Sharm El Sheikh

Red Sea
snorkeling

100+ fish species you are

likely to see
Get more out of snorkeling
in Sharm El Sheikh

The easy underwater guide

Dennis Lisbjerg • BIOS Publishing • www.redseasnorkeling.com
 About the book
Red Sea snorkeling - The easy underwater guide - Sharm El Sheikh
ISBN 978-87-7056-169-3, 2. edition, 2018 BIOS Publishing, Denmark
© Text and photos by Dennis Lisbjerg
ver2-1.indd
see more:
www.redseasnorkeling.com
About the author
This book about Red Sea
fish was created out of en-
thusiasm for the wonders
of the marine life in the
Red Sea.
Dennis Lisbjerg, marine
biologist and author of this
book, is a passionate snor-
keler. He had his first dive
into the Red Sea more than
20 years ago. He currently
works at the National Insti-
tute of Aquatic Resources
in Denmark and frequents
the Red Sea to snorkel with
his family - wife and two
children.
22
Make the most of
snorkeling in the Red Sea
Schooling species
Schooling species
What can you do?
The sun is the source of all life. Thus the most produc-
tive part of the reef is the top. The corals thrive and
algae grow fast. Several species have made it a life strat-
You can do several things
egy to cruise along reef flats and upper reef slopes and
feed on the filamentous algae growth.
Schooling can serve as protection from predators but can Squaretail rabbitfish
Siganus luridus ¤
nary shape and dull colours
make them easy to over-
rabbitfish can have differ-
ent colours and patterns.
change can happen within
a second. See for yourself
to enhance your snorkeling
experience. You can:
also be a strategy to overwhelm territorial herbivore fish
look. Also, it makes the From olive-green to very by following a group for a
species. Often the schools of black fish are made up of Rabbitfish are common in
Rabbitfish look harmless dark brown. But it can while as they rove along
several species. And if you look carefully you can tell the groups on the upper reef
but they have venomous also have vertical stripes the reef top.
difference. and in lagoons. Their ordi-
1) make sure you have the
fin spines. The squaretail or be mottled. The colour 20 cm
right equipment 2) know
how to use it 3) obtain
knowledge about the ma-
rine life. In this book the
Sailfin tang
focus is on the latter of the
zebrasoma desjardinii
Often in pairs, but can be
quite black/brown in the
three.
colours and thus difficult to
distinguish from the other
fish on this page. The juve-
Once you can name some
Honeycomb filefish
Cantherhines pardalis
Dusky surgeon
Acanthurus nigrofuscus
Yellowtail tang
Zebrasoma xanthurum
Lined bristlethooth
Ctenochaetus striatus
niles are alone, but amaz-
ing in body shape, and with
of the fish, you better no-
Solitary, but may look very
similar to the other black
fish. Recognisable by the
The orange spots on the
head can sometimes be
difficult to see. Often part
Belongs to the surgeonfish
family. Sometimes in pairs.
20 cm
All brownish, but can be
recognised by the yellow
pectoral fins. Often part of
yellow stripes. 40 cm
Learn more about
the schooling spe-
tice when you see new spe-
2020
white mark on the upper part
of caudal penducle. 15 cm
of mixed species schools.
21 cm
mixed species schools.
26 cm juvenile
cies on top of the
reef.
2121
cies. It also makes it easier
to discover new details.
About the book For example to see the dif-
The idea behind this book scribed in this book. Here ferences in their behaviour
is to provide an overview is a selection of about 110 or preferred place to hang
of the most common fish common species. There are out.
that you may encounter several hundreds more spe- While in the water, it can
during a snorkeling trip cies known for the area! be difficult to remember
along the coral reefs of the The marine life is much all the colours of a fish in
Red Sea. The fish are not more than fish. This book order to look it up once
presented in the normal does not cover all the you are back on land.
way, where all are ordered invertebrates and other Therefore I highly recom-
systematically after the organisms. mend that you bring a
genus and family. In this It is the aim that you may camera. Not only to take
book they are ordered get an idea of the most pictures of the spectacular
more according to habitat common fish, and then you moments, but also the fish
and colour, so that fish need to look into detailed that you want to identify With a little practice you take lots of pictures!
that look similar and live literature to find more later on. It is much easier can easily dive 3-5 meters Bringing a camera can
the same place, are shown information of a particu- to count the number of down and quickly take a quickly turn the snorkeling
next to each other. lar species or to find the stripes or see the colours shot. The secrets to tak- trip into a hunt for motifs.
You might meet fish not de- names of other species. on the fins on a photo than ing underwater photos are: It is good fun!
to memorise it all. get close to the object and - Happy hunting!
About the website
www.redseasnorkeling.com
You can find more information about the Red Sea marine
life, and how to snorkel on the website:
www.redseasnorkeling.com
On the site you can learn more about snorkeling equip-
ment and techniques in order to advance your skills and
enjoy snorkeling even more.
33
 Sharm El Sheikh
About the area Look at images
At the coast around Sharm El Sheikh the reef is often If you look on the Internet
some meters out from the beach. Thus many hotels have e.g. using Google Earth or
made fixed or floating jetties to allow you to walk eas- Microsoft Bing or similar
ily out to the edge of the reef. Watch out if the wind is service you can see the
strong as the waves build up and may make it dangerous structure of the coast ex-
to be too close to the top of the reef. tending out from the shore
In general there is a plentitude of nice corals along the and how the corals have
walls espesially the walls facing east and south. Your are developed along the coast.
likly to see many large fish species. However, some fish This can provide indica-
species prefer the sheltered bays. tions as to what you might
Try to visit both types of areas. expect to see underwater.

Sharm El Sheikh
South - Ras Mohamed
One of the famous, places
is the Ras Mohamed Na-
ture Reserve just south of
Sharm. A nice and isolated
area with no hotels.

If your hotel, is located at

the outer reef, then a road
trip to Ras Mohamed may
be your chance to enter
from the sand and see
some of the many fish spe-
cies that live in the sandy
areas.

