What location is best for lots of fish

[mjh]

Given you have a budget. We dove the Kona Aggressor and did day boat dives on Grand Cayman and Utila. The Kona Aggressor is great; the diving is all about the unique fish in Hawaii. There are no soft corals or big schools (Typically) it is more about individual species you won’t see in the Carib. You may see A shark and A manta ray while diving but not guaranteed. The Aggressor does do the Manta Ray night dive at the end of the week were you usually see 3-9 Mantas. Here is our trip report:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=87779&highlight=the+small

Utila is also wonderful. Here you will have lush reefs, great macro and schools of the more common carib fish. If you go the right time of year this is one of the main Whale Shark areas in the world. Like Hawaii you may see a shark or manta but rare. Don’t remember any wrecks in Utila but I am sure there are some small ones. Trip report for Utila.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=66281&highlight=Utila+lodge

Caymans is all about big walls and deep drops. I love to sit at the edge of a big wall and watch the world swim buy. Shares most of the corals and fish you would see in Utila but a little more likely to see sharks, rays and wrecks here. We did not find the corals to be as plentiful as Utila. Once again we did Utila and Cayman from shore ops. Sorry did not do one for the Caymans.

For me it would be between Utila and Hawaii and would probably go with Utila…

 

[AboutUtila]

What location is best for max viz and lots of fish (small and/or big) and coral?

I want to do a liveaboard but can't decide between Belize, Utila, or the Cayman Islands. We want to have 50+ viz and see schools of fish, sharks, rays, etc... Basically a lot of life. Wrecks would be a huge plus!

Does such a place exist anymore :06:

Thanks

The reef life in Utila is fairly abundant. See the Fish & Reef life photo gallery on www.AboutUtila.com for exapmples. A group of scuba divers from R.E.E.F. (Reef Environmental Education Foundation) recently visited Utila in July 2005 and they counted 182 different species of fish during that week. See their Trip Report on AboutUtila.com, plus reports & reviews from other island visitors.

Utila has an advantage in that large areas of the island are uninhabited, especially the north side, so there is little pressure on the natural habitat from population centre development, waste water run-off, boat traffic, fishing, etc.

The Utila Aggressor liveaboard is due to start operations out of Utila in September 2005, and it's itinerary includes Utila, Roatan and Cayos Cochinos. The latter is a heavily protected marine reserve and as such as very abundant reef life, plus the Aggressor will be visting difficult to get to sea mounds, (rocky coral encrusted outcrops rising up from the ocean floor), which typically team with schools of fish.

I hope to be adding some video clips of schooling and shoaling fish to AboutUtila.com soon, but need a new computer with a much larger hard disk drive before I can finish this.

I hope this helps - Mark

 

[caymaniac]

There is an area called the "coral triangle" it comprises the largest biodiversity on earth. There are 485 species of coral (known) and some that are are not yet named so not yet counted. There are, so far, 831 species of fish that have been counted with new finds each year. I would say the "coral triangle" is the fishiest area on earth. The "coral triangle" reaches from above Australia in the Coral Sea to the Solomons east, all of Papua New Guinea up to Micronesia and west through Indonesia. If you want the fishiest area, then, you'll have to dive there. Diving in the Caribbean may have some numbers, but it is not anywhere near this area in the Pacific when it comes to numbers of fish and numbers of species.
Google "coral triangle"- deliniations. If you've done any reading you'll find that the Caribbean is a fairly new area as far as reefs are concerned, areas such as the Red Sea and the Pacific have been around alot longer, thus the more numbers of species and fish.
If you want the fishiest, you have to travel, if you want easy, go to the Caribbean.
I've been to Hawaii on several ocassions, although it is fun to dive there, it does not have the greatest fish life, although what you will see there will be much different than the Caribbean, it is sparse at best. Utilla may have some schools but have you been in the "coral triangle"? Get planning and save up, do a liveaboard and see the best, at least once in your life you'll not regret it.
All the best,
Caymaniac

 

[mishmish]

What location is best for max viz and lots of fish (small and/or big) and coral?

I want to do a liveaboard but can't decide between Belize, Utila, or the