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| Comatulids. Wikipedia (GNU Free Documentation License) |
Diving Suggestion
The entry point of this Komodo diving site is right at the south of the cove. Best time to jump into this venue is in the morning as it catches the morning sun and shines its colourful under-waterscape.
Maximum depth of this dive site is 25m.There is no current in this dive site so the session should be easy – that’s why it can stand among the top dive sites, particularly as it is beginner-friendly.
Divers are recommended to swim along the wall in a counter-clock wise direction and move back and forth up along the wall to the surface.
Dive Site Scenery
As is suggested by the name, Crinoid Canyon is a dive site where divers can watch a rich life of crinoids. The animals are indeed the main attractions of this top dive site.
Crinoid comes from Greek word krinon or lily and eidos or form. The animal is the member of class Crinoidea of the echinoderms or phylum Echinodermata. It is an age long animal, with fossils dated back to around 350-million years ago.
Generally, there are two types of crinoids. The first is the type that has a stalk with which it attached itself to the bottom of the sea. It is this type that is often called “sea lilies”. The second type is the unstalked forms, popularly called comatulids.
The majority of living modern crinoids are comatulids. These animals are free-swimming. They can also “walk” using specialized structures called cirri. Comatulids are almost similar in forms to the more popular sea stars. To tell a feather star from a sea star, look at the mouth. If the mouth faces up, it is a comatulid.
In addition to the colourful crinoids, we can also see several varieties of nudibranch, sea urchins, sea stars (cousins of the crinoids), tiny shrimps, and crabs. In fact, we can also see small animals around crinoids.
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| Photo property of Divegallery.com |
Crinoid comes from Greek word krinon or lily and eidos or form. The animal is the member of class Crinoidea of the echinoderms or phylum Echinodermata. It is an age long animal, with fossils dated back to around 350-million years ago.
Generally, there are two types of crinoids. The first is the type that has a stalk with which it attached itself to the bottom of the sea. It is this type that is often called “sea lilies”. The second type is the unstalked forms, popularly called comatulids.
The majority of living modern crinoids are comatulids. These animals are free-swimming. They can also “walk” using specialized structures called cirri. Comatulids are almost similar in forms to the more popular sea stars. To tell a feather star from a sea star, look at the mouth. If the mouth faces up, it is a comatulid.
In addition to the colourful crinoids, we can also see several varieties of nudibranch, sea urchins, sea stars (cousins of the crinoids), tiny shrimps, and crabs. In fact, we can also see small animals around crinoids.