Tarpon

Tarpon are the biggest fish that we regularly encounter on our dives.  We often see fish that are 5 feet long, and we sometimes see tarpon that are closer to 6 feet.  Silvery in appearance, tarpon have very large scales that reflect light.  They pay little attention to calm divers, and often swim quite close to us.

They range from near the bottom of the reef to very shallow water.  At one of our favorite dive sites, local fishermen moor their wooden boats in shallow water, and clean their catch, throwing offal overboard.  The tarpon regularly swim under the small boats, looking for an easy meal.

On night dives, tarpon can be quite annoying, feasting on prey that have been illuminated by a diver's light.