7 Weird and Wonderful Fish

Fish watching and fish photography are favorite activities for many divers. But though most all fish can be interesting, some are especially memorable, either for their beauty or their downright weirdness. Here are seven species that any avid marine life enthusiast would be happy to run across.

Frogfish are the couch potatoes of the reef. They can barely swim, and usually, don't bother. Instead, they usually settle into an inconspicuous spot on the reef and wait for dinner to come to them. Over time, they will adapt their coloration and shape to blend into their surroundings and may end up looking more like a sponge than a fish. From tier concealed position, they use a lure-like appendage that grows out of their forehead to attract potential prey into slurping range. Then, with a mighty gulp, the frogfish inhales its victim whole. Frogfish live in tropical oceans around the world, and because they don't move around much, local dive masters often know where to find one hiding on the reef. In the Caribbean, top frogfish hunting areas include Bonaire, St. Lucia and Dominica.

Muck diving isn't about the scenery, it's about the marine life. The world's top muck diving sites usually feature unremarkable sand, silt and rubble sea floors, but that's exactly what critter hunters want when they are searching for rare and elusive finds such as the paddle-flap rhinopia. For many underwater photographers, this weird looking fish is the Holy Grail of weird species. The paddle flap moniker comes from the distinctive projecting flaps above the eyes, while the rhinopias... well, the snout like the mouth of these fish does look a bit like a rhinoceros horn. Though not common anywhere, the best places to search for a paddle flap is in the muck meccas of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia such as Lembeh Strait, Dumaguete and Mabul.

Find a cuttlefish and you are in for a show. These highly intelligent cephalopods have the amazing ability to transform their skin color and pattern, and can even alter the texture, raising ridges and bumps or seeming as smooth as glass. The best ones to watch are the flamboyant cuttlefish. Unlike other cuttlefish species, which often retreat when confronted, the flamboyants stand their ground and usually break into a light show that has their body pulsing with waves of changing color and complex strobe-like patterns. The flesh of a flamboyant cuttlefish contains a strong poison, which may be the reason for the dramatic display — they are sending a message to would-be attackers: “don't eat me, or you will die." These colorful creatures inhabit coral reefs and seagrass beds all across the tropical Indo-Pacific, and they are a fairly common find.

You'd think that a fish named the flying gurnard might be able to take flight—especially if you ever see one spread its iridescent wing-like pectoral fins. But in reality, those big fins are less about go and more about show. When spread, they create the illusion that the gurnard is larger than life and possibly harder to swallow. Flying gurnards aren't big on swimming, but those oversized fins are part of this fish's locomotion strategy. This bottom dweller can often be seen walking across the seabed, using its folded pectoral wings like legs. Gurnard is a French word for grunt, and if you listen, you may hear one of these fish making a growling sounds through its swim bladder. Once you know what you are looking for, you'll be able to find flying gurnards in sandy sea floors through the Caribbean, with good chances for a sighting in places such as the Cayman Islands, St. Kitts, Statia, the Turks & Caicos and the Bahamas.

The waters around the Galapagos Islands are filled with some of the most awe-inspiring marine life on the planet. And after being amazed by all the big stuff, you might want to take a closer look at the sea floor, where you will find a strange little fish that seems to have found the cosmetics counter and raided the lipstick display. It's pretty obvious how the red-lipped batfish got its name. This member of the batfish family is found only in the Galapagos, and though otherwise unremarkable, it is famous for its ruby-red lips. Watch for a few minutes, and you may notice that this fish doesn't do much swimming, and instead uses its leg-like fins to walk across the seabed or to perch as it surveys its surroundings.

The mandarin fish would be a prized find based solely on its brilliant and intricate color pattern, which has been called the most beautiful of any fish. But it's what these small fish do around sunset that makes them a favorite with fish watchers and photographers. As the sun goes down, male mandarin fish begin to emerge from hiding places among the corals or rubble. The males show up first, strutting their stuff in peacock-like displays as they flash their fins. This show-off activity eventually entices the females out into the open, and after surveying the lineup of available males, they make their choice and pair up for one of the more intriguing courtship rituals in the ocean, Facing head to tail, a mating pair of mandarin fish will begin a spiraling swim upward that culminates in the release of eggs and sperm. You can peek in on this action on shallow reefs and lagoons all across the Indo-Pacific's Coral Triangle.

OK, so this tiny, delicate creature isn't actually a fish. But the candy crab certainly deserves a spot on any dedicated fish water's list. You'll have to look extra close to spot one of these diminutive crustaceans, which measure less than an inch long and showcase an intricate and near luminescent color pattern reminiscent of a delicate mint candy. Appropriately, they hide among the tendrils of a type of brightly-colored soft coral known as the cotton candy coral. The crab's coloration closely matches that of the coral, and the animal's delicate spines and ridges help it blend into the background. For added camouflage, the candy crab will sometimes decorate itself with coral polyps pulled from its host. These crabs are abundant across the western Pacific and Eastern Indian Ocean, and your best bet for finding one may be to enlist the help of a dive guide. The guides at resorts such as Wakatobi and Lembeh are particularly good at spotting these critters.

Want to see some of these weird and wonderful creatures for yourself? Our agents work with the top operators and resorts and can plan every detail of your adventure. To learn more, call us at 800-330-6611 or send a note to sales@caradonna.com.