Seahorses: the hardest find in macro diving

Seahorses: the hardest find in macro diving

The pygmy seahorse is a masterpiece of mimicry. Some species (Hippocampus bargibanti) live exclusively on specific gorgonian sea fans, evolving to match the exact color and bump pattern of the host. They are the size of a grain of rice. They do not move.

Finding one without a guide pointing it out is, functionally, impossible. Even with a guide pointing directly at it, it can take you 30 seconds of staring at the same 10cm patch of fan before your eyes register the animal.

Species to look for

• Bargibanti's pygmy — lives on Muricella gorgonians, bumpy purple-pink form
• Denise's pygmy — tiny (1cm), lives on thin-branched gorgonians
• Pontoh's pygmy — on algae, not fans, most common in Lembeh and Anilao
• Common seahorse — the larger (up to 15cm) species most divers have in mind

Where to see them

• Lembeh Strait (Indonesia) — pygmy capital
• Cannibal Rock (Komodo) — pygmies on gorgonians
• Raja Ampat — every species on the Coral Triangle list
• Anilao (Philippines) — pygmies and rare pipehorses

Technique

Bring a strong torch, photograph with minimum flash power (strong flash stresses them), and never touch the host. Hover neutrally and don't kick up sediment — sediment kills visibility immediately on a macro dive.