We asked you what your 10 favourite creatures to dive with are. And you delivered.

Of course, this wasn’t a scientific survey, and we didn’t get hundreds of entries, so this may not be super representative of the majority of divers. But what is clear is that there are so many intriguing and fabulous critters that we can’t show the results in a graph. Many were only mentioned once, because they were so specific. Some of you have obviously dived for a long time and pretty much everywhere. We were also astonished by the knowledge and Fish ID skills of many of you. You obviously either have a very good memory, or a very detailed dive log that includes a Fish ID log. From Red Sea Bannerfish to a Harlequin Filefish and a Honeycomb Cowfish- those were some of the very specific entries. Have you ticked them off your list yet?

We lumped some entries together, such as “sharks”. From Hammerhead sharks to Wobbegong and Walking Sharks, there are so many varieties. Except we singled out the Whaleshark, as that it
is in a category of its own. Or Octopus – from Blue Ring to Coconut Octopus – you all really like them!
Some of you clearly prefer the larger pelagics where other lists included colourful, or rare reef fish. For some it was also obvious that you’ve spent more than one dive vacation in the Coral Triangle, where the marine biodiversity is just astounding.

It was fun putting this list together, and brought back memories of so many amazing dives. We were actually surprised as to what made Number one. Can you guess?

Favourite creatures to dive with

No, it’s not the Whaleshark!

Your number one choice is the Octopus! Of all varieties.
Followed closely by … Turtles!

Now, if we add up all Shark entries, including whalesharks, yes, they would actually make #1.
And if we added up Mantas together with Eagle and Sting Rays, they would make #2.
Coming in closely after:

  • Eels (from Garden Eels to Moray Eels)
  • Nudibranchs
  • Squid
  • Seahorses
  • Cuttlefish
  • Dolphins
  • Clownfish
  • Queen Angelfish
  • Parrotfish
  • Drumfish
  • Groupers
  • Pufferfish
  • Frogfish
  • Wrasse
  • Blennies

We’re sure if you read the list of those only mentioned once or twice, your reaction will be “oh right, I love that too!”

Have a read:
Stonefish, Butterflyfish, Jawfish, Snakes, Toadfish, Flounder, Juvenile Trunkfish, Triggerfish, Flying Gurnard, Leafy Seadragon, Spanish Dancer, Barracuda, Schooling Jacks,
Porcupine Fish, Fairy basslet, Mandarin Fish, Potato Cod, Juvenile Damselfish, Sea Lions, Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Sargassum Anglerfish, Dungenous Crab, Red Sea Bannerfish, Harlequin Filefish, Honeycomb Cowfish, Stargazer, Lobster, Mantis Shrimp, Oriental Sweetlips, Blue Ribbon Eels, Unicorn fish, Trunkfish, Shrimp Gobies, Potato Shrimp, Blue Whale.

Many of you also mentioned juvenile versions of the above varieties… which is just so intriguing.

Well done!!

The ones that got the best laugh from our team were: “my buddy” and “new divers who haven’t figured out their buoyancy and gear yet”.

Keep on diving and exploring the fabulous underwater world. There is so much more to discover!!