Moorish Idol

Photo: Thibaud Aronson · CC BY-SA

Moorish idols drift through the coral gardens at Hiroshi Point in pairs and loose groups of five to ten individuals, picking sponges and encrusting organisms from the reef with their long, brush-like snouts. Their distinctive black, white, and yellow banding makes them one of the reef's most recognisable species, and their abundance at Hiroshi Point reflects the high sponge density that comes with pristine water quality. Photographers frequently spend an entire dive in the 8 to 12 meter zone following pairs through the staghorn forest.