Getting close to fish is an excellent test of diving skills , says SCUBA Editor Simon Rogerson . You just have to understand the etiquette of the cleaning station
NATURALWORLD
▲ A cleaner wrasse shows its trust in a greasy grouper , which has extended its jaw to allow access to its rows of teeth . Photo taken at Marsa Shagra , southern Egypt at a distance of about 30cm
In the cleaning station
Getting close to fish is an excellent test of diving skills , says SCUBA Editor Simon Rogerson . You just have to understand the etiquette of the cleaning station
Want to get closer to fish ? You could buy a rebreather and go bubblefree , but that can be expensive . Then there ’ s the option of baiting or feeding , but that can get messy , both ethically and in the literal sense of having rotten fish all over the deck .
Ultimately , the best way to get close to fish involves understanding their behaviour and being able to dive with a high level of control . Knowledge of natural history and behaviour , plus textbook diving skills equals the best fish encounters . Now you ’ re stalking !
So , what behaviour are we looking for ? Broadly , anything that preoccupies the animal sufficiently that your own presence remains a secondary consideration . Many otherwise reclusive creatures are easier to observe when they are actively hunting ( cuttlefish a prime example ) or feeding ( sharks , but be careful ). Equally , the most reclusive creatures often throw caution to the current when engaged in mating rituals – octopus and mandarinfish are both known for blowing their cover when it comes to getting jiggy .
That being said , the best way to sneak closer to a variety of species is to approach them while they are being cleaned . Fish are known for attracting a host of ectoparasites , the annoying freeloaders that live on the host ’ s body , or in its gills and mouth . Most fish have sensory organs arrayed along their heads and bodies , so the presence of parasitic copepods clinging to their faces is annoying , and can also lead to infestation , infection and worse .
Step forward the humble bluestreak cleaner wrasse , Labriodes dinidiatus , one of the most welcome symbiotes of tropical reefs . The cleaner wrasse , a modest fish about 10cm long , eats parasites and dead tissue off larger fish ’ s skin in a mutualistic relationship that provides sustenance and protection for the wrasse , and a variety of health benefits for the ‘ client ’ fish .
Watch your wrasse
Cleaner wrasses – and other species that offer similar services – are found at cleaning stations , protected areas of reef occupied by different units of wrasses . In the normal course of things , big fish eat little fish , but
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