Marine life profile
Angelfish
Recorded at 2873 dive sitesWhere divers encounter it
Explore Angelfish around the world
It follows a daily rhythm of feeding, sheltering and interacting with rivals, partners or a larger school.
Meet the species
What to look for
How to Recognize It
Use body shape, fin outline, color pattern and swimming style to separate it from the surrounding reef community.
How It Behaves
It follows a daily rhythm of feeding, sheltering and interacting with rivals, partners or a larger school.
Special Ability
Precise fins and a body shaped for its niche let it turn, hover or accelerate exactly where food and shelter demand.
Dive responsibly
Share the water well
How to Approach
Move slowly at the same depth, avoid swimming directly at it and let the fish resume its normal behavior.
Safety
Usually safe to observe at a respectful distance. Never feed, corner or touch a fish, especially near nests or cleaning stations.
Worth knowing
The detail you remember
Interesting Facts
Angelfish is closely adapted to its habitat, and patient observation reveals details that a quick swim-by misses.
Where to Find
Look around coral structure, rocky reef, wrecks and current lines where shelter and food meet.
Known countries
Sightings map
Angelfish locations
Plan a dive
Dive sites with reported encounters
18th Palm
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
House reef of Plaza Beach & Dive Resort and Toucan Diving!
Confetti Bay
Mauritius
A firm favourite in the North, a shallow dive site with a slight drop off to a max of 30 m. An ideal training site for PADI Open Water Divers, or a PADI Search and Recovery Specialty, Fish ID, Naturalist or PADI Advanced Open Water Course! So many schools of fish to swim with and enjoy stunning visibility and beautiful colour. Great for macro.
St George
Dominican Republic
This ship was built in 1962 in Scotland. This transatlantic cargo freighter, which transported wheat and barley between Norway and the Americas, was abandoned in Santo Domingo harbor after 20 years of service. Renamed after taking the full brunt of Hurricane George, St. George was bought by Club Dominicus and sunk on June 12, 1999. For more advanced divers, St George is a very impressive deep wreck with lots to see from encrusting coral and sponge to queen angelfish and barracuda. Great for advanced and specialty courses, this site provides not only a perfect recreational site but also the opportunity to develop your diver skills in many ways.
Area Perlindungan Laut (APL)
Indonesia
This dive site used to be protected area therefore you can find group of transplant coral in 5 meters. The bottom topography is sloppy and coral with some sand patches.
Back Door
Cambodia
The dive site Back Door is a massive reef stretching all the way from Mpai Bay village around the north-western side of Koh Rong Sanloem island. The reef is consisting of large boulders in the shallow part of the dive and a little cliff like overhang where lucky divers can often spot Cobias and schooling Baraccudas. Because if the size of the reef, one may do dozens of dives and always find new things to explore.
Bahura Dive House Reef
Philippines
A really varied dive site with a mix of huge coral formations, coral fields, and sandy areas. Great for macro and night diving. Deeper sandy areas and reef oases full of fish life and whip corals.
Casa Blanca
Mexico
This is a gorgeous reef named after Casa Gordon, a beachfront house which used to white. The reef very similar in composition and marine life to Paso del Cedral, with a constant drift which helps travel over the reef. A favorite of Cozumel's repeat divers, this dive site is often thriving with sharks, green morays and turtles.
Cow Rock
United States
Cow Rock, often mentioned with its counterpart Calf Rock, is one of the most popular sites on the South side. Consisting of a rocky bottom topography that is covered in colorful growth, these natural formations create several swim through’s that attract many divers. In addition, this site and others in the area fall within the protected waters of a marine preserve. An abundance of fish, turtles, lobsters, rays, and sharks can be seen here.
El Natural
Puerto Rico
Beach Dive with both a shallow and a deep drop off to 40 m. Many types of sponges and invertabrae. Excellent DPV dive to deep wall using EANX30
Gabr el Bint
Egypt
Gabr el Bint ranks among one of the most attractive sites of North Sinai. With the access by boat, 4x4 or by camel, it is less frequently dived than the other dive sites in Dahab which has left this site in pristine condition. Gabr el Bint means 'The Grave of the Girl' in Arabic. There are two dives possible here. The ledge is riddled with exquisite coral heads that attract numerous reef species, including swarms of anthias, scorpionfish, parrotfish, crocodilefish, surgeonfish, triggerfish, trumpetfish, stingrays and very often a turtle. At the end of the ledge usually is home to a shoal of black and white snappers and twinspot snappers hang here between 5m and 10m. One of the truly breathtaking dives in Dahab.
Johnny's Gorge
India
Johnny's Gorge is a bed of low-lying rocky outcrops emerging from the bottom at 26metres / 85 feet. Surrounded by sand in every direction, these rocks have become an oasis of security and food for everything from small angelfish and anemonefish to spectacular schools of mackerels, barracudas, trevallies, bumphead parrotfish, surgeonfish, and snappers. And if this isn't enough, this world-class dive site is also home to reef sharks, giant groupers, large stingrays, and visiting manta and eagle rays. There is very rarely a quiet moment at Johnny's Gorge.
Kandooma Thila
Maldives
Kandooma Thila, or also called Cocoa Thila, is one of the most exciting dives in South Male’ Atoll with great scenery as well as prolific fish life. The west and north side are the most spectacular, with the top at 16m. These are a focal point for schools of Bluefin Trevallies, eagle rays, dogtooth tunas and loose groups of gray reef sharks (50+ in the right current). Cleaning station for grey reef , you can see them going in a vertical position while small wrasses are cleaning them. Currents can be very strong making it a challenging dive. For experienced divers only.
