Sea grass beds where many treasures await to be discovered

In recent years, photographers and enthusiastic divers have been on a quest in search of underwater inhabitants and varying dive sites. Forget visions of crystal clear water, dancing reef fish and dazzling colour. No, no I am not narked yet! I’m simply talking about muck diving.

An anemone full of shrimps; Urocaridella sp. was a great find

To those of you yet to experience muck diving, it is only for the brave hearted diver who doesn't mind low visibility (aargh lost my buddy again), silt instead of abundant coral and the arduous task of searching for the invisible. Often scattered on the bottom is discarded human junk. Surely such ingredients do not make the recipe for a perfect dive! So why muck dive? The persistent diver is often rewarded with fascinating and bizarre marine life rarely seen on the reefs and guaranteed to have you bubbling with excitement and scrambling for the fish/marine ID books to uncover your latest finds.

A shy seahorse(Hippocampus kuda) happily feeding among the sea grass bed off Mabul, Malaysia

Muck diving has been the source of many recent finds in the scientific community. It is not unusual after a muck dive to find that you are unable to identify a particular animal. Many books still do not carry the recent findings. But don’t despair: try out web sites/contacting magazine publisher's etc. Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones to find a new species in the mud so carry that camera and click away. Such incentives make muck diving irresistible to the adventurer.

A cuttlefish camouflaged in the sand found in 8 m of water

Now that you are all ready for that first muck dive where should you go? Many marine environments overlooked for the more colorful reefs such as sea grass beds, mangroves, wharf and jetties as well as sandy reefs can be your introduction to muck diving. The ideal sites are usually bays that are sheltered and shallow but have tidal movements bringing food in and out of the bay. Remember always check with the local dive operators regarding tidal movements, local conditions and hazards and when diving in mangrove areas it's a good idea to check if crocodiles have been seen in the area!

An interesting spider crab (Majidae) seen at Mabul among the sea weed off Mabul, Malaysia

A brightly coloured sea cucumber of the Synaptidae family in Secret Bay, Bali

Persistence + Local Knowledge + Good Buoyancy + Trained Eyes = Successful Muck Diving

A close up of the black anemone found at Secret Bay, Bali reminds you of a galaxy system with millions of stars

When muck diving one must become the Sherlock Holmes of the underwater realm. Be persistent in your investigations. Diving at high tide generally offers the best visibility. Local knowledge is vital and taking a local Divemaster can enhance you dive. Good buoyancy is an essential skill since visibility in these areas is generally low and is worsened by divers stirring up the bottom. A good pair of eyes is also a bonus. Many divers come up after a muck dive seeing only half of what the more experienced muck diver has seen. Do not worry, the good news is that you can train your eyes gradually with more knowledge and dives.

A colorful member of the Aglajidae family, this Chelidonura sp was spotted happily crawling in Secret Bay, Bali

Good Knowledge + Details + Curiosity + Observance = Trained Eyes

The beautiful dwarf lionfish

To gain knowledge about the marine creatures that inhabit muck diving areas, expose yourself to various dive magazines and books. Keep a small library at home. Adi and I find that this is especially useful in educating ourselves on the latest findings. This will make you the instant hero/heroine on the dive when you casually rattle of the names of the creatures you have encountered. So keep an eye for details and note things down on underwater slates whenever possible. This will help identify the animal and you will be shielded from disappointment when looking into the marine ID books. Always be curious. If you notice a bump in the sand, have a closer look. Most of the time it may be nothing, but one day, It could turn out to be a mantis shrimp or a flounder staring right back at you. Quick movements and odd shapes may have surprises waiting to be discovered.

Shy garden eels found in a shallow sandy bay

Any of the environments discussed above can be easily dived at night opening up another world of different inhabitants such as decorator crabs, Spanish dancers, squids and bobbit worms as well as numerous crabs and shrimps. The glories of muck diving await you. Just remember to watch your buoyancy, look out for animals in the sand before settling down to film but most of all be prepared to be amazed by what you see. Diving will never be the same again.

A hairy crab (Acheus japonicus) found on a night dive in Tulamben Bali on a wreck

Under such calm water hide creatures such as the leaf fish, pipefish and other strange critters

Assorted Muck Diving Sires:
Mangrove areas:
Malaysia: Pulau Gaya, Sabah
Indonesia: Manado. Sulawesi
Thailand: Khao Lak
Solomon Islands: Morovo Lagoon
Fiji: Kandavu Island, Waindroka Resort on Viti Levu

The cousin to the ovalids, the lamellarids in this case Chelyonotus semperi are often mistaken for opisthobranchs which are highly evolved gastropods

Sea grass areas:
Malaysia : Kapilai Island, Mabul Island,
Indonesia: Bunaken Island
Thailand: Koh Samui Island

Another probable cousin of the dwarf lionfish

Sandy bottom/rubble:
Malaysia: Sipadan. Kapilai, Mabul
Indonesia: Tulamben off Bali Kunkungan Bay, Derawan, Secret bay
Thailand: Phuket, Krabi
Australia: Heron island, Exmouth

Cockatoo waspfish looking for its next meal at Kapilai, Malaysia

Jetty dives:
Malaysia: Sapi island, Mabul, Tioman, Sipadan Islands.

A polyclad worm of the Pseudobiceros sp.