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Recently during a surface interval at Sipadan Island, as we filled out logbooks, one of the divers asked me, casually, “What’s your favorite fish?”
Any normal person would have answered the lighthearted question as it was asked. “Juvenile yellow boxfish are adorable!” “Mandarin fish are stunningly beautiful!” “I have a soft spot for goofy-looking porcupinefish.”
Nope. Not me. My brain started whirring. I wanted the precise terms of this question. The category "fish" immediately rules out some of my favorite marine animals.
Cephalopods of all types are amazing! We often see huge broadclub cuttlefish and it’s not unusual to see schools of 60+ bigfin reef squid around AWAS, one of our house reef sites. Their pearly iridescence and lightning fast color changes are incredible.
On one of my first night dives here I saw flamboyant cuttlefish eggs neatly tucked into coconut shells. A few days later there were beautiful tiny flambos everywhere you looked. Not to mention AWAS night dives aren’t really complete without white v and coconut octopuses. Oh and the mimic octopus, how can you not fall madly in love with those gorgeous, charismatic creatures?
Several of these incredible fish sightings were firsts for me. I’m lucky enough to have thousands of dives under my belt, across many different parts of the world, but one of the things I love most about diving is there’s always something new to discover. Seeing a rare or elusive critter, especially for the first time, is such a buzz!
Talking only about favorite fish also ignores one of my all-time favorite categories, nudibranchs. Over 10 years ago when I did my divemaster training, one of my fellow candidates labeled me a “nudi nerd,” and I have worn the title proudly ever since. Slugs might not be the reason most people get into diving in the first place, but many experienced divers develop a love for these diverse and colorful critters, even having a bucket list of species they’d like to see. Who could resist a nudibranch named Pikachu?
And shrimps? From the almost impossible to spot tiny hairy shrimp and the half-invisible skeleton shrimp, to the gorgeous harlequin shrimp and the more common but no less impressive peacock mantis shrimp, are we just going to forget about them?
“We’re not counting sharks or rays, right? Surely they deserve their own category.” I had to clarify. But that sent me down another rabbit hole. A favorite shark? How could you choose between the sleek, elegant leopard shark and the sheer size and grace of a whale shark? Hammerheads certainly must get a mention but then there’s also the intimidating power of an oceanic blacktip curiously, hungrily circling our group. Ok, I might be making up the hungry part but there is something humbling about being eyed by an apex predator.
And are we talking about a single fish, or could a school count? Sipadan is famous for its ‘residents:’ schools of jackfish, bumphead parrotfish and chevron barracudas. I’m always mesmerized by schooling fish and how they all move together seamlessly with split-second timing.
A single jack might not be the most exciting fish, but when hundreds of individuals school around you, being herded by giant trevally, it’s quite a sight!
Many might argue that bumpheads aren’t the prettiest of fish, but they do have their charm. To quote divemaster Andy “How can you tell the difference between a Napoleon wrasse and a bumphead parrotfish? The bumpheads are the ugly ones!” His comment always elicits a loud protest from me in defense of the bumpheads, but yes, Napoleon wrasses really are handsome.
Sometimes I grumble about the barracudas because they’re not very well trained. They don’t always stay on Barracuda Point, even though they have one of the best dive sites named after them. What divas! But does that mean I should discount them as my favorite fish? When there’s no current they spiral around each other in a vortex that is spectacular; the wall they form when there’s a strong current is equally breathtaking
The more I thought about it, the more weird and wonderful fish popped into my head for consideration. I’ve always loved scorpion leaf fish and cockatoo waspfish and the way they ‘sway’ to make themselves look like leaves drifting in the water.
No matter how many frogfish I’ve seen I still get excited every time, even more so if they’re awkwardly hopping along or ‘yawning.’
In fact, the more that I dive the more interested I get in these behaviors, as well as in the fish themselves. Seeing turtles perched up on their flippers to allow a variety of reef fish to clean them, spotting the mouth breeding yellow barred jawfish with its mouth full of eggs and watching a juvenile eagle ray, annoyed by the remora trying to get a free ride, suddenly shoot to the surface and breach to dislodge it, these are some highlights of my dives here.
All these animals I’ve mentioned (and many more, of course!) are ones I’ve seen this past year, diving the islands of Mabul, Kapalai and Sipadan. From macro gems to the big pelagic, the diversity of marine life here is stunning.
The answer is no! There are so many more fish I could mention but I don’t think I’ll ever get closer to picking a favorite. In the end, why ask me to choose? And you, do you have a favorite fish? I'd love to read about your most memorable or beloved fish encounters, whether diving or snorkeling. Share your stories in the comments below!
Written by Instructor Rache Mordue
