Hunt For The CRAZIEST Looking Creature In the Ocean (*Holy Grail* Of Diving)

I did not expect to find so many crazy critters…
In this episode I go on the hunt for perhaps the most bizarre looking creature in the ocean, and the “Holy Grail” of diving, the Rhinopia, or Weedy Scorpionfish - I have just 48 hours to find it.
Along the way, I find a tonne of other crazy underwater creatures, including pygmy seahorses, decorator crabs, deadly urchins, frogfish, and loads of shrimps and nudibranchs.
If you’re a lover of scuba diving and/or small things that swim (or walk, crawl, float, roll?), you don’t want to miss this one…
_____________________________________
Hunt For Crazy Creatures | Episode: 1
In this series I’m going on the hunt for the craziest looking creatures in the ocean. If you love diving or learning about the underwater world, and want to learn a thing or two about some of its stranger residents, go check out the other videos in this series…

[@rosiedavis8027]

This is awesome!

[@enchanted.evergreen]

Under the sea: So beautiful, funny, cute and terrifying. (the purring fish, spotted crab and little sea horse awww, I can't handle how adorable they all are!)

[@barnydillarstone]

Which critter was your favourite?! You can only pick one! Although I think your favourite might change when you see part 2 👀 ...

[@enchanted.evergreen]

@@barnydillarstone oooh that's a tricky question! hmmm.....let me think.... I don't know if I can do it..... choosing a favourite is out of my capabilities... but.... if I HAD to choose, it is between the purring fish and the little sea horse.

[@barnydillarstone]

@@enchanted.evergreen good choice(s)!!

[@zhaorenhui]

Enjoy all the creatures u saw, looking forward to more content!

[@barnydillarstone]

Thanks for the comment, Robert! Great to have you on board. New video out toady/tomorrow 🚀

[@helgo719]

Hey Barny! Once again very very nice video! That seahorse was stunning! Thank you for showing us :) Can't wait for the next one!

[@barnydillarstone]

Thank you, friend! Glad you enjoyed. This is obviously a slightly different style (and a new series) but really enjoyed making it and plan on making lots more like this. I can't wait to drop the next one either (I saved all the best finds for part 2!!).

[@paulschnadig8802]

Great content and nice explanations of the science behind the critters ;)

[@barnydillarstone]

Thanks, Paul! Appreciate the support, man. I think you'll enjoy part 2 more...

[@claireboughton223]

Amazing photography and fantastic detail - Stunning! My favourite was the Pygmy Seahorse, though very hard to choose!

[@barnydillarstone]

Oooo good choice, Claire! Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for your kind words :)

[@hannahbrosky7427]

Wow the nudis section was amazing. Maybe one day you can do just a compilation of all the best ones you’ve found? Just saw loads of bubble anemones in Koh Tao and I was mesmerized. Keep up the good work, loved this video!

[@barnydillarstone]

I'm sure I can record a nudi video just for you Brosky...

[@Oceane_Sarai]

The black sea urchins look like soot sprites from the movie 'Spirited Away'.

[@barnydillarstone]

Haha I've just googled and you're right!! The soot sprites look a little friendlier though. I'll try and get some more footage of these urchins in future videos because they are incredibly bizarre looking, and interestingly, you can often find a lot of small critters hiding within their spines. They also move A LOT faster than you would think...

[@NevilleOgam]

Mine was the black long spined urchins

[@barnydillarstone]

You won't believe how fast they can move! I'll try and get some footage for you at some point, Neville! 👀

[@dabergerpaultoth8391]

Stunning Pictures! Just call David Attenborough for some voiceovers and it's a masterpiece... Just kidding, it already is a masterpiece ;) Thx for sharing your adventures, all the best from Austria

[@barnydillarstone]

Hey from Indonesia! I was actually watching some Blue Planet last night and taking notes on his delivery 😂 Really appreciate the kind words 🙌

[@otome3072]

Love your documentary style content n high quality vids! I’m heading to Bali in June, can’t wait to see those critters myself! pls post more! & yes I’m now subscribed 😊

[@barnydillarstone]

@otome3072 Thanks for the comment - so glad you liked it!! Hit me up when you're in Bali and maybe we can dive together 🤞

[@Novehx]

Did you own another KZbin channel or something? I just find it weird how basically a new KZbin channel is this good at filming and editing etc. this all is like very high end content

[@barnydillarstone]

👀 Nope, this is my first and only channel! Thanks for your kind words though - that's perhaps the biggest compliment I've received and I really appreciate the support :) Do you have any marines in your tanks, or freshwater only?

[@ALifeWithoutBreath]

Firstly, thank you so much for white balancing your underwater footage... I appreciate the colors. No, really. We should point that out more often.☺ As for the creature you're looking for... In Costa Rica I've learned that going after animals, especially if there are guided tours, makes those animals avoid the locations. Imagine people randomly appearing in your apartment and taking your photo. Doesn't feel like shelter anymore at that point. But in a location where mostly locals live all those "elusive" animals were everywhere. Monkeys commuted across the roof of our accommodation even establishing eye-contact... Probably wondering what I was up to. In every other tree there perched yet another species of Toucan. At the top of a 2-story tall tree right above our accommodation's entrance lived a sloth with it's newborn. It's almost like animals know about residential zones. 😜 Is the mystery fish in question a stargazer? The ones that hide in the sand?

[@barnydillarstone]

Thanks for the kind words!! The white balancing takes a while, and I can only do so much with some of the footage, but glad you appreciate the effort 😅 Completely agree with you about going after things. Interestingly, this weedy scorpionfish became quite famous in the area and I've seen tonnes of pics of this fish online. Frustratingly, I've even heard stories of people picking it up and carrying it into shallow water to photograph it. It hasn't been seen in a long time... Your point about finding rare things in places where mostly locals live is interesting. I've even observed this over small scales. For example, some of the sites I dive in Indo have 'end points' where 99% of divers ascend. All the cool critters know this, and they just sit 100m beyond these end zones. For me, 90% of the fun is in finding things that nobody else knows about or that you don't expect. For example, I recently saw a hammerhead on my home reef after about 600 dives. This will always be more memorable than dropping in on a site where I'm almost guaranteed to see them. One of the main goals for my channel is to get to a point where I can explore sites that have never been dived. I want my videos to capture the adventure and excitement of finding rarities, or things I didn't expect to find! Keep the feedback coming - really appreciate it!!

[@ALifeWithoutBreath]

@@barnydillarstone Well, I do have this weird anxiety sometimes that I now need to go and dive all the places before the reefs all bleach and the last fish disappear from the waters. Well, I noticed what you're trying to do (because I'm a bit adept with video production) and have subscribed. Myself, right now I'm trying to organize my next dives. I'm freediving so it's a bit different than yours and I'm really trying to convey a sense of place in my videos. Fish are still tricky sometimes. Next to subspecies of plants it's one of the hardest things to keep straight through multiple languages and regional dialects. And sometimes it's just unlucky when you're trying to keep fish like anchovies, sardines, and sprats apart. 😅