Respect the corals

It is nice to walk on the sandy beaches and play in the
water. However, you should never step on corals as they
die easily when touched. And the corals grow slow, so if
you destroy an area it will take quite some time before it
recovers. - And if thousands of tourists do the same, then
the near shore corals will soon be gone. Thus you should
respect the buoys that are placed around the coral heads
in the shallow waters. If there is a jetty, then use it.

- Only look and enjoy - not touch and destroy.

Learn more about

how to interpret
satellite images.

44 55
 Sharm area Trips
There is plenty of possibili-
ties for making day trips
The water temperature out of the Sharm area. You
The water in the Red Sea is always warm. In January to can go by car, but I suggest
March it is around 22-23 ºC in the Sharm El Sheikh area to try a boat and perhaps
while it gets to about 27-28 ºC in July/August. a glass bottom boat if you
are with your family. It
The weather can get quite cool and windy in winter, and will give you a chance to
the shallow surface water can be cooler than 22 ºC. discuss what you are seeing
- Especially in the morning hours. I thus recommend that together. Also, I highly rec-
you wear a suit or at least a t-shirt when snorkeling in ommend to try snorkeling
winter (however, you should always wear minimum a t- from a boat. - e.g. in the
shirt to avoid sunburn on your back). Tiran Islands area. There
are seveal beautiful reefs
to visit that will provide
you with new coral forma-
tions, habitats and other Snorkeling from boat
species of fish. It is great fun to be on a know when to be back on
Many of the trips leave boat snorkeling trip. I rec- the boat.
from Na’ama Bay, but if ommend that you: 3) ... have got a briefing of
you book at the hotel or di- 1) ... always listen to in- the area. What to expect,
vecenter, they may arrange tructions from the crew. areas to go to and areas to
pick-up for you. 2) ... make sure that you avoid.
4) ... put on all your equip-
ment before entering the
water, and keep it on at all
times.
5) ... as soon as you enter
the water, take note of
the current. Always start
against the current, and
make sure that you do not
Source: seatemperature.org go (far) back of the boat at
Red Sea facts any time.
The sea has an average very salty, and it is a good 6) ... note which boat is
depth of about 490 meters idea to bring a bottle of yours - and find some fea-
(according to seatempera- fresh water to the beach tures that you can recog-
ture.org) and a maximum or boat, to clear the throat nise while in the water. If
depth of 2,211 meters. after snorkeling. several boats arrive while
The salinity of ocean sea you are in the water, you
water is about 35 ‰, how- There is a bit of tidal may have troble finding
ever, as there are no rivers movement - approx. 0.6 yours.
running into the northern meters, which can matter, 7) If in doubt - ask the
part of the Red Sea, and if you are at a part of the crew before entering the
there is a huge evapora- reef, where you can swim water.
tion, the salinity can get above the top of the reef.
up to around 41 ‰. It is However, the tide is not See current
thus one of the saltiest really affecting the water weather and sea
water bodies in the world. current. It is primarily water tempera-
You can taste the water is driven by the wind. ture in Sharm.
66 77
 Fish anatomy Behaviour
Fish structure What are they doing?
Though fish have very different shape, they are all build Many of the active fish are busy swimming about feed-
around the same basic layout. Some have longer fins ing. But they could also be busy in reproduction - either
while some have shorter ones. Some have fins with spines by defending a territory or looking after eggs. Some are
while some are only with soft rays. Some fins have co- interacting, perhaps by getting cleaned by other fish.
lours while some are clear. A large stationary group is just waiting for the sun to set.
There is also a wide difference in how fish swim. Some Same basis
use their tail, but there are many coral fish that primar- Though the basis is the
ily use their pectoral fins or dorsal and anal fins to move same, the appearance can
about on the reef. be quite different among
fish. E.g. the fin rays and
the many spines of the
Common lionfish.
tail (caudal fin) dorsal fin
spines
soft rays
caudal peduncle
Waiting Staying alert Feeding
Many species are noctur- Schooling fish have the Goatfish (page 12) use their
nal or primarily feed in advantage of sharing the mouth barbels to find small
the twilight. They spend lookout for potential dan- invertebrates in the sand
most of the daytime hours gers. If you approach the and dig them out. The hog-
hiding under overhangs, Half-and-half chromis and fish following closely, and
in crevices or caves. The one fish starts swimming grab the prey first if pos-
Ehrenberg’s snapper is one towards safeheaven among sible. The Mackerel (page
of them (see page 24). the corals - the rest will 38) feed on zooplankton,
See videos and soon follow. and swim around with the
learn more about mouth open filtering the
pectoral fin fish behaviour at water through the gills.
the website.
pelvic fin
anal fin Getting cleaned
Bluestreak cleaner wrasse
can be found in all coral
Symbols used rich areas from the inner
There are a few symbols ¤ venomous When you see the QR code lagoons to seaward reefs.
used In this book: Indicates a venomous spe- on a page, it means that It stays in cleaner stations
cies. Usually due to some you can see a video or get where other fish come to
♀ symbol for females substance that can be re- more information at be cleaned, and it feeds
♂ symbol for males leased from spines on a fin, www.redseasnorkeling.com on the parasites and mucus
barbs or other structure. from them. Cleaning sta-
In some species there is If you scan the tions are often occupied
a difference in the colour ● Red Sea only QR code with by a pair of adults or a
between the sexes. Indicates a species that is your mobile group of juveniles. New
restricted in geographi- phone it takes visitors are usually greeted
Sometimes there is also a cal distribution. It is only you directly to the web- by dance-like movements
notable size difference. found in the Red Sea area page. moving the body up and
Sizes indicated are com- (some in the Gulf of Aden down. - Try to approach
mon sizes, sometimes or other locations nearby). slowly, and you will be
maximum sizes. greeted with a dance.
88 99
 Fish on the sand
The sand patch
In the lagoons and bays, the bottom is covered with
sand. It is often overlooked as an interesting place to
snorkel. Not as colorful, but yet as lively and full of ex-
periences as the reef (or nearly).
Many of the fish species are camouflaged and can be hard
Moses sole to see. So take your time to look around on your way to Slender lizardfish Clearfin lizardfish Speckled sandperch
Pardachirus marmoratus the coral reef. You might be surprised. Saurida gracilis Synodus dermatogenys Parapercis hexophthalma
Produces a toxin from the It has more irregular pat- Common on sand patches Resembles lizardfish, but
bases of the dorsal and See videos and tern than clearfin lizard- in lagoons and seaward easily recognisable on the
learn more about
anal fin rays that deters fish on the sand. fish, and with dark patches reefs. Often buried in sand black spot on the tail.
predation. 26 cm on the back. 32 cm leaving only eyes up. 24 cm 28 cm

