Longspine Squirrelfish

Photo: Morgan Heinz · CC BY-NC

The wreck's interior is packed with longspine squirrelfish, which gather in the darkest recesses of the hull by day before dispersing to feed on small crustaceans across the reef at night. Their bright red colouration appears almost iridescent under torch light in the wreck's shadowed sections, and the density of fish sheltering inside El Pionero demonstrates how effectively even a heavily encrusted wreck continues to provide refuge decades after sinking. They are among the first fish to investigate a diver's torch, emerging from crevices to hover in the beam.