Realm of the Pygmy Seahorse: An Underwater Photography Adventure

For millennia, climatological and geological processes created the necessary conditions for the tropical Indo-Pacific to evolve into the most diverse area among marine ecosystems. The Indonesian-Philippines area is the epicentre of this amazing biodiversity. Award-winning photographer Constantinos Petrinos chose the Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi, Indonesia to document this fascinating underwater wonderland. He spent 5 months in the region, did 320 dives and took 25,000 slides. “Realm of the Pygmy Seahorse” features 280 of these amazing photographs. Underwater photographers will find a wealth of information on technique. For the naturalist, the rich text explains the spectacular behaviour seen in the photos. The author attempts to give the reader an insider’s view on the daily lives of the animals in this complex ecosystem that features a variety of habitats. Seemingly barren volcanic sand slopes and rubble areas reveal elusive, rare creatures, such as the wonderpus and the mimic octopus. Tiny pygmy seahorses adorn “Muricella” sea fans. Spectacular nudibranchs are everywhere. The rare and unusual seem commonplace.