Mandarinfish

Photo: kate_gard · CC BY-NC

Mandarinfish at Port Vila Bay perform their courtship display precisely at dusk on the rubble patches between 5 and 10 meters, with males swimming upward in a brief but dramatic pairing display that lasts only seconds before both fish vanish back into the rubble. Operators time entry precisely so divers are in position on the bottom when the display begins — lateness means missing it entirely. Port Vila is one of the few Pacific sites where mandarin fish viewing is reliable enough to be a guaranteed programme item rather than a lucky sighting.