• A pair of red and black anemonefish bravely defend their territory.

  

• The tiny coral polyps give this small coral head a ruffled appearance.

  

• An impressive, 8-foot wide fan coral silhouetted against the sun-lit water above it.

  

• A foot-wide tridacna clam sports an iridescent blue mantle.

  

• A lush coral garden shows a variety of shapes and textures.

  

• These bowl-shaped sponges were common sights on the reefs of the Ha’apai Island group.

  

• These delicate, feathery “trees” are the gills of the Christmas Tree worm, which lives in a tube bored into the coral head.

  

• A 5-inch long flatworm lands after completing a graceful ruffled “dance” through the water.

  

• Although shaped like cabbages, these cabbage corals are hard and brittle – and very fragile.

  

• A magnificent 3-foot-wide coral head crowns the reef.

  

• My mystery nudibranch – I could not find this one in any of my reference books.

  

• A diver, armed with his camera, descends to explore another reef.