PADI IDC Gili Islands, PADI Career Development Dive Resort

Garden Eel (Heteroconger hassi) Every diver usually remembers their first garden eel encounter. You are swimming near the edge of the reef, over the sandy bottom like Hans Reef Gili Air, Gili Islands , and you see a grassy area at the limit of your vision. As you move closer to the grass, it begins to shrink and eventually disappear! It turns out it is not vegetation at all, but garden eels! These animals use their rigid tail-tip to dig a burrow in the sand. They exude lots of mucus from the skin that helps cement the sand grains together so the burrow walls become stable. If danger approaches, they withdraw into their burrows, but when the potential threat disappears, the garden eels reappear. They stretch out from their refuges to snag zooplankton (tiny animals like animal larvae, tiny crustaceans and eggs of various reef animals) that are pushed past in the current. Read more...

The Hammerhead Shark The Hammerhead Shark. Take one look at this amazing fish and you'll know how it got its name. The scientific name for its hammerhead shaped head is called Cephalofil. There are 9 different species of Hammerheads: •Winghead Shark •Scalloped Bonnethead •Whitefin Hammerhead •Scalloped Hammerhead •Scoophead •Great Hammerhead •Bonnethead •Smalleye Hammerhead •Smooth Hammerhead The largest of them all is the Great Hammerhead Shark. When fully grown, it gets to 6 meters in length and weighs 170 kilograms. Most other species only grow to 4 meters. Read more....

Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus albicans) Description The Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus albicans) cuts a truly striking profile, taking its name from the large and distinctive dorsal fin which runs along the length of its body. When extended, the dorsal fin is taller than the width of the body The Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus albicans) cuts a truly striking profile, taking its name from the large and distinctive dorsal fin which runs along the length of its body. When extended, the dorsal fin is taller than the width of the body, and, with its pronounced upper jaw that is modified into a long, circular bill, an elongate torso and a strongly forked tail fin, this fish is one of the most magnificent of all ocean creatures. Read more...

Interesting Facts About Unicorn Tangs Unicorn tangs or Naso unicornis are members of the family Acanthuridae commonly refer to as surgeonfish. There are 80 species in 6 different genera in this family. All have one distinguishing characteristic. They have sharp blades at the base of their tails (caudal peduncle) on both sides of their bodies that are used in self-defense. Seventeen of the 80 species are unicornfish. Here we will be elaborating on the unicorn tang. They are endemic to the Indo-Pacific from Indonesia and Christmas Island westward to the Andaman Sea, south to the eastern coast of Africa and east to the Hawaiian Islands. When you are diving around the Gili Islands you will find the everywhere. Read more....

Earth’s largest living crocodilian—and, some say, the animal most likely to eat a human—is the saltwater or estuarine crocodile. Average-size males reach 5 meters and 450 kilograms, but specimens 7 meters long and weighing 1,000 kilograms are not uncommon. Saltwater crocs, or "salties," as Australians affectionately refer to them, have an enormous range, populating the brackish and freshwater regions of eastern India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. They are excellent swimmers and have often been spotted far out at sea. Classic opportunistic predators, they lurk patiently beneath the surface near the water's edge, waiting for potential prey to stop for a sip of water. They’ll feed on anything they can get their jaws on, including water buffalo, monkeys, wild boar, and even sharks. Without warning, they explode from the water with a thrash of their powerful tails, grasp their victim, and drag it back in, holding it under until the animal drowns. read more......

Black marlin (recently reclassified as Istiompax indica, after formerly being known as Makaira indica) are considered by many authorities to be amongst the world's premiere game fish. They certainly have size on their side, with the all tackle world record black marlin weighing in at 1560lb (707.6kg) taken by Alfred Glassell way back in 1953 off Cabo Blanco, Peru. Experienced skippers have reported seeing, and sometimes becoming connected to, black marlin that were probably even larger than Glassell's catch, perhaps even approaching the size of some of the biggest blue marlin (Makaira nigricans). The latter have been caught on rod and reel up to 819 kg and are known to grow to at least 900 kg and possibly over a tonne, based on commercial catches of fish over this size. Genetic evidence suggests that black marlin are more closely related to striped/white marlin than blue marlin, the latter being more closely related to sailfish. Compared to other marlin, black marlin are ...