I completed my PADI Open Water Diver Course this week with Blue Season Bali, it was the first time that I have ever seen so many different kinds of fish. After every dive, people were asking me what I saw and the only fish I knew was Nemo – a clown fish (or anemone fish). So, every time I answered: “Nemo and umm…Nemo’s friends.”
Ever determined to be able to answer with a better reply, with my Instructors help, I researched some of the marine life that we saw on my course. Here are 3 fish you can see in Sanur and Padang Bai:
- Cuttlefish: They are much more closely related to garden slugs and snails than they are to fish, actually! Scientifically they are called Sepia. They belong to the group of Cephalopoda. This group also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Their internal shell is unique.
- Moray Eel: They are long slim snakelike fish. They are light to dark brown or green colour. Moray Eels are a family of cosmopolitan eels. They are carnivorous and eat mostly smaller fish like Octopuses or Cuttlefish. Moray Eels are shy and hide from humans; they would rather flee than fight. They would only attack humans out of self-defense or mistaken identity.
- Moorish Idol: Gill is a Moorish idol in “Finding Nemo” and is one of my favourite fish I saw. In Hawaii they are also called Kihikihis (English: curves or corners). They got their Hawaiian name because of their shape and colour pattern. Moorish Idols are in the Zanclidae family and they are very close relative to the Tangs or Surgeon fish. They are mostly very peaceful and they mate for life.
Would you like to learn how to identify different kinds of fish and marine life in Bali? Sign up for your PADI Fish ID course today and you could learn-you only need to be Open Water Certified to take the course! What is your favourite fish to see when you are diving? Let us know in the comments below.
