8-14-09

The dragon eel below is in the same hole I saw one in last year and it would not surprise me if this isn't the same fish. I have seen it here off and on now for over a week. It would seem to have alternate lairs but does show up in the day time here every other day or so.

You can see its tail showing to the left in a couple of the shots. It was not interested in coming out into the sunlight so I needed some additional light to overcome the shaddow.

Next day, it was present as well:

And again present the next day after...

Unlike the other moray eels, the Dragon Eel doesn't appear to ever close and seal its mouth completely. In the image above, you can see that the mouth is near closed at the front but quite a gap exists midway back.

9-4-09

The Dragon Eel was again present in this particular coral den. I am guessing that it has any number of locations it chooses to spend the daylight hours with this being just one of them. In the last month or so, I would estimate that I find the eel here perhaps 25% of the time. It usually has its head coming out the right side with its tail on the left side of this "tunnel". Fewer times, it will be resting with head to the left side and tail at the right. That was the case today.

From the surface, I can usually make out the tip of its tail in the shaddow and upon diving down, it will come out a bit to check me out. The lighting is rarely ideal and strobes would help.