Aja Radl Photography

All babies are cute... even a rock-boring urchin one! This guy was tiny, but with his tube feet, he was walking very quickly over the sand... hopefully he will find a rock soon🤣😍

I was blessed with an unforgettable dive experience on the East Coast! Roland knew exactly what would make my heart skip a beat: the tiny special stuff, and he delivered - 4 incredible Black Brotulas and tiny Blennies and Gobies that left me in awe! And that was just the beginning! We encountered majestic Mutton Hamlets, Highhats, Octopuses, Queen Triggerfish, and so much more; I didn't know where to look first. 😍 What an amazing island this is!

I have been watching a Pike Blenny family for a while now... They are super cute and expressive. The females (much drabber and more camouflaged than the males) usually just peek out of their holes, looking pretty. But the males...Their antics are adorable... They have a larger, taller, and more dramatic "sail-like" front dorsal fin, which they use for courtship and territorial displays. They stand up straight or kick up a flurry of sand to impress their ladies, and if a rival gets too close, he meets a jaw-opening stance and fin-flashing. 😍

Octo-magic everywhere!
Yesterday we spotted a Mystery Octopus, a Common Octopus pretending to be a mooring block, a Caribbean Reef Octopus pretending to be part of the bottom, an Atlantic Longarm Octopus pretending to be a piece of coral, a Caribbean Twospot Octopus pretending to be a shell...But I can't figure out what that thumbnail-sized little one is that was pretending to be a fish... Who can ID it for me?

I just had a fin-tastic encounter with a Flying Gurnard! He was super relaxed and having his lunch in my presence!
A Flying Gurnard's main diet consists of small fish, bivalves, and crustaceans. They will use their pectoral fins to dig into the sand to access their prey. Then they capture it by sucking it into their mouths like a fishy smoothie🤣.

It is Black & White Month in the Bonaire Imagers Group. It seems that even the frogfish on Bonaire decided to join in! I keep being amazed 😍

I am a piece of rubble sticking out of the sand; don't believe me? ok... I am a Flounder... still don't believe me? ...now I am sand... 🤣
The Atlantic Longarm Octopus is a true master of disguise... he blends in perfectly with his surroundings, and when he moves, he mimics a flounder: in colour, but also in swimming behaviour. Nature is amazing!

Do you like this backdrop? 🤣
We have been seeing so many of these Splitfin frogfishes that they need to up their game to attract a photographer...🤣

Little legend bopping along the reef... It is quite rare to see a juvenile Cowfish on Bonaire, so I was really pleased... 😍

Red is the first colour to disappear underwater... and that is exactly what a black frogfish relies on! He looks just like that sponge until you shine a light on him! Amazing nature!