Garden Eel

Photo: François Libert · CC BY-NC-SA

The sandy back-reef flat behind the wall hosts colonies of garden eels that emerge from their burrows in their hundreds to feed on passing plankton, then snap back underground at any disturbance — demanding patient, slow approaches from divers who want to observe feeding behaviour up close. The colony density at Safata is unusually high, likely related to the moderate current that delivers a consistent plankton supply across the flat.