measured and steady , so that the fish can gradually acclimatise to your presence . It ’ s a superb test of diving skill , and it ’ s up to you to gauge the comfort distance , but I find I can often get to a point of about 1.5 metres before disrupting proceedings . If I ’ m being really sneaky and the fish is confident , I can get as close as 30cm .
These principles can be applied to different cleaner fish and different clients , even some of the larger sharks ; cleaning station etiquette has helped me take some of my favourite photographs over the years . The images in this feature were taken in tropical or sub-tropical seas , but there are many examples of similar behaviour in the UK . SCUBA will run a feature on that subject in the near future .
For reasons unknown , the cleaner wrasse of Dahab are especially zealous . I recall the peculiar sensation of one foraging in my outer ear , entirely unbidden . Here , a dive professional opens his mouth to mimic the pose of a client fish . Note , this activity is not recommended and could lead to injury ; it was carried out here by an experienced professional to illustrate the phenomenon
Sweetlips are tricky to approach unless they have the security of being in a schooling formation , or being cleaned . These photos , all taken in the Indian Ocean , show the fish ’ s determination to be cleaned , all the while keeping a watchful eye on the encroaching diver .
A Napoleon wrasse in the Maldives attends a cleaning station in a coral overhang . I had not previously seen this pose with the extended jaw , so my approach was a bit hurried . Perhaps the wrasse felt vulnerable ; it moved away when I got to within about two metres .
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