The Stunning Grouper

Grouper Family The groupers fish the anthias and the fairy basslet have been affectionately labelled as the Queens of the Red Sea . They are part of the royal family of the Serranidae. The grouper has been subcategorized as the Epinephelinae. Some of them are truly heavyweights with 300 kg on the scale. The colourful grouper is territorial to the bone. As territorial as they are the grouper is also solitary. The carnivorous diet of a grouper comprises crustaceans cephalopods and fishes. They are...

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The Stunning Grouper

The Stylish Ray

Rays Characteristics Rays belong to the class of the Chondrichthyes the so-called cartilaginous ray fish such asmanta rays from the Mobulidae branch and the eagle ray member of the Miliobatidae. They so graciously fly through the waters of the Red Sea hovering over sea beds conjuring visions of a flying carpet. Various of these species can be observedin locomotion in the Red Sea. Their disk-like flat and roundish bodies seem tohave been designed in a wind tunnel for aerodynamic purpose. Rays lik...

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The Stylish Ray

The Anthias Fish; The Queen Of The Red Sea

Anthiases Family The grouper the soapfish and the diurnal anthias fish have been affectionately labelled as the Queens of the Red Sea . They are part of the royal family of the Serranidae. Within this family the tropical anthias or the fairy basslet has been assigned to the family of Anthiinae. It s a common and typical reef fish their bodies regular shaped and oval. They are planktivores and circulate in large school formations. A planktivore feeds on floating organic particles and planktonic f...

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The Anthias Fish; The Queen Of The Red Sea

The Royal Soapfish

Soapfish Family The grouper and the anthias and the soapfish have been affectionally labelled as the Queens of the Red Sea . They are part of the royal family of the Serranidae. The beautiful soapfish has been assigned to the subfamily of Grammistinae. They have a slimy skin that is capable of producing a bitter toxic substance called grammistin. It comes in the substance of mucus protecting the fish from predation. So the soapfish exudes a mucus coating that is toxic to other fish. The poisonou...

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The Royal Soapfish

Cardinalfish

Cardinalfish Family The cardinal fish belongs to a very large family called the Apogonidae and oh the irony they are very small in size. The cardinal fish are carnivorous. The cardinalfish label alludes to their predominantly red colouration but strangely enough it s only a minority that is beautified by distinctive red. In general we see rather dull and hardly exciting additional tones tinges and hues. The cardinalfish isn t particularly picky in habitat preference. To spot them we name rocky r...

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Cardinalfish

Angelfish

Angelfish Family Until 1979 the butterflyfishes from the Chaetodontidae family and the angelfishes from the family of Pomacanthidae were classified as one and the same family. They have since been distinguished as related but not assigned to one and the same family. They do share though their fascinating colouration small scales and brush-like teeth. The Pomacanthidae are very charismatic in terms of their splendid chromatic spectrum. They are aquatic transgenders turning into male after a femal...

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Angelfish

Butterflyfish

Butterflyfish Family Among the most bright colourful and conspicuous creatures from the Red Sea are the butterflyfishes from the family of Chaetodontidae. The name alludes to an ancient Greek word meaning bristle teeth . Their bodies conjure up visions of the discs thrown by field athletes in training or at contests. They have a layer of small scales and a distinguished protractile or protrusible snout. Their tail is rounded and has the shape of an eyelash fan brush. Butterflyfishes are hard cor...

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Butterflyfish

The Colourful World Of Wrasses

Family Wrasses types belong to the family of Labridae. Wrasses come in every shape size and colour. Their colouration is simply stunning as is the complexity of their brilliant patterns. What wrasse have in common generally speaking are their elongate bodies and their fleshy thickened lips; as if they are swimming against a strong current the whole day... The world of the Labridae is the world of aquatic transgenders. The majority of the family members go through a first stage of being female tu...

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The Colourful World Of Wrasses

Hepca Turtle Watch Programme & Blue Ocean

Blue Ocean Diving Centers & Resorts are one of the key players in the continuous promotion of the Red Sea s aquatic environmental awareness. One of the focuses is the baby turtle watch and the sea turtle watch programs. We are passionately dedicated to the protection of its flora and fauna and marine life. Blue Ocean Diving Centers & Resorts feel privileged and delighted to announce the hosting of Hepca s latest version of its Turtle Watch program. The advanced Turtle Watch Program is based on t...

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Hepca Turtle Watch Programme & Blue Ocean

Damselfish & Chromis

Damselfish/Chromis/Sergeant Family The damselfish sergeantfish the anemonefish and the puller aka as chromis are related and all of them are happy members of the family of the Pomacentridae. This family is well-represented in the subtropical waters of the Red Sea and boasts ten species that are endemic to the Red Sea. The damselfish are small and colourful creatures. You will find them venturing in the environments of rocky and coral reefs. Their appetite for food ranges from plants and algae so...

