Anybody know different fish species in Maldives?

[barcelonic29]

If there's anyone who knows about coral fish and snorkelling, I am looking for some coral fish to try to find in the Maldive reef waters to make the experience more interesting.

Im interested to know which ones are less commonly seen (although not too rarely lol) so I know where to point my camera at

Thanks :)

[boxtops]

I googled "coral fish maldives" - loads of links came up

[barcelonic29]

thanks boxtops :)

i've looked at some myself actually and its wonderful footage, but i really want to know which ones are common and which ones not so much.
Im hoping to win an underwater photography contest for a free Maldives holiday for 2. Ill only have a week when im there and i currently know nothing about fish lol :)

[heathfield]

I've been there a few times, (See Avatar!) and I'm going again this year. My constant companion is "A Photo Guide to Fishes of the Maldives" by Rudie H. Kuiter. Besides being lavishly illustrated, each photo has a brief description of habitat and comparative rarity, unlike some other books on the subject that just show photos. Unfortunately, the book is now out of print, and demand for it is high. The cheapest I can find it for on the web is £25 secondhand. (Some sellers in the US are asking for over £150!!!). So it depends how serious you are in your project. Remember that a fish that's rare in the Maldives may be very common elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region. This book will let you know. Good luck!

[heathfield]

Oh! forgot the link...

http://www.waterstone...6410186&qsort=&page=1

[mrs_overall]

There are thousands of fish there - too many to list.
Some of my favourites are the box fish (a square fish), the lion/scorpion fish - spectacular but poisonous, moray eels (dangerous) and the comical looking pencil urchin (not a fish obviously but it looks like someone has stuck pencils in a ball).
I'd suggest take as many pics as you can and then identify the critters afterwards

[boxtops]

sounds wonderful..........

[divegirl]

Here ya go.........

http://youraccount.ek...s/maldives%281%29.jpg

Lisa x

[barcelonic29]

thanks all :)

Heathfield is the name of the 1st house i lived in lol :) thanks for that link, i saw the book on Amazon but was kinda out of my price range i think. Although i didnt know it had info on habitat & rarity!

@mrsOverall, hi thanks for those examples. You're suggestion to just go nuts with the camera then sift through afterwards is something im now strongly considering :)

@Lisa - great pic, thanks a lot!!

[divegirl]

When you get there go to the local dive centre and you should be able to buy those cards, they're made of a heavy plastic that divers take down with them under water.....
Have a brilliant time.

Lisa x

[mrs_overall]

If I remember rightly the local dive centre will sell booklets or have free leaflets on fish I.D.
Whenever I have taken part in underwater photography comps I have just snapped away. I've dived with others who have spent the best part of an hour trying to get the perfect macro shot of a shrimp. Boring!

[barcelonic29]

@mrs_overall Do you have any othr tips for underwater comps? I've never done snorkelling or taken a photo underwater. And in fact I haven't even used a camera since I was a child so right now any tips at all would help :)

[grasscarp]

Barcelonic I admire your optimism. You have entered this competition and are researching your options for when you win it. Good luck - I hope your dream does come true!

[barcelonic29]

Thanks grasscarp! :)

Im unfit for work due to M.E. and in UK climate am housebound, so this trip will be tough going but the destination is paradise.
Without a proper income its difficult to see me ever going back there again but if i win this comp Ill get to go for free again in a couple of years!

I don't usually enter comps cus I'm a numbers man lol but this comp isn't a huge Coca-Cola promo or nothing so I reckon I might stand a chance. Plus my friend is a professional photographer so Im hoping he can offer me some advice over the phone too (he lives in London, I in Wales)

Thanks again for the kind wishes :)

[heathfield]

The waterproof identification cards aren't the best. One or two of the fish shown are wrongly named, and names are occasionally mis-spelled. Many of the Maldives fish go through a huge range of colour changes as they mature, meaning that a single image of an adult often won't help in identification. Tip - Try snorkelling at 6.00 am! The water will be at its clearest then. During the day, the sun encourages the growth of algea suspended in the water, and flash photos can look as if it's snowing. Also, at that time of day, you just might find some fish still around that come to the surface at night, but go deep during daylight hours.

[barcelonic29]

a great tip Heathfield thanks!! :)