Mermaid's Grotto
Japan
Short little walk through a wooded area and the Beach opens up for an amazing view. Photographers come here for the above water rock formations. Entry can be straight into the ocean. The best place to enter is to use the channel that was cut out as you can see in the map. It deep enough to start putting your fins on and kick out to the deeper spots. Be prepared to exit at another location and return to vehicle by foot. Its located in the Onna area. Dive site is classified as a level 5 (easy 1 to 5 hard). Parking on the road is limited.
Mike's Maze
Sint Maarten
Part of the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area. It starts at approximately 40 feet (12 m) and boasts healthy coral formations and numerous maze-like swim throughs, passageways wind around coral heads, through arches and over bridges. This location is where the Nature Foundation conducted one of its coral reef restoration projects. Common critters: Many of the 60 TWA fish species! French Angelfish, schooling Chubs, Spiny Lobster, & Foureye Butterflyfish, Elkhorn Coral formations, Special guests: Spotted Eagle Rays, Squid, Caribbean Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks, Sexy Shrimp in anemones, staghorn coral formations
Pelican Rock
Mexico
Pelican Rock is one of Cabo's most famous sites. A pinnacle covered in purple fans rising up above the surface from around 14 meters underwater at its deepest. Just in front of the pinnacle we also have a beautiful wall dive filled with life, and off to its side one of Cabo's famous sand falls. The dive site has something for everyone. The shallows are great for courses & newer divers, while the deep walls make it an incredible spot for tec divers to explore. But the big highlight is the sheer amount of life that inhabits the site all year round, making it a beautiful spot for all levels of divers.
S S Conch
Sri Lanka
The Conch is a steam-powered oil tanker. One of the first oil tankers in the world, it was built in 1892 in Stockton for Shell. She weighed 3555ton and was on a journey from Novorossisk to Madras when on 2nd of June 1903 she hit a rock and sank. The wreck is well preserved, with penetration possible into the cabin which is filled with cave-dwellers. Visibility is stable because of the rocky bottom. Good for groupers, napoleons, queen angelfish and all other reef fishes.
Stonehenge
Thailand
Stonehenge is a superlative dive site and must be considered one of the top scuba spots in Thailand. Stonehenge is located only 5-10 minutes from Koh Lipe by boat and is full of Soft Leafy Coral making it a beautiful and vibrant reef. Generally you will see schools of Barracudas, Trevally & Yellow Snappers. Smaller creatures include Seahorses, Shrimps, Crabs, Nudibranchs, Seamoths, Stonefish & Frogfish. As this site is very exposed, strong currents can be expected, meaning diving here around Full or Black moon is not usually possible.
Tribe Gate
India
Tribe Gate/Oval reef is not one reef, but several patches of reefs around the bigger reef which is, well, you guessed right, oval-shaped! The shallowest part of the reef is about 3 metres / 10 feet and the deepest part is about 15 metres / 50 feet. Schools of juvenile pick handle barracudas, two-spot snappers, and fusiliers are found in this area. In the shallows, you will hear the loud crunching of humphead parrotfish before you see them. Octopuses, colourful nudibranchs, and a variety of anemonefish are also spotted here.
White Rock
Thailand
The range of life found here is huge and there is something to please every diver. Turtles come here to munch away on soft corals, casting a lazy, half-interested eye at divers. Koh Tao's infamous Titan Triggerfish prowl this dive site too, and some of the largest specimens hang out here. White Rock attracts many hunters: Great Barracuda and Trevally excite the fish making them dart for cover in the plentiful hard corals; Banded Sea Snakes wind their way through the corals searching for their prey. Blue-Ringed and Six-Banded Angelfish swim around in their buddy teams passing Beaked Coralfish, Bannerfish and Pig-Faced Butterflyfish. Look under ledges and outcroppings and you are bound to find a White-Eyed Moray Eel or a Blue-Spotted Ray awaiting nightfall. Under the South buoyline, a large shoal of Yellowtail Barracuda spend their days following divers. Even though White Rock is close to Koh Tao, in season Whalesharks are regularly seen here.
1 / 4 Wreck (Stern Courier)
Grenada
This site is the stern section of the Courier wreck in 11 meters / 35 ft of water, resting upside down with the Engine block and hull plates scattered around when it rolled from the top of the reef after falling off a transport barge.
Aarah Kuda Thila
Maldives
A small reef with many different types of colorful coral. The reef roof is at a height of 6m and has a diameter of approx. 20m, at a depth of 25m it should be approx. 50m. On the west side an overhang with soft corals, further deeper a gap with giant moray eels and cleaner shrimp.
Abrolhos / Chapeirão Faca Cega
Location being verified
The set of coral pinnacles that received the name of “Faca Cega“ (Blind Knife) consists of one of the main diving points of the Abrolhos Archipelago. It has a room that reaches a depth of 25 meters, with almost 20 meters in diameter. The view is impressive, with several passages and burrows.
Abu Dabab V
Egypt
Access to this dive site is from a zodiac. Big and small coral blocks are found here with nice soft and hard corals. There are beautiful caves and open places with breathtaking light.
Abu Dabour
Egypt
The nearby jetty can be used to enter this dive or you can enter from the shore through a very nice small canyon leading you to the clear blue water. This dive starts with a sloping sand bottom where you can choose to head to the north or south reef.