Valentine's Day Story of Two Pygmy Seahorses in Love

Sirena and Marlin - two young pygmy seahorses - will spend Valentine's Day much like any other day, surrounded by the beauty of the coral reef and each other's love. However, they will celebrate their love in their own special way.

In the morning, they will start their day with a swim in the warm Pacific Ocean, stopping to admire the various sea creatures and the stunning coral formations. As the sun rises higher in the sky, they will return to their home in the red gorgonia coral to have a special breakfast together.

In the afternoon, Sirena and Marlin will take a leisurely swim and explore the reef, perhaps even discovering a new part of their underwater world. As the sun sets, they will return to their home and have a romantic candlelit dinner together.

As the night falls, they will cuddle up close in the safety of the red gorgonia coral, watching the stars twinkle above and listening to the soothing sounds of the ocean.

Valentine's Day may be just one day, but for Sirena and Marlin, every day is a celebration of their love and devotion to each other.

The end.

Get the fine art print (limited edition) of Sirena and Marlin's love for your wall with a special valentine's discount (discount code, applied at checkout: VALENTINE-PYGMY) applied at checkout.

Pygmy In Love

Once upon a time, in the vibrant waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, there lived two young pygmy seahorses, named Sirena and Marlin. They lived in the heart of a beautiful red gorgonia coral, swaying with the gentle currents of the ocean.

Sirena and Marlin had known each other since they were just babies and as they grew older, they found themselves drawn to each other. They would spend their days swimming and exploring the coral reef together, and their nights cuddled up in the safety of the red gorgonia.

But their love was not meant to be easy, for there was a fierce storm brewing in the ocean. The powerful currents threatened to tear apart their home and separate them forever. But Sirena and Marlin refused to let their love be destroyed. They fought against the storm with all their might, using their tiny fins to guide their home to safety.

Through their determination and love, they were able to save the red gorgonia coral home and their love was stronger than ever.

As a symbol of their love and devotion, they changed their colors to match the vibrant red of the gorgonia coral, becoming known as the "red seahorses of love" among the sea creatures. They lived happily in the coral reef for many years, and their love story became a legend among the ocean dwellers.

One day, a group of divers stumbled upon their home and were awestruck by the sight of the two seahorses, their matching red colors and the tale of their love and bravery. They shared the story with the world, and Sirena and Marlin's love became an inspiration to all.

Sirena and Marlin's love for each other was as enduring as the ocean itself, and their story would be told for generations to come.

The end.

Get the fine art print of Sirena and Marlin's love for your wall with a special discount (discount code: PYGMY) applied at checkout.

My Underwater Macro Photography - Pygmy Seahorses

Hippocampus Bargibanti (Cabilao, Philippines)

Underwater macro photography is one of the most popular disciplines of underwater photography. The fascination for the marine macro life is shared among people all over the world.

Macro images can give a completely new view on reef life. It makes visible surprising details of nature which otherwise remain hidden in overlooked areas in the oceans.

Hippocampus Denise (Cabilao, Philippines)

One species which every underwater photographer is searching for are pigmy seahorses.

The first species discovered in 1969 of pygmy seahorse was named hippocampus bargibanti. A number of approximately six more species has been discovered after year 2000.

Hippocampus Pontohi (Bangka, North-Sulawesi Indonesia)

The challenge in shooting pygmy seahorses is first to find them. They are extremely well camouflaged and perfectly adapted to their habitat.

While hippocampus bargibanti and hippocampus denise - they can be found in different color depending on the surrounding - lives in gorgonian sea fans, there are other species which are moving through the reef and hence much more difficult to spot.

Once they are found the second challenge is to find them through the viewfinder of the camera without damage to the coral reef.

Pygmy seahorses are well know to be found on dives in south east Asia. It is one of the most typical species for Coral Triangle.

Hippocampus Bargibanti (Lembeh Strait)

My newest shots of pygmy seahorses I got recently when diving on Cabilao Island on the Philippines (see on top of the page).

One of the shots where I am specially proud of is the one of the Hippocampus Pontohi shot on Bangka Island in North-Sulawesi, Indonesia (see above). If you look carefully you can even see a second exemplar in the background. This spot was amazing. At some point there were five Hippocampus Pontohi holding on the same coral branch. Unfortunately I was not able to capture that picture with my camera. As mentioned this species is very mobile and this exceptional situation of pygmys grouping in one spot was quicker over than I could setup my camera.