Permit

Photo: Taran Quere · © all rights reserved

Permit are deep-bodied, silver carangids prized by fly fishers but rarely encountered by scuba divers in numbers — Nag's Head's upwelling channel is an exception. They feed on crabs, shrimp, and sea urchins, using their steeply angled forehead and downward-directed mouth to root in hard substrate. Their presence at the wall face suggests the nutrient-rich upwelling creates sufficient invertebrate prey density. Permit are cautious fish that tend to circle divers from a distance before moving on; a sustained sighting at close range is uncommon and represents a genuine diving highlight.