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Nudibranchs are the marine life that most divers target first when they venture into underwater photography. Their slow movements make them easy to work with, and their dazzling array of colors sends divers into a frenzy. Yet with so many species and such wildly varied forms, most divers know these tiny creatures only as "nudibranchs" — with little understanding of their ecology or behavior — and are left hoping to stumble upon them by chance underwater. But on Green Island, there is a nudibranch authority who can tell you not only where each species is found, but also the season and time of day it appears. He knows by heart the more than 400 nudibranch species he has discovered in Green Island's waters. Let's dive into the nudibranch story of Joe Chang.
Bornella anguilla2
A Love Affair with Nudibranchs
Joe was once a musician, living the romantic life of a man who felt he owned the world with a guitar in his arms. He helped organize New Year's Eve galas for the Hualien County Government, served as a regional preliminary judge for The Voice of China, and even worked as music director for a music village in mainland China's Taiwan Island Town. He recalls that making a living in Taiwan's music industry was actually quite rewarding, but after 2012 a surge of new competitors began to erode established business models. Faced with reality, he had no choice but to change course and temporarily set aside the creative outlet that had given his life so much meaning.
His relationship with the ocean began in 2008. A lifelong biology enthusiast, he had always been fascinated by living creatures — at one point he kept more than 400 tarantulas just to observe their behavior up close. Around that time, his family had a saltwater fish tank at home, and a senior diver told him he could show Joe a far bigger and richer "aquarium." Under that mentor's guidance, Joe took his very first plunge into diving with no theoretical background whatsoever. He still remembers how, on his very first dive, his mentor simply grabbed him and pulled him down. He was unfamiliar with the equipment, and couldn't even manage basic ear equalization — yet despite the dull ache in his ears, he was utterly captivated by the beauty of the underwater world before him.
In 2010, under the instruction of his first formal coach, Instructor Axi, Joe officially earned his Open Water Diver (PADI/SSI cert) certification. Through a recommendation from Cool Diving's He Zhizhong on Green Island, Joe forged a bond with the island itself, and through that connection met Instructor Yu of Flyfish Diving. Instructor Yu's ecology courses gave him a far more comprehensive understanding of marine life. Joe still remembers that his very first nudibranch field guide was purchased on Instructor Yu's recommendation — and from that moment on, he was hooked on these colorful, mysterious creatures.
After learning to dive, like most divers, he wanted to document the beautiful marine life he encountered, and promptly fell headfirst into the bottomless pit of underwater photography. In those days, diving information was relatively scarce and resources on underwater photography were even harder to come by. Whenever he bought a camera or underwater photography gear that didn't suit him, he would set it aside and never try again — earning him the nickname "King of the Money Pit." By his own rough estimate, he has spent over NT$1,000,000 on underwater photography equipment in total.
That all began to change in 2015, when he met the chairman of Hong Kong's Bubble Scuba. During a product inquiry on the Bubble Scuba website, the chairman happened to be on the other end of the chat responding to his questions — and just like that, a bridge was built between Joe and the chairman. In their back-and-forth online conversations, they discussed the lighting positions and compositions behind each photo with great enthusiasm. Not long afterward, the chairman flew personally to Hualien, Taiwan, for a heart-to-heart talk with Joe. They hit it off so well that the chairman entrusted Joe with full responsibility for Bubble Scuba's Taiwan distribution rights — with one major condition: the chairman hoped Joe would continuously elevate his underwater photography skills to a higher level, since doing so would be the greatest marketing exposure for the Bubble Scuba brand. In addition to Bubble Scuba's chairman, Joe is also deeply grateful to SDI/TDI Director Li Shiming for generously sharing his insights on the underwater photography market and business philosophy, giving Joe a much more complete picture of the industry.
Now the Taiwan general distributor for Bubble Scuba and AOI, Joe hopes to share more affordable and convenient photography tools with everyone.
The Path of Underwater Photography
Joe then began joining many underwater photography groups, including the UWPIXEL WeChat group on the mainland, asking questions without any embarrassment time after time to understand the lighting setups and compositions behind the masters' stunning shots, gradually building up his own photography skills. His dedication to nudibranchs is extraordinary — to date he has collected five original-language nudibranch field guides. Because he photographs so many nudibranch species, when he can't find the right information in his books, he turns to online communities, or contacts Dr. Chang Yan-wei in Taiwan or global nudibranch authority Richard Willan directly to learn more.
In his former life, he expressed emotion through the pulse of musical notes and the interplay of different instruments. Now he channels that same creative spirit into photography. Selecting the right equipment is like choosing an instrument; varying the lighting position, composition, and camera settings is like arranging different notes. He believes underwater photography is another form of artistic expression — training himself to convey the purest sense of wonder through a single image. The vibrant colors of nudibranchs, combined with the black-background macro technique so common in close-up photography, happen to be the perfect medium for merging photographic and musical creativity.
Cyerce elegans
Green Island's Ultimate Nudibranch Dive Guide
Do you think Joe's skill stops at identifying a nudibranch species from a photo? Today he can tell you precisely which seasons bring which nudibranchs, that certain species only emerge after midnight, and that certain species appear on specific types of terrain. He is one of the rare macro dive guides in Taiwan who can take "custom orders" from divers.
When it comes to photography, he tries his best not to disturb the nudibranchs' natural behavior. Instead, he makes use of their negative phototaxis — guiding them with a Torch to crawl into the most photogenic angle so he can capture one beautiful shot after another. Every nudibranch species has a different life cycle: some live for just a few weeks, others for up to two years. For that reason, he treasures every encounter. The moment you press the shutter might be the only photograph ever taken of that particular nudibranch's existence.
Finding nudibranchs requires considering the season, time of day, habitat, and even behavior — whether they are feeding or mating. Otherwise, every sighting is little more than dumb luck. That's the difference between investing real time and effort versus not.
Placida sp.
As diving continues to grow in popularity and more young people choose to become dive instructors, Joe has observed the highly competitive dive market on Green Island over many years and identified a gap in Taiwan's diving industry. The missing puzzle piece, he says, is the professional depth of the dive guide. If you can only offer safe guided dives or certification courses, you will inevitably be forced into a brutal price war. But if you can carve out your own distinct niche, you can gradually claim a blue-ocean market all your own.
As Bubble Scuba's Taiwan distributor, Joe has never been stingy about sharing his nudibranch photography experience — whether in large public presentations at the DRT Dive Show or in one-on-one personal exchanges. He hopes everyone can feel his passion for nudibranchs, and the greatest reward for him is when someone discovers a species he has never found himself.
On the small island of Green Island, he has photographed more than 370 nudibranch species that can be identified by their scientific names, along with over 60 species that have yet to be identified or classified. For Joe, music enriched the first half of his life with a deep sense of living. Now, the brilliant colors of nudibranchs carry forward the romantic spirit of the musician he has always been.
Stiliger ornatus
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