The best-dressed organism on the reef

The ocean delivered a tiny, flamboyant celebrity in a sequinned wetsuit during a dive by our partner Adventure Mania. Keen-eyed diver Wayne Tarr spotted a nudibranch species show-off of note at Bikini Reef: a Glossodoris bonwanga.

Now, for the uninitiated, a nudibranch is essentially the ocean’s answer to haute couture. No shell. No shame. All colour. Wayne clocked the tiny diva doing what nudibranchs do best: gliding slowly and looking fabulous. At roughly the size of a small biscuit, it’s the sort of sighting that makes divers nudge each other excitedly through regulators.

Glossodoris bonwanga is one of the signature nudibranch species in Sodwana. Size: typically 3–6 cm; habitat: coral and rocky reef slopes, often where sponges are plentiful; usually seen in daylight, slowly cruising like it has nowhere urgent to be.

What they eat

Most Glossodoris species are sponge specialists. They scrape sponge tissue using a radula (a tongue-like rasping structure) and store the sponge’s toxins in their own bodies. Those toxins make them unpalatable or even poisonous to predators, which is why they can afford to look like underwater birthday cake icing without getting eaten.

Some species can even release defensive chemicals or milky secretions if disturbed. So yes, they’re beautiful. But they’re also tiny floating chemical factories.

Spotting one on a dive is a classic macro-moment. Sodwana’s reefs are famous for big-ticket attractions: turtles, rays, sharks and often “did you see that?” moments. But it’s the little surprises that keep divers coming back. A nudibranch sighting is like finding a designer label in a thrift store: unexpected and delightful.

Moral of the story? Always dive with your eyes open. You never know when the reef will roll out its most colourful carpet.

Main photo: Wayne Tarr