Feed from the sand

A variety of fish species
live on or near the sandy
bottom, and feed from
the many worms, mussels,
crustaceans, etc. that live
hidden in the sand.
You can find evidence of
the many animals that live
buried by small tube or
Indian Ocean Panther flounder Bluespotted stingray Leopard torpedo ray Blue triggerfish
Bothus pantherinus Taeniura lymma ¤ Torpedo panthera ● siphon openings or small Pseudobalistes fuscus
crocodilefish piles of sand. The sand is
Papilloculiceps longiceps Inhabits sandy bottoms of It is a common ray, easy to It can be up to 100 cm, and a world in itself with its Nest-guarding males are
Do not be scared by the inner reef flats and sea- recognise on the beautiful rely on being invisible. It small predators feeding on aggressive. Busy blowing
name. It is always found ward reefs. The juveniles blue spots. At the base of will only move slowly away even smaller animals. sand away to find prey in
near the coral reefs e.g. are often found in tide the tail, it has venomous if it feels disturbed. 45 cm shallow lagoons, bays and
under ledges. 100 cm pools. 39 cm barbs. 90 cm seaward reefs areas. 55 cm
1010 1111
 Over the sand
Goatfish
There are several types of
goatfish. They are easy to
recognise on their long bar-
bels under the chin. They
have chemo-sensory organs
used for finding prey in
the sand. Goatfish stir up
clouds of sand, and other
fish species often follow to
catch the escaping prey.
Yellowfin goatfish
Mulloidichthys vanicolensis
Yellow fins. Hovers along
the reef edges in large
inactive aggregations by
day. Disperse to sand flats
to feed at night. 35 cm
1212
See videos and
learn more about
fish that feed in
the sand area.
Red Sea goatfish
Parupeneus forsskali (●)
Tail yellow (a similar spe-
cies has no yellow tail). Was
confined to the Red Sea,
but now established in the
Mediterranean Sea. 25 cm
Yellowsaddle goatfish
Parupeneus cyclostomus
Blue with a distinct yellow
saddle on top of caudal
peduncle. Can also be com-
pletely yellow. 40 cm
Yellowstripe goatfish
Mulloidichthys flavolineatus
Yellow lateral stripe with
dark blotch in the middle.
However, the blotch is
sometimes very faint.
Of the fins, only the tail is
yellow. Adults often alone
when feeding. 40 cm
Fringelip mullet
Crenimugil crenilabis
In small schools in shal-
low water, scooping up the
upper layer of sand and
filtering algae and animals
through the gills. 55 cm
Lyretail hogfish
Bodianus anthioides
Usually solitary but often
found together with goat-
fish looking for food when
goatfish stir up the sand.
24 cm
Smallscale mojarra
Gerres longirostris
Often found in shallow wa-
ter in estuaries or lagoons
over sandy bottoms. 35 cm
Spangled emperor
Lethrinus nebulosus
Common and curious. It is
usually near the reef on
the sandy areas, where it
feeds on invertebrates.
70 cm
Jarbua grunter
Terapon jarbua
Found over shallow sandy
bottoms, in estuaries and
rivers. Adults in loose ag-
gregations. 36 cm
Mahsena emperor
Lethrinus mahsena
Is clearly different from
the spangled emperor on
the bars on the body. It is
known to change sex dur-
ing its lifetime. 65 cm
1313
 Sohal surgeonfish
Acanthurus sohal ● Top of the Reef
In some places it can be a
very common species on
the outer reef flats ex-
posed to surge. It is highly
aggressive in defending its
territory. Surgeonfish have
a pair of sharp scalpel-like
blades hidden in a fold at
the base of the tail, so do
not provoke them. 40 cm
Solitary species
A lot of species can be found at the top of the reef, in
the rubbles of the lagoon or the shallow reef flats. You
do not need to dive down, but can enjoy the colours
while snorkeling at the surface. Many of the common
species are solitary. They will only make pairs or loose
aggregations during reproduction periods. If you snorkel Regal angel Emperor angel Orange-striped
Pygoplites diacanthus Pomacanthus imperator triggerfish
at the same reef for several days, you might notice some
species seem to stay at the same spot and perhaps try to Often near a crevice. It is Usually found somewhere Balistapus undulatus
scare other fish (or even you) off their territory. Others frequently caught for the within its large home Are very territorial by
seem to belong nowhere and do random swimming along aquarium trade, but rarely range. It swims slowly nature, and may be aggres-
the reef scanning for food. survives. 25 cm along the reef using the sive. 26 cm
pectoral fins.The juvenile
Orangespine unicorn have completely different
Naso elegans colouring. 40 cm
Often in small groups.
Unicorn fish are in the
same family as surgeonfish,
but have one or two pairs
of fixed, sharp, keel-like
blades at the tail. 40 cm

Picassofish
Rhinecanthus assasi ●
Like other triggerfish they
usually swim using undulat-
ing second dorsal and anal
fins. 30 cm

