Fascinated by Fish Behaviour
For experienced divers who have a lot of dives under their belts, seeing ‘new’ fish doesn’t happen so often. That’s why many experienced divers become interested in fish ‘behavior’. When we all start out diving – every fish is an incredible sighting – and they still are – but it’s always nice to keep noticing new things. When deciding if fish behaviour is unusual it also helps if you have something to compare it to, such as a previous sighting of that same fish. When observing fish behaviour it’s important to ‘passively observe’, that is to watch from a reasonable distance and not to interfere in the behavior or to interrupt it. Many fish habits such as feeding and cleaning processes are essential for the well being of the fish.
When we are diving in Amed, Bali, we have countless opportunities to observe fish behaviour on both our coral reefs and on our muck diving sandy sites. Of course, after a few dives in Amed you will have seen some bluefin trevally, some emperor fish and some white-eyed moray eels but did you see them all together in a threesome? Marine species are much smarter than people often think and different species will often form relationships which give them a better chance of getting what they want – which is usually food! These three entirely different species will work together to hunt – giving them three times the chances of catching their prey.
Another common example of fish collaborating in Amed is blue-spotted stingrays which forage for shrimps and small fished in the sand. Look out for flounders following along behind the ray – the flounder will scavenge anything left over from the rays meal! At night on the USAT Liberty Shipwreck we see giant moray eels and marble groupers hunting together – which is also a great opportunity to see moray eels swimming, not just poking their heads out from the reef.
Our ocean in Amed is full of these scenes that bring your knowledge and understanding of the reef to a higher level and enhance your diving enjoyment! Learning about fish habits and behaviour can really be a lot of fun!
Are you keen to check out some fishy behaviour for yourself? For more information about diving with us and staying at Two Fish Divers Amed Resort – or elsewhere in Indonesia, fill in the form below and we will get right back to you!
Title Photo: Dereck Cheah
