DiveMindanaoInauguralFINAL.pdf
							
                                 There are many more interestingpeculiarities about the planktonic cosmosbut despite their unusual and appealingbeauty, do not be fooled by their seeminglyharmless demeanour. The tiny planktoniccosmos is a very violent world. Asuperfificial look at their physical attributes,as we have just done, suggest that evengenetic evolution has been wary andfocused in equipping them with specialisedphysical attributes for surviving a harshworld fifilled with predation.When posed with the question of theirexistential purpose, some would evensurmise that among other things they existto be food – food for fellow plankton, fifish,and also gigantic fifilter feeders likewhalesharks and manta rays. In the tinyworld of plankton, there’s alwayssomething smaller to feed on, like this tinyjuvenile squid feeding on a tinier shrimp.This is probably why nature intendedplankton to number up to the gazillions – tosustain the hierarchy of the marinefoodchain. Truly, this unconventionalcombination of interesting beauty andviolence in the world of plankton leavesyou yearning and makes you want to learnmore about them. Juvenile Squid Eating Shrimp.Ram is a full-time scuba instructor andunderwater photographer in thePhilippines. Among other things, he hasbeen active with underwater caving andbonfifire diving. As member of the FilipinoCave Divers, Ram explores anddocuments local underwater cavesystems. While back in his base inAnilao, Ram is a proponent of theBonfifire method for shooting plankton.Ram also co-authored with AndrewMarriott the "Guide to Anilao", acomprehensive guidebook in partnershipwith the Philippine Commission onSports Scuba Diving and the MabiniTourism Offifice about diving in the area. 7 of 24