mandolin, Bunaken
01:30 Dispar Anthias, Pseudanthias dispar
Ron's Point, Bunaken
01:35 Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas
Lekuan 1, Bunaken
01:50 Macolor niger, Black And White Snapper
Lekuan 1, Bunaken
01:56 Blacktip Reef Shark, Carcharhinus melanopterus
Ron's Point, Bunaken
02:15 Lembeh Strait
02:29 Mount Klabat, North Sulawesi
02:36 Bitung, North Sulawesi
02:56 Nudi Retreat, Lembeh Strait
03:00 Hairball, Lembeh Strait
03:15 Hairball, Lembeh Strait
03:19 Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Solenostomus paradoxus, Hairball
03:24 Whitemargin Stargazer, Uranoscopus sulphureus, Aer Perang
03:31 Tuberculate Night Anemone, Alicia sp., Nudi Falls
03:39 Nudibranch, Hypselodoris bullocki, Critter Hunt
03:43 Humpback Batfish (juvenile), Platax batavianus, Jahir
03:51 Birdbeak Burrfish, Cyclichthys orbicularis, TK 2 (Teluk Kembahu)
03:56 Yellow Pygmy Goby, Lubricogobius exiguus, TK 1 (Teluk Kembahu)
04:01 Greyface Moray, Gymnothorax thyrsoideus, Retak Larry
04:08 Orbiculate Cardinalfish, Sphaeramia orbicularis, Two Fish Divers House Reef
04:12 Nudibranch, Discodoris boholiensis, Two Fish Divers House Reef
04:19 Panther Grouper, Cromileptes altivelis, TK 3 (Teluk Kembahu)
04:26 Veined Octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus, Pantai Parigi
04:32 Painted Sweetlips (juvenile), Diagramma pictum, TK 1 (Teluk Kembahu)
04:36 Hairball
04:41 Striated Frogfish, Antennarius striatus, Hairball
05:13 Branching Flowerpot Coral, Alveopora gigas, TK 2 (Teluk Kembahu)
05:24 Pulsing Xenia Coral, Xenia actuosa, Nudi Retreat
05:57 Golden Sea Squirt, Polycarpa aurata, Critter Hunt
06:04 Stalked Ascidian, Clavelina robusta, Critter Hunt
06:24 Leach's Compound Ascidian, Botrylloides leachii, Critter Hunt
06:37 Saddleback Clownfish, Amphiprion polymnus, Aer Perang
06:42 Saddleback Clownfish, Amphiprion polymnus, Hairball