♂ ♀
Bicolor parrotfish
Cetoscarus bicolor
Parrotfish have a large
beak like mouth used for
biting off coral rock. You
often find them releasing
remainings - sand - that
1414
falls to the bottom. The
juveniles look very differ-
ent from adults, as well as
males from females. Large
females turn into males.
This is one of the largest
parrotfish species. 80 cm
Bullethead parrotfish Bluethroat triggerfish
Chlorurus sordidus
Sufflamen albicaudatum ●
Despite the name, the
A very common parrotfish.
colour of the tail is usu-
It has light coloured base
ally giving it away from a
of tail, and is yellow/
distance. 22 cm
brown below the eye. 40
cm
1515
 Top of the Reef Changing water level
In places where the reef
extends as far as possible
Top of the reef to the surface, the top
It is at the top of the reef where the sun light brings of the reef might only be
you all the colours from the fish and the corals. Further accessible for snorkeling
down, the light gets absorbed, and only blue light pen- during high tide. So, you
etrates deep in the water. Thus, the further down you may need to plan your ♀ ♂
look, the more blue all living organisms look. snorkeling trip according to capturing small inverte-
Some of the fish in the shallow parts seem very fearless Sulphur damsel the tide cycle.
Bird wrasse
Pomacentrus sulfureus Gomphosus varius
brates in the corals. Males
and curious, especially Klunzinger’s wrasse. Some just Also, the visibility of the are solitary, while females
seem to ignore you, while some species seem shy, wary or Common and easy to recog- inner reef or the lagoon is The male and the female are often found in small
secretive. For example Blu- nise being all yellow with usually much better at high look very different in groups. As all wrasses, they
See videos and
etail trunkfish often keeps a learn more about a black spot at the base of tide. colouring but both have swim with their pectoral
good distance to snorkelers. fish on top of the the pectoral fin. 11 cm the long snout used for fins. 30 cm
reef.

Red Sea toby
Canthigaster margaritata ● Arothron diadematus
Tobies are pufferfish and
as such are able to inflate,
but they also have a skin
secretion that helps against
predators. 15 cm
1616
Masked puffer
● wrasse
Solitary and slow moving,
and it is often possible to
get quite close to. Puffers
are very toxic for humans
if eaten. 30 cm
Chequerboard
Halichoeres hortulanus
Chequerboard pattern on
the sides and dorsal yellow
and black spots. 27 cm
Klunzinger’s wrasse
Thalassoma rueppellii ●
Very common on top of
the reef. And very curi-
ous. Often it will get right
up in your face or towards
your camera lens. But it is
always on the move, so it
can be tricky to get a good
photo. The large males are
territorial and have ha-
rems. 20 cm
♀
Yellow boxfish Bluetail trunkfish
Ostracion cubicus Ostracion cyanurus ●
Yellow and blue spots Usually close to shelter and
with black edges. Males very shy. The female is yel-
are blue. They have a box low as the Yellow boxfish
like shape made by bone but has black spots. 15 cm
plates. 45 cm
1717

Blackbacked Lined butterflyfish
butterflyfish Chaetodon lineolatus
Chaetodon melannotus They live from the Red Sea
One of the species with to Hawaii, and down to S.
large range: Red Sea to S. Africa and SE Australia.
This is the largest species
Africa to S. Japan, Samoa,
of butterflyfish. 30 cm
Australia. 15 cm
Butterflyfish
A group of very colorful
fish. Butterflyfish can be
found in the tropics all
over the world, but many
of the common species
that you will encounter,
only exist in the Red Sea.
Threadfin butterfly-
They are endemic to the
fish Red Sea, and are indicated
Chaetodon auriga
with a symbol: ●
Diagonal black lines and a Many of the species get a
threadfin on top. 23 cm mate for years - or even
their entire life. Many of
the species have a favou-
See videos and rite hang out, and you will
learn more about
butterflyfish and find them there on every
other fish in pairs. snorkeling trip.
1818
Chevron butterflyfish
Chaetodon trifacialis
Highly territorial. Listed as
Near Threatened (NT) by
IUCN, due to global coral
reef loss. Black tail. 18 cm
Exquisite butterfly-
fish
Chaetodon austriacus ●
As for many fish this spe-
cies have several common
names, and is also called
e.g. Blacktail butterflyfish.
14 cm
Fish in pairs
Fish in pairs
It is not common among
fish species, but within the
Butterflyfish group monog-
amy is part of the strategy
seen in many species, e.g.
the Red Sea bannerfish.
They usually hang out in
pairs, usually on the first
1-30 meters of the reef.
Red Sea bannerfish
But of course no rules with- Heniochus inermedius ●
out exceptions. So, you
might find the fish in small Often hovers under coral
groups on top of the reef. heads. 20 cm
Red Sea racoon
butterflyfish
Chaetodon fasciatus ●
In pairs or loose aggrega-
tions. As for most of the
butterflyfish it is not pos-
sible to tell the difference
between the male and the
female. 23 cm
Crown butterflyfish Masked butterflyfish
Chaetodon paucifasciatus ● Chaetodon semilarvatus ●
Often very close to the Very often hovering nicely
reef. 14 cm together just above the
corals. 22 cm
1919
 Schooling species
Schooling species
The sun is the source of all life. Thus the most produc-
tive part of the reef is the top. The corals thrive and
algae grow fast. Several species have made it a life strat-
egy to cruise along reef flats and upper reef slopes and
feed on the filamentous algae growth.
Schooling can serve as protection from predators but can Squaretail rabbitfish nary shape and dull colours rabbitfish can have differ- change can happen within
Siganus luridus ¤ make them easy to over- ent colours and patterns. a second. See for yourself
also be a strategy to overwhelm territorial herbivore fish
look. Also, it makes the From olive-green to very by following a group for a
species. Often the schools of black fish are made up of Rabbitfish are common in
Rabbitfish look harmless dark brown. But it can also while as they rove along
several species. And if you look carefully you can tell the groups on the upper reef
but they have venomous have horisontal stripes or the reef top.
difference. and in lagoons. Their ordi-
fin spines. The squaretail be mottled. The colour 20 cm

Sailfin tang
zebrasoma desjardinii
Often in pairs, but can be
quite black/brown in the
colours and thus difficult to
distinguish from the other
fish on this page. The juve-

