 There are easily recognisable, they have thick lips, yellow tail and back and back spots. They are rather shy and not so easy to photograph. They grow up to about 45cm.
They feed at night on bottom-dwelling invertebrates. The juveniles of Black spotted sweetlips have 6 black lines on their heads and bodies, these become spots with age. Other names include Rubberlips, Grunts. |
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 The barracuda feeds on a wide variety of fishes. It frequently drifts just below the surface and is known to approach divers at very close range. It has a longer lower jaw and some very fierce looking teeth, Attacks on divers are very rare but have been reported in cloudy water and when the victim is wearing bright diving gear.
Juvenile barracuda are normally in shoals, adults are usually solitary or in pairs. They can grow to about 190cm. |
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 This little fellow was about 25cm long and not as well disguised as usual, hence the photograph. Notice how their outline is broken up with these ragged leafy edges.
Although not as venomous as the stone fish, divers still need to keep their distance from their spines on their back. Great for photographers as they are motionless and unafraid of cameras.
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 The lion-fish belongs to the Scorpion fish family. This brightly coloured and graceful fish is usually found in coral reefs, especially in shallow waters hovering in caves or near crevices. It can move incredible fast in order to catch its prey. The fish have elongated dorsal fin spines and enlarged pectoral fins, and each species has a particular pattern of stripes. An average adult is about 14 inches long. |
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 We stumbled on this incredible fish by accident, whilst looking at something else there was some fast movement out of the corner of my eye. So good is their camouflage that we were afraid to take our eyes off it or even blink in case we lost sight of it. It was totally still but after a little bit of very gentle agitation it walked, yes walked, on its pectoral fins for a few clumsy steps then sat almost invisibly again on the sea bed. We kept our distance, mindful that the spines on its back carry some of the most venomous poison in the sea. This one was about 10 inches long. |
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 Manta rays are the largest rays and are closely related to sharks. They are harmless and have no stinging tail. They are often seen with remoras and are very graceful and acrobatic. They can grow up to about 7 Metres across.
Mantas eat microscopic plankton, small fish, and tiny crustaceans. They funnel the food into their mouth while they swim, using two large, flap-like cephalic lobes which extend forward from the eyes. |
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 Like all stingrays they have venomous spines at the base of the tail. They are usually found lying on sandy bottoms, under an overhang and they frequently flick sand over themselves as camouflage. They feed on molluscs and crabs and can occasionally be seen digging up the sand. Their pectoral fins are like wings that enable the fish to 'fly' through the water. Females can produce a litter of up to 7 young. An adult may grow to about 100cm across.
They breathe by drawing water through a small hole behind the eye and expelling it through gill slits on their undersides. |
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 Puffer fish have the ability to puff themselves up when they are threatened or attacked. They do this by pumping water into a stretchable area of the stomach, resulting in a massive increase in their size. In doing this they loose their mobility and speed but become very difficult to eat.
Their flesh is considered a delicacy in some parts of the world, but they contain a powerful toxin and are generally considered poisonous to eat.
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 Parrott fish get their name from their beak like teeth and their vibrant colours. Most of them feed on the thin layers of algae which cover the corals. Divers can frequently hear them scrape or crunch the coral. They are active during daylight hours (diurnal ) and sleep in crevices at night. Amazingly, some species cocoon themselves in mucous at night, perhaps as a early warning kit, should predators approach or maybe its to keep their smell from being detected.
Similarly to other fish they undergo a sex change as they grow older, changing from female to male. |
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 Hawk fish, sometimes referred to as sentry fish, don't get involved much in the busy reef life, they like to be on the periphery, relaxed and distant, almost bored as they lie motionless. But like hawks they \re just waiting until the time is right to strike.
These are great for photography as they just lie there, presumably waiting to ambush their prey. They can grow to about 12cm and sometimes referred to as Freckled Hawkfish |
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 You can always tell groupers as they look grumpy and with their longer bottom lip. In many ways they seem to be the upper class of the reef., almost condescending. They are territorial fish that hunt alone, dining on smaller fish and crustaceans. They can often be seen hovering under overhangs. There are over 30 species of grouper in the Red Sea, 350 worldwide. |
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 Probably the most photographed fish in the red sea, the anemone or clown fish. For those that don't know, these are fascinating in that they have a symbiotic relationship with the anemone, they use the stinging tentacles of the sea anemone for protection. In fact they are so dependant on this that you will never one without a host anemone. If a predator approaches the anemone fish will retreat into the tentacles and any predators will get stung by the anemone's stinging cells. It is thought that the anemone fish themselves are protected by a coat of mucous. The fish in turn will also protect the anemone by attacking any threats, small or large. There are over 1,000 species of sea anemones, of which only ten are host to anemone fishes and there are about 28 species of anemone fishes. |
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 Characteristically they have 5 prominent vertical stripes with some yellowish colouring on its back. They feed on algae, small crustaceans and fish, and various invertebrate larvae and will approach divers who might feed them. They can grow up to about 8 inches long, this one was about 4 inches long.
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 Pennant fish can grow to about 20cm long and they can be found in the warm waters of many oceans in the world.
When they are small they usually live alone and may sometimes pick on parasites on the epidermis of other fish, but when they grow up they tend to live in couples and feed on plants. Also called Bannerfish. |
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 These fish often seem to swim in pairs and usually turn their backs the moment a camera appears. It feeds on small invertebrates, algae and the polyps of corals and sea fans. This one was about 4 inches but they can grow to about 14cm. Also called the redback butterflyfish.
The smaller fish at the bottom right of the picture is called a two tone damsel fish and these are very common. |
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 Butterfly fish have a continuous dorsal (back) fin and they also have small, brush-like teeth. They can be distinguished from angel fish as they do not have the pre-opercula spine.
It feeds on coral polyps, worms and crustaceans. It is very similar to the Racoon Butterfly fish and can grow to about 23cm. |
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 Butterfly fish have a continuous dorsal (back) fin and they also have small, brush-like teeth. They can be distinguished from angel fish as they do not have the pre-opercula spine.
To me, this is one of the most beautiful fish in the sea, the yellow rich colour is stunning. You generally see them in pairs or small groups. Once mated they become territorial and patrol their space aggressively. Pairs may remain together for life. They can grow to about 23 cm and are sometimes called the Golden Butterfly fish. |
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 These are territorial fish and stay fairly close to home. The juvenile and adult Emperor Angelfish have very different coloration, the juveniles are striped black and white; adults are yellow, blue, black, and white. When fully grown they are about 40cm long.
The Emperor Angelfish is a meat-eater (carnivore), eating coral heads, small invertebrates (e.g., sponges and worms), and crustaceans (e.g., shrimp and shellfish). They can crush hard-shelled prey with their powerful, beak-like jaws. |
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 There are over 70 different species of Angelfish found in warm ocean waters around much of the world, a few species are from fresh water. Angelfish belong to the family Pomacanthus. These brightly-coloured, flattened body fish live in coral reefs in tropical seas and shallow subtropical waters. Angelfish reproduce by laying hundreds of eggs at a time. The first gill cover has a spine (pre-opercula) and this can help distinguish Angelfish from the closely-related butterfly fish. Most species of Angelfish are herbivores (plant-eaters).
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The history of sharks dates back millions of years. Mankind's fascination with sharks is a mix of myth and reality, fact and superstition, and it is punctuated with fear of the unknown. Divers appreciate sharks because sharks are intelligent yet primal predators. 