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Damselfish & Chromis

So You Think You Can Fly

How agonising. Does it feel familiar? You re on holidays and you ve just been told a rare species of marine life is roaming an isolated dive spot. And guess what? You never had an encounter before. It s on your bucket list. And have another guess. Today s your final day of an exciting diving trip and you want to top it off. And you re flying tomorrow... The thought it makes you sick by figure of speech. Diving and flying are not a happy combination unless you take your precautionary and effectiv...

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So You Think You Can Fly

Emperorfish

Emperorfish Family The medium-sized emperor from the Lethrinidae dynasty is your typical middle-of-the road Red Sea fish. Their robust bodies are equipped with oversized scales and a high-set ocular system. Some species can rapidly change their colour. There are eleven species of the Lethrinidae dynasty in the Red Sea. The medium-sized Red Sea emperorfish has prominent lips as if it has been permanently swimming against forceful currents... The emperor is not territorial and is a friend of a fri...

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Emperorfish

Anemonefish/Clownfish

Anemonefish/Clownfish Family Like the sergeantfish the puller aka as chromis and the damselfish the anemonefish species is a member of the family of the Pomacentridae. This family is well-represented in the subtropical waters of the Red Sea and boasts ten species that are endemic to the Red Sea. The intriguing anemonefish or clownfish or Nemo for cinema enthusiasts and Walt Disney addicts is your Red Sea poster reef fish and deserves special praise. The adorable Red Sea anemonefish lives in harm...

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Anemonefish/Clownfish

The Sweeping Glassfish

Sweepers/Glassfish Family It s extremely unlikely not to cross path with the glassfish and the sweepers from the Pempheridae family in the Red Sea. They are what you call household names. The sweeper has a compressed body tapering and relatively large eyes. It enables them to detect miniscule planktonic invertebrates and smaller fish during the night. Their frequent visits to crevices and reef caves are like an open invitation for their predators. During the day they socialize in large congregat...

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The Sweeping Glassfish

The Snapper Fish And Its Fearsome Teeth

Snapper Family The snapper from the Lutjanidae family has a robust and scaled body. Their firm dentition sharp and very effective is feared by crustaceans fish and zooplankton. The snapper label alludes to their dental phenomenon. During the day the Lutjanidaes operate in pretty large numbers hovering over coral reefs or exploring estuaries and off-shore coastal waters. The numbers dissolve during the night announcing a feeding mission focused on benthic invertebrates. All family members are car...

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The Snapper Fish And Its Fearsome Teeth

The Ballooning Porcupinefish

Porcupinefish Family The porcupinefish or burrfish belongs to the family of the Diodontidae. They are part of an order called Tetraodontiformes. The porcupinefish is related to the boxfish and the pufferfish. By the way the Greek word Tetraodontiformes alludes to the dentition comprising four teeth. The teeth of the pufferfish the boxfish and the porcupinefish are fused forming a lethal scalpel enabling them to crush the shells of molluscs and crustaceans. In contrast to the members of the Tetra...

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The Ballooning Porcupinefish

From Zero to Hero

You see people preparing very relaxed for a dive with the easiest of routine as if they brush their teeth. You on the other hand are struggling with your gear and you feel nervous. You feel like you have already consumed oxygen from your cylinder and you haven t touched the water yet. You may be a nervous diver and you could do with more confidence to really enjoy your dive. Now what could be helpful to join the ranks of relaxed and stress free divers? Planning your dive Let s kick in an open do...

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From Zero to Hero

Parrotfish

Parrotfish Family The parrotfish belongs to the Scaridae family. They do resemble wrasses but for their fused dentition resulting in beak-like plates the parrots on land are renowned for. It enables them to scrape and rasp and break and crush filamentous algae herbivorous as they are from dead coral rock. Some parrotfish also gorge on particles from the surface of coarse sand and feast upon living corals seagrass and leafy algae. Odd sounds produced with their teeth are characteristic in the und...

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Parrotfish

Dolphins In The Red Sea Are Your Best Friends!

Dolphins in the Red Sea are acrobatic and funny to watch! When you re lucky you can even hear them communicate with each other underwater. You can hear the dolphins in the Red Sea vocally communicating with each other. They do this by producing a high-pitched clicking sounds and whistles. The Red Sea has something unique in store for you. You have a truly unique chance to observe spinner dolphins and swim and dance with these graceful and intelligent friends in their natural habitat. Snorkeling ...

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Dolphins In The Red Sea Are Your Best Friends!

Red Sea Fish Families Introduction

Introduction... Part I.. The Red Sea Al Bahr Achmar as it is called in local lingo is an aquatic corridor as part of the Arabian Sea which in turn is a branch of the Indian Ocean. It runs between the Suez Canal in the north to the Gate of Lamantations or Gate of Tears (Bab-el-Mandeb) in the south before entering the Gulf of Aden. The Red Sea slowly came to existence as an appendix coinciding with the separation of the Arabian and African tectonic plates starting about 40 000 000 years ago. By th...

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Red Sea Fish Families Introduction

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