Yes, the Manta Ray season is over and for the next six months we will enjoy the hundreds of videos and pictures taken in the past months…
…But excitement is not over in our reefs…
The Iruvai Monsoon is slowly kicking in and the current has already started changing, bringing in clear water from the Eastern side. Clear water and perfect visibility ensure a lot more to see every time we jump in the ocean. Everyday we are experiencing more incredible encounters with turtles, eagle rays, sharks, and much more. Indeed, every now and then, visibility is suddenly obstructed by enormous shoals of fish. The Captain Parrotfish (Chlorurus enneachantus) is one of the many species that are gathering right now for reproduction. A lot of the fish reproduce by spawning in the water; male and female release their gamets in the water column where fertilization happens. This release of reproductive matter is also a source of food for many planktivorous fish, who treat it like most of us will treat the upcoming festive meals…with great enthusiasm and a massive appetite.
So far, besides from The Captain Parrotfish we have also had Striped Bristeltooth (Ctenochaetus striatus) engaging in this behaviour. If the pattern follows last year’s, we will soon see the results of these ‘encounters’ with a lot of baby fish in the reefs. Updates will follow, stay tuned!
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