Shortly after arriving at the Cobalt Coast Resort, we gathered our snorkeling supplies and enthusiastically climbed down into the water from the dock. With my partner, Nico Boyd, we quickly got acclimated to temperature and conditions of the water. Together, we swam out away from the shore to explore and try and find marine life.
Immediately, we came across multiple banded butterflyfish swimming at the bottom, which we found to be roughly 10 ft. Rather than fleeing when we got closer, the banded butterfly fish remained calm and stood its ground. This calm behavior was contrary to the next fish species we came across, the blue tang, which had an extremely vibrant blue color. The fish remained in a group and was extremely defensive to any human movement. Then, as we swam closer to the boat anchored off the shore, I took a deep breath and swam to the bottom. There, I encountered multiple blue-headed wrasses swarming around the anchor. The fast moving bodies remained in a small pact as we swam around them. Finally, as we taking off our fins and preparing to exit the water, we caught the most exciting fish I saw today out of the corner of our eyes, a flounder. It was camouflaged just under ladder and even almost unnoticeable. Even with all the motion just above it, it remained calm and flat on the ocean floor.
By observing a fish’s color, behavior, and location, Nico and I were able to determine the specific type of fish. Moreover, such observations and knowledge of the fish also enabled us to take specific precautions to not hurt or damage the fish in front of us.