Honeycomb filefish
Cantherhines pardalis
Solitary, but may look very
similar to the other black
fish. Recognisable by the
white mark on the upper part
of caudal penducle. 15 cm
2020
Dusky surgeon
Acanthurus nigrofuscus
The orange spots on the
head can sometimes be
difficult to see. Often part
of mixed species schools.
21 cm
Yellowtail tang
Zebrasoma xanthurum
Belongs to the surgeonfish
family. Sometimes in pairs.
20 cm
Lined bristletooth
Ctenochaetus striatus
All brownish, but can be
recognised by the yellow
pectoral fins. Often part of
mixed species schools.
26 cm
niles are alone, but amaz-
ing in body shape, and with
yellow stripes. 40 cm
Learn more about
the schooling spe-
cies on top of the
juvenile reef.
2121
 Groups of small fish
See videos and
learn more about
the small colonial
fish species.
A small fish strategy
Many of the small colourful fish have the same strategy:
to stay close together in a group - and stay near a safe-
heaven, often a coral head with a lot of branches to hide
between, should danger arise.
Some fish species are very stationary and stick to the
same coral head. Thus, you can recognise the inhabitants Half-and-half In disguise
of your local reef, and where to locate them. chromis Juveniles of some species
Chromis dimidiata e.g. wrasses and parrotfish
often look similar (mim-
Very common, and form icry) to other species, and
large aggregations, often can blend in, as the juve-
near Lyretail anthias. 7 cm nile above.

♀
Lyretail anthias
Pseudanthias squamipinnis
They can form enormous
aggregations. Usually the
males (with a very elongat-
ed dorsal filament) keep a
territory and have a harem
of 6-10 of the orange-
coloured females.
The males themselves
can form dense aggre-
gations. The Lyretail
anthias are protogynous
hermaphrodite, which
means that they begin ♂
their life as female and
shift sex to male later.
♀ 7 cm, ♂ 15 cm

Blue-green chromis Humbug dascyllus

Chromis viridis Dascyllus aruanus
Usually near the branches White with 3 black bars
of Acropora corals. The leaving a white tail and
juveniles always stay near front of head. 6 cm
the same coral head. 8 cm
2222 2323
 Along the wall Look high - look low
When you snorkel on the
outer reef, you will see a
Seaward reef slopes lot of fish. Some are just
Some fish are busy feeding; some are just hanging out, cruising by, some seem to
especially under an overhang and waiting for the night to have their favourite spot.
swim out for feeding. Some peak out from caves
and crevices.
Sometimes you may get a
glimpse of fish that appear
from the deeper waters.
Go slow and look high and
look low.

Red Sea anemonefish

Amphiprion bicinctus ●
It is the males that guard
and aerate the eggs. They
live associated with a sea
anemone, and are usually
within a few meters from
it. They aggressively de- Pale damsel
fend their area even from Amblyglyphidodon indicus
Scrawled filefish for a long time and reach
snorkelers.The anemone-
Aluterus scriptus a large size. The tail is Often in small groups hov-
fish are hermaphrodites
extremely long and wide ering about a meter above
that mature as males. If Often swimming slowly when spread out. All file- some coral formations. Can
the dominate female disap- along deep coastal slopes fish has a long first dorsal be recognised by the dark
pears, the largest male or outer reef drop-offs. spine that can be raised margins of the tail as well
turn into a female. The sex Juveniles may travel with (see photo of Honeycomb as dorsal and anal fins.
reversal can be completed weed rafts in open ocean filefish - page 20). 100 cm 8 cm
in only 26 days. 14 cm

Doublebar bream
Acanthopagrus bifasciatus
2 conspicuous vertical
black bars across the head,
with the first bar through
the eye. Often in small
groups. 40 cm
2424
Ehrenberg’s snapper
Lutjanus ehrenbergi
5 yellow stripes, and a
black spot. Stationary in
small aggregations during
the day. Disperse to feed
at night. 20 cm
Blackspotted
sweetlips
Plectorhinchus gaterinus
As the snappers, they hov-
er stationary at outcrops
or under ledges during the
day. 35 cm
Starry puffer
Arothron stellatus
Largest of the puffers,
records are up to 120 cm
long. Often hangs on the
sand below the reef. Some-
times in midwater. 100 cm
Porcupinefish
Diodon hystrix
Porcupines can also in-
flate like puffers, but have
spines that make them im-
possible to eat. They have
dark spots all over. 40 cm
Whitespotted puffer
Arothron hispidus
White rings around the eye
and pectoral fin base. Puffers
are slow swimmers but can
inflate by drawing in water
to avoid predators. 50 cm
2525
 Along the wall

