Chevron Barracuda

Photo: Mark Rosenstein · CC BY-NC

Chevron barracuda form dense spiralling schools of hundreds of fish at current-exposed points like the Caverne Profondes wall exit, a behaviour believed to serve as both anti-predator protection and a mechanism for conserving energy in strong currents through hydrodynamic drafting. They are ambush predators of reef fish and their schooling is predominantly a non-feeding behaviour during daylight hours. The shimmering silver vortex formed by a schooling barracuda aggregation is one of the most visually captivating sights in tropical diving.