Queen angelfish

Of all the fish on Bonaire's reefs, queen angelfish are certainly one of the most spectacular looking.  The speckled, dark blue spot that is surrounded by a brilliant blue ring on the forehead is considered the crown of this royal fish.

We often encounter fairly large angelfish, 10 to 12 inches long, such as those pictured above.  They are easiest to approach when feeding on a sponge.

Some years we encounter lots of juveniles that are less than 3 inches long.  This year, after looking in all the "usual" places, I have only found one juvenile.  They flit in and out of shelters on the reef.  As a result, many of my photos show where the juvenile had been a half second earlier.

All the photos were taken a depths between 25 and 35 feet.