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MORE UNDERWATER!

National Geographic: Sea Stories

The folks from National Geographic came to us looking for unique story ideas for their new show.  We thought; “what’s more unique than Pigmy Sea Horses no larger than 1/4 inch? “

Our story idea was a hit!. We set up everything; from the principal subjects, to the travel arrangements. Soon, we were off to Manado, a remote area of Indonesia. Our connections world-wide made what could have been a logistical nightmare, a breeze.

Pigmy Sea Horses are extremely difficult to see as they mimic the appearance of the coral that they inhabit, so you can imagine how difficult it is to videotape them. Little is known about these fascinating creatures.

One  interesting behavior is the morning greeting. Each day, at about 5:25 AM, the Sea Horses  meet up with each other at the center of their sea fan and do a "dance". They sway from side to side and up and back.  This can last for as much as 30 minutes. Our underwater videographer Paul Jacobson was the third person to ever see this extraordinary display  and the FIRST to capture the entire dance on video tape.