Marine life profile
Sweetlips
Recorded at 19 dive sitesWhere divers encounter it
Explore Sweetlips 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
Sweetlips 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
Sweetlips locations
Plan a dive
Dive sites with reported encounters
Mines of Moai
Philippines
After a vertiginous descent on the beautiful vertical wall you will find the top of the cave, follow it and on a sandy bottom you will find the guardian of the mine, watching to protect his treasure. Be sure to respect him. Accessible for experienced Freedivers (minimum level 3) and Advanced scubadivers
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.
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.
Earl of Shaftesbury
Sri Lanka
One of our oldest wrecks this ship dates from the 1820s, a steel 4 mast sailing ship it sank ollowing a fire on board. It is lying on a sandy bottom, very interesting wreck. You can see some special native sweetlips and stingrays, groups of silver batfish and schools of Fosters barracuda.
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.
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.
Kolo-Kolo
Indonesia
30 minutes from Pattumbukan harbour east of Selayar Island. Limestone rock formation along the wall with mild current. Slow drift dive to see abundant gorgonian sea fan and soft corals.
Medicare
Philippines
Right in front of the Medicare facility on land. A mild current allows you to cover both dive sites. A steep rocky slope descends to 20 meters on Medicare South moving deeper to 25 – 30 meters towards Medicare North.
pantai pinang
Indonesia
20 minutes from Pattumbukan Harbour. Limestone wall with gorgonian seafan and soft corals. Mild current along the wall. Maximum depth 30m-40m with 20m average.
Rasdhoo Beyru Kandu
Maldives
The divesite is located in the north outside of the atoll. It is a vertical wall that continues in a reef slope at 25+ m. With some current a nice drift dive can be done. This dive is a good alternative should there be no manta at the cleaning station.
Sebayur Kecil Komodo
Indonesia
Sebayur Kecil is a sloping reef. This dive spot is suitable for beginners and those looking to refresh their skills as well as for snorkelers. Usually no to light current is present. Great dive site for searching for small inhabitants, yet deeper down divers can spot different sharks.
Coco Beach
Saudi Arabia
Coco Beach is a beach in the north of Jeddah very suitable for recreational, night and technical diving.Easy to descend for divers of all levels. There are two caves to the north at a depth of 3m, and to the south a platform at a depth of about 5m, ideal for beginners. Drop off to the sand at a depth of 36m.
Hospital
India
A straight sloping ridge overlooking a sandy patch at a depth of over 35 metres. The ridge slopes up to a depth of 22 metres and its hard Rocky surface is covered in soft coral, fan coral, and whip coral.
Liang Tarrusu Spot
Indonesia
30 minutes from Benteng Harbour Selayar Regency. White sandy bottom. Gently slope. Hard and soft corals. No current, sometimes mild current from tides.
Airplane Wreck
Philippines
The airplane, an American 2-seater donated by Lancair, was placed by Savedra Dive Center on this particular sandy part of the slope as an artificial reef project in the 1990s. is now home to a lot of marine residents who enjoy a quite unique home. This dive site is about 22 meters deep, in front of the plane wreck you find another drop off to about 50 meters. Good mix of soft and hard corals along the dive you will see trigger fish, turtles, sweetlips, nudibranchs, devil scorpion fish and more.
Anemone Reef
Thailand
Anemone Reef is a submerged pinnacle with its top around 5 m underwater, giving this dive site its Thai name “Hin Jom”. Its located 1,5 hour boat drive from Chalong but only 20 mins from Elixir Divers centre! Its English name is similarly straightforward – sea anemones dwell in stunningly dense populations in the shallow areas, presenting an amazing view of sea’s own version of the living carpet. Because of the quantity, quality and the variety of marine life that lives in the beautiful soft coral and sea fans that cover the pinnacle, Anemone Reef is the choice site for naturalist courses and is no doubt a favourite among photographers as well. Anemone fish and clownfish are common, as are big schools of snapper that cloud the pinnacle. Schools of yellowtail barracuda are also often seen circling the rock, together with groupers, oriental sweetlips, scorpionfish and soldierfish that flit among corals, cracks and crevices. Small critters such as tiger-tail seahorses are also found here on occasion. This is a relatively easy dive. Going around the pinnacle should pose no problems except in strong currents, so we try scheduling the dive time near slack tide to get the most our of this dive site. Type : Pinnacle 10-25 m Visibility : Vis 8-20 m Difficulty : Beginner – Intermediate Current : Mild – Moderate
Gili Tepekong
Indonesia
Tepekong is the next rock formation after Mimpang offering great diving in the Amuk Bay area. There are different areas that make up this site from the steep walls to the Canyon, and all are prone to currents and unpredictable conditions. For experienced divers, this site offers a lot in the way of moray eels, rays and other pelagics in addition to its spectacular scenery. The east side of Tepekong is a steep wall starting at around 14m and plummeting to approximately 40m. The site starts with a reef slope which can either be followed around to the left or you can head to the wall on the right. Both areas provide a great opportunity to spot schools of sweetlips of many varieties, butterflyfish, scorpionfish, parrotfish and angelfish. In addition you may catch a glimpse of a turtle, barracuda or tuna. The south west end of Tepekong is home to a beautiful and awe-inspiring canyon, conveniently referred to as ‘The Canyon’. The black stone walls provide a dramatic backdrop to the schools of sweetlips, Bumphead parrotfish, batfish, unicornfish and much more. There are also occasional sightings of sharks, Mola-Mola and tuna.
Mataking Wreck Post
Malaysia
Wreck dive next to Mataking island, The ship is sank between 21 to 27m of depth. lot of big size Lionfish in the lower part of the wreck, some crocodile fish and big giant puffer fish. Schools of harlequin sweetlips on top of the wreak
Tongo Point Marine Sanctuary
Philippines
Stunning coral formations are to be found in this well protected area of Moalboal. The Tongo sanctuary is one of the best dive sites in Moalboal. A reef top covered with hard and soft corals, a dramatic drop off, a great variety of reef fish with ghostpipe fish, triggers, frogfish, scorpionfish, hawksbill and green turtles, batfish, sweetlips and more. If you are lucky some eagle rays or a whale shark.