Swordfish

Photo: Aleksander Golemaj · © all rights reserved

Swordfish are irregular visitors to the open water above the reef in late summer and autumn, drawn by the dense baitfish aggregations that form in productive Ionian current upwellings. Sightings are rare and unpredictable but memorable — typically large adults moving purposefully through the blue at depth. Their occurrence here reflects the Ionian's stronger pelagic productivity compared to the Aegean.