juvenile

Clown coris Dusky parrotfish Abudjubbe wrasse Bandcheek wrasse

Coris aygula Scarus niger Cheilinus abudjubbe ● Oxycheilinus digramma
Only the male has a very All parrotfish have a hard It has very irregular pat- It is quite anonymous and
bulbous forehead, but both beak-like mouth. Dusky par- terns on the body, but red you tend to overlook it.
sexes have the white/light rotfish has a yellow marking lines that radiate from the But it is often very curi-
band across the body. 70 cm behind the eye. 40 cm eyes on the head. 40 cm ous and approachable.
And once you discover it,
you will notice it in many
Brown-marbled
places.
grouper The lines around the eyes
Epinephelus fuscoguttatus are more straight than
When you see a large Adudjubbe wrasse, and it
shadow in the crevices or has clear diagonal stripes
moving at the bottom of on the cheek. 40 cm
the reef, it is probably a
grouper. There are several
camouflage coloured spe-
cies, that can be difficult
to distinguish from each
other. They are often shy,
and will hide long before
you get near.
Brown-marbled grouper is
considered Near Threat-
ened (NT) by IUCN due to
overfishing. Broomtail wrasse
Fortunately it can be Cheilinus lunulatus ●
farmed, but it is still ex- The ragged tail is not a
tensively taken from the sign of an very old or sick
wild. Some of the small individual - all adults have
juveniles are caught and it. If the tail is not clearly
grown out to market size visible you can recognise
in captivity. 90 cm, max it on the yellow marking
length 120 cm above the pectoral fin. The
Redbreasted wrasse colours can vary from very
Cheilinus quinquecinctus ● bright to faint/white.
50 cm
In some areas they can be live around corals in the
quite common. They may sandy area, as they eat See videos and
be curious and you can eas- invertebrates hidden in the learn more about
ily approach them. - but sand. 36 cm fish along the
note the large teeth! They outer reef wall.
2626 2727
 Along the wall
Napoleon wrasse
Cheilinus undulatus
Both juveniles and adults
can be recognised by 2
black lines just behind the
eye. Inhabit steep outer
reef slopes and lagoon
reefs. Usually solitary but
may occur in pairs. It is
curious and intelligent, and
may follow your move-
ments from below. Most
probably you will see a 60
cm long Napoleon wrasse,
but they may grow to 230
cm and almost 200 kg!
Twinspot snapper
Lutjanus bohar
Grey with darker fins and
may resemble many simi-
lar species. E.g. the Black
snapper, but it has a more
elongated head. 76 cm
28
Bigeye emperor
Monotaxis grandoculis
Often in small groups along
the reef edges. The juve-
niles (up to about 20-30 cm)
are whitish on the lower
half and have three promi-
juvenile
Black snapper
Macolor niger
Hover often on steep outer
slopes in aggregations,
while the black and white
striped juveniles are soli-
tary. 70 cm
juvenile
nent black saddles separat-
ed by narrower white bars
on the upper half. A vertical
black bar crosses the eye
from above. 40 cm
♀ ♂
Slingjaw wrasse Bluespine unicorn
Epibulus insidiator Naso unicornis
with age and sex. Many
Subadults and mature start as females and later Typically in schools in ex-
females are sometimes become males. posed areas. As the Orang-
uniformly yellow. Wrasses Wrasses usually swim espine unicorn (see page
in general have complex around using the pectoral 15) it has sharp keel-like
colours that often vary fins only. 50 cm plates on base of the tail,
used both in defence and
offense when fighting for
dominance. However, it is
harmless to approach for
snorkelers. 70 cm
Titan triggerfish
Balistoides viridescens
It is the largest of the
triggerfish. Solitary or in
pairs on the slopes of deep
lagoon or seaward reefs.
Often hostile towards div-
ers and snorkelers if you
get close. It may be very
aggressive and attack un-
provoked when caring for
eggs. The powerful jaws
and teeth used for crush-
ing hard shelled prey is
capable of causing serious
injury.
Triggerfish usually swim
with their second dorsal
and anal fin. But they can
use their tail for rapid
bursts. 75 cm
See videos and
learn more about
fish along the
outer reef wall.
29
 Sitting on the Reef
Keeping an eye out
Some fish prefer sitting
still. They are not adapted
for swimming long distanc-
es and stay most of the day
on corals, either on top of
a coral head with a good
lookout, or more hidden
in crevices or under over-
hangs.
See videos and
learn more about
fish that are sit-
ting on the reef.
Freckled hawkfish
Paracirrhites forsteri
Easy to find as it tends
to perch on outermost
branches of certain corals.
You can recognise it on the
freckles in the head. The
species comes in two dis-
tinct patterns: one that is
white below and brownish
on top and one with yellow
and brown stripes. 18 cm
Halfspotted hind Blacktip grouper Greasy grouper
Cephalopholis hemistiktos Epinephelus fasciatus Epinephelus tauvina
It is a monogamous spe- A dark red cap, otherwise Pale greenish grey or
cies, the pair jointly de- pale reddish or pinkish; brown with round dark
fends a common territory with 5-6 dark bars of vari- spots that can vary from
of up to 62 m2. 23 cm able intensity. 22 cm dull orange-red to dark
brown. 70 cm
3030
- and difficult to see
Some fish are very
difficult to see
Some of the fish are
brightly coloured or sit on
lookouts, and are thus easy
to spot even when they sit
still. Camouflage is a strat-
egy used by many species
to stay unnoticed. Not only
in the sand, but also on the
reef.
Pipefish
Corythoichthys spp
Both Network pipefish and
Red Sea pipefish ● are
often in pairs on corals
of reef slopes in caves or
overhangs. They belong to
the family of seahorses,
where it is always the male
that carries the eggs in a
brood pouch which is found
under the tail. Red Sea
pipefish has distinct red
lines on the head. 12 cm
Smallscale
scorpionfish
Scorpaenopsis oxycephala ¤
Solitary and motionless on
coral and rocky bottoms.
There are many different
scorpionfish species, that
have the same strategy: to
stay unnoticed and ambush
their prey. That is also why
they are often overlooked.
They have venomous
spines. Hot water (45 ºC)
for 45 min will denaturise
the venom protein. 30 cm
Watch out!
Even in the very shallow
waters of Sharm El Sheikh
you can find stonefish and
scorpionfish. So watch out.
It is difficult to distinguish
the many different species.
3131
 Hide in the dark
About groupers
You will most likely see some of the groupers while
snorkeling along the reef. They are often shy and swim
for cover. Groupers look like mean carnivores - and they
are. Some species are sequential hermaphrodites. They
mature as females and change to males later on. So, if all
the large groupers are caught, it will leave only the im- Peacock grouper Coral hind Lyretail grouper Red Sea coralgrouper
mature and females, and thus hamper the reproduction. Cephalopholis argus Cephalopholis miniata Variola louti Plectropomus pessuliferus ●

Learn more about Prefer the shallow reef Both in exposed and pro- Easy to recognise on the Globally it is an uncommon
fish that hide in from 1 to 10 meters. 6 bars tected reef areas. Form tail. Juveniles resemble species, and considered
the dark during on the lower body can be haremic groups with a Red Sea Goatfish in colour- Near Threatened (NT) by
the day. more or less visible. 55 cm dominant male and 2-12 ing. 75 cm IUCN. Lives solitary. 120 cm
females. 50 cm
Yellowtail sweeper
Pempheris schwenkii
You will always find the fish
staying close together in
schools in caves or under
overhangs during the day.
At night they disperse in
the area and feed on zoo-
plankton. There are several
similar subspecies, which
are difficult to tell apart.
15 cm

Sixstriped soapfish
Grammistes sexlineatus
It gets more stripes as it
grows. The juveniles only
have two. Prefers the
shadow in daytime. 27 cm
3232
Clearfin lionfish
Pterois radiata ¤ Pterois miles
Hovering in crevices, caves
by day. At dusk and at
night it roams the reef.
Venomous spines. 24 cm
Common lionfish
¤ out of the reef labyrinth of
Hovers under ledges dur-
ing the day. Fin spines
are highly venomous, may
cause human death. 35 cm
Giant moray
Gymnothorax javanicus
Solitary, cruising in and
holes and crevices. Keep
your distance as it known
for attacking humans when
provoked. 230 cm - maxi-
mum 300 cm
Orchid dottyback Stellate rabbitfish
Pseudochromis fridmani ● Siganus stellatus ¤
Purple or bluish with dark Many brown spots all over
streak through the eye. the body. The adults are
Very common on shallow, most often in pairs. Have
vertical walls or beneath venomous spines. 35 cm
overhangs. 6 cm
3333
 Fish in the dark About the place
The coral reef is not a mas-
sive wall. If you look care-
About fish that hide in the dark fully, you will start noticing
There is a group of fish that you most often find hiding in all the small perforations
small crevices and holes during the daylight hours. How- and cracks. These spaces
ever as the sun sets, they will find their way out and look and overhangs are taken up
for food. Many of the species have big eyes as they are by a lot of different ani-
specialised to orientate in the dim light. Also, many have mals - both invertebrates
red colours, as red looks almost black underwater (when Longjawed and fish. Tailspot squirrelfish Blotcheye soldierfish
you are not using the flash on the camera). squirrelfish Sargocentron caudimaculatum Myripristis murdjan
Sargocentron spiniferum ¤ White base of tail and a It is often with its head
Learn more about
Vertically oblong crimson fish that hide in distinct horizontal white towards the reef. White
spot behind eye. 35 cm the dark during mark above the pectoral narrow margins on fins and
the day. fin. 18 cm tail. 18 cm

Crescent-tail bigeye
Priacanthus hamrur
Very common and easy to
recognise because of the
shape and very big eye.
The colour is red but can
sometimes appear barred.
40 cm
3434
Common name Common name
Scientific name Scientific name Tiger cardinalfish Crown squirrelfish Spotfin squirrelfish
Cheilodipterus macrodon Sargocentron diadema Neoniphon sammara
about the fish. x cm about the fish. x cm
Yellowish on the head, White base of tail and ver- Very common. The name
white base of tail, 8 white tical white stripes behind is due to a black spot on
stripes along the body and the eye. Has invaded the the dorsal fin, seen when it
through head. 18 cm Mediterranean Sea. 17 cm raises the fin. 23 cm
3535
 Schools of silver
Scissortail sergeant
Abudefduf sexfasciatus
It is black and white only.
It has 5 black bars and
black stripes on the tail in
the shape of a scissor. 19
cm
Indo-Pacific sergeant Schools of silver
Abudefduf vaigiensis You are likely to encounter
It is black and white, but the two types of silvery
yellowish on top of the 5 schools, that usually hover
black bars and has yellow in the top 0-5 meters of
eyes. 20 cm water on the edge of the
reef. If you go slow, you
can get quite near! Have
no fear: They are harmless
fusiliers and damselfish.

juvenile

Red Sea fusilier Striated fusilier

Caesio suevica ● Caesio striata ●
Clear white edges and 4 black stripes on the side
black tips on the tail. 35 on the upper part. 24 cm
cm

Fusiliers Damselfish
Often occur in mixed groups with several species to- The two sergeants are both damselfish. Damselfish is a
Lunar fusilier gether. They have a small mouth, and you will often find group of very common but different coloured fish. A lot
Caesio lunaris them open as they swim in the top 0-10 meters of water of the 8-10 cm fish that you see schooling just above the
feeding on zooplankton on the edge of the seaward reef corals are damsels. Also the well-known “clownfish” - the
Black tip of tail. With a
or outer lagoon. If you snorkel just before sunset, you anemonefish (see page 24) is a damselfish.
faint yellow stripe poste-
will find the schools gathered together in the shallow The sergeants are often in mixed schools, and you will See videos and
riorly. Especially on juve- learn more about
part of the reef. see both the Scissortail and Indo-Pacific sergeant to-
niles. 35 cm the fusilier and
gether.
damselfish.
3636 3737
 Silvery fish in the blue
Silvery fish are common Striped mackerel
Across the different families of fish species, there are Rastrelliger kanagurta
some fish that appear silvery, their skin reflecting the Roam the bays and lagoons
sun. This makes them difficult to see, and most of them in tightly packed schools.
are also fast swimmers. They seem to come out of no- It feeds from zooplank-
where - and might also disappear fast again. This strat- ton caught in the gills,
egy makes it difficult to identify the fish. However, some when swimming with open Fish off the reef Great barracuda Barracuda
of them are fairly common and stay reasonably close mouth. 38 cm some species stay on the Sphyraena barracuda Sphyraena spp.
to the reef. Just close enough for us snorkelers to see outer reef, and usually Very easy to recognise on There are several species
them. hover a few meters above the two black tail tips. of barracuda that form
the coral tops. Sometimes Sometimes you are sur- schools in open water near
you also “feel” the pres- prised on top of the reef reefs. They often stay
ence of fish just outside or on the sand in shallow around a coral formation.
your field of view. Perhaps water (1-2 meters) by the 30-150 cm
a barracuda - perhaps a solitary adults. Max 200 cm
milkfish.

The adults might change
colour, but in several
species of trevally, the
juveniles are yellowish in
colour.
See videos and
learn more about
silvery fish and
colour change.
3838
Orangespotted
trevally
Carangoides bajad
Easy to identify due to the
orange spots. However,
within a few seconds, it
can change from dark grey
to silvery, as it moves from
the reef to the sand. 53 cm
Bluefin trevally Milkfish Red Sea needlefish Smooth cornetfish
Caranx melampygus Chanos chanos Tylosurus choram ● Fistularia commersonii
Often one or a few patrol- When you first see the It is usually along the reef Often in small aggregations
ling up and down the outer large forked tail in the margin in the top most near the bottom or reef
reef. You may also find distance, you might think it water 0.1-1 meters below during the day. The body
them following goatfish or is shark, but do not worry. the surface. You often find ends in a spike-like tail
moray eels on the sand in This fast fish has a small it busy getting cleaned at a with no fins. They can ap-
search for prey (see page mouth and feed from min- cleaning station (see page pear camouflage coloured
12). 100 cm ute prey. Max 180 cm 9). 120 cm while at the reef. 100 cm
3939
 Molluscs
All the molluscs do not
have an inner skeleton, but
some have outer protective
shell(s) - snails (one) and
mussels (two). The body
basically consists of a head
and one foot. However, the
cephalopods (cuttlefish,
Pharao cuttlefish squid and octopus) have
Sepia pharaonis several tentacles (8-10).
As the other cephalopods,
cuttlefish do complex
colour changes in their
communication. 40 cm
Giant clams
Feed in two ways: filter-
See videos of the feeding zooplankton, and
fantastic colour through a colourful sym-
change in cuttle- biotic algae in the mantle
fish and octopus. using sunlight. 40 cm
4040
Reef octopus
Octopus cyaneus
May instantly change co-
lour, but is usually brown-
ish. Often hidden in crev-
ices in daytime. 140 cm
Snails
It is a very diverse group
of animals with more than
1,000 different species in
the Red Sea!
Nudibranches are colourful
snails without any shell.
Most nudibranches are car-
nivores. Some eat venom-
ous animals, and can store
the toxin (or other cells)
for their own defence.
Invertebr ates
Large diversity of animals without vertebra
The life in the coral reefs is much more than fish. Numer-
ous animals of very different types also inhabit the reef
or sand flats. There are several thousand species in the
Red Sea, so it is impossible to know them all. But if you
are able to become aware of their existence and at least
know which overall group (phylum) they belong to, you Echinoderms
Sea stars, sea cucumbers
have come a long way. On this page are some representa-
tives. and sea urchins, all belong
to the echinoderms. The
body is divided into 5 com-
partments.
Christmas tree worm Feather hydroids
Spirobranchus giganteus Macrorhynchia philippina ¤
Live embedded in living This species is often found
corals. They are a feather under overhangs. It has a
worm in the phylum An- strong sting that can cause
nelida, however more than an allergic reaction.
15 phyla are “worm-like” Hydroids are small colonial
animals, but are rarely carnivorous animals. 30 cm
seen as they mostly live a
hidden life. 1.5 cm
The animal
kingdom
The animal kingdom is
divided into more than
30 phyla. Each phylum is
a group of animals that
share the same body plan
or other distinct features,
and thus are considered
to have evolved from the
same origin.
All fish, reptiles, and mam-
mals belong to the same
phylum - the vertebrates.
4141
 Cor als
Corals form the reefs
The coral reefs are made
up of calcium carbonate
secreted by corals. Corals
are small colony forming
animals.
They get their colour from
algae that live within their
tissue. The algae need
sunlight for photosynthe-
sis, and reefs facing south
are thus more lively and
colourful than others.
Leather coral
Sinularia spp.
Some corals are soft corals.
They also come in a varity
of shapes and colours, and
may contribute to building
the reef. 30 cm
4242
Finger coral
Pocillopora spp.
Finger corals are one of
the primary reef-building
species of stone corals.
There are several hundred
species. 40 cm
Wire coral
Cirripathes spp.
The single strand can grow
up to 2 m long. It is usually
some meters down spiral-
ing out from the reef.
Net fire coral
Millepora dichotoma
Very common on the upper
parts of the reef slopes. If
touched they cause a pain-
ful sting. Fans are up to 60
cm high.
Brain like corals
spp.
There are several species
that form massive shapes
and patterns that resem-
bles the brain. Some are up
to 1.5-2 meters wide.
Sea turtles
Sea turtles are super snorkelers
Sea turtles evolved around 110-150 million years ago,
and it has been a successful strategy. Now there are 7
species remaining in the world, and unfortunately they
are all threatened or endangered. They have adapted
well to a life in the sea and most species consider the
entire world ocean as their home range.
Especially the young stay pelagic for years before coming
Green turtle
Chelonia mydas
back to the coastal areas. When feeding they stay below
the surface for 5-40 minutes, but when resting or sleep- It is not very likely that you
ing, they can remain under water for 4-7 hours, slowing will meet the huge Green
their heart rate to 1 beat per minute! turtle in the Sharm area.
You may encounter two species. If you look at the scales However, they do roam the
on the head, the Green Red Sea, so you may get
turtle has one and the lucky.
Hawksbill two pairs of one pair of scales 150 cm, 300 kg
scales between the nose center scale
and the center scale on top We support TurtleWatch
of the head. Egypt - and so can you ...
Look at the website (e.g.
See videos and
learn more about by using the QR code) to
the marine see how to identify sea
turtles. turtles.
Hawksbill turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
It can grow up to 1 m and
weighing 80 kg. But you are
more likely to encounter
much smaller individuals in
the Sharm area.
The females prefer to nest
on beaches with vegeta-
tion, thus the construction
of man-made structures
(hotels, harbours, etc.)
destroy their nesting habi-
tat. Also, the Hawksbill is
sensitive to disturbance
two pairs of scales from human activity on the
center scale coast.
It is unknown how old the
Hawksbill turtle can get,
but it becomes mature
after 20-40 years.
It is considered Critically
Endangered (CR) by IUCN.
4343
The marine biologist’s guide
to snorkeling in Sharm El
Sheikh
Snorkeling in the Red Sea is a fantas-
tic opportunity to see the amazing
colours and life of the underwater
world. In the Red Sea the water is
warm, clear and has a surprisingly
high number of fish.
This is the easy underwater guide to
learning the differences among the most
common fish species. With knowledge, the
experience gets so much fun and it becomes
a challenge for yourself to recognise the most
species.
Enjoy the water together in the family. Snorkel-
ing is for everybody, young and old.

ISBN 978-87-7056-169-3 Have fun!

9 788770 561693 www.redseasnorkeling.com