Tonga's mysterious & beautiful ocean after dark is full of strange life.

The underwater world is full of animals that are strange and wonderful in
comparison with those that we see on land. This scuba diver slipped into
the water from the island of Vava'u in the Kingdom of Tonga, taking his
lights and camera with him to show us what emerges from their hiding
places after the darkness sets in. The reefs are beautiful and appealing
during daylight with their colours and picturesque beauty. The reefs are
equally beautiful at night but this world and its creatures undergo an
incredible transformation. This is when many animals emerge silently to
hunt and explore. The delicate balance between the hunter and the
hunted is complex and it can change in an instant. The cover of darkness
provides the perfect means for animals to go undetected, like the
octopus, one of nature's stealthiest killers. They glide through the water
or slither over the ocean bottom, coordinating their eight powerful arms
to find and ensnare prey, even in tight crevices. The octopus explores the
rocks and coral with its tentacles while it spreads its mantle wide to
capture any prey that are lucky enough to avoid the suckers on its arms.
Once the octopus gets the fish its grasp, there is no chance for escape. A
stingray cruises under the diver and glides over the sand in search of tiny
animals buried beneath. Their electroreceptor cells are able to detect
minute electric currents from mollusks and crustaceans that hide on the
ocean floor. A porcupine fish drifts slowly over the sand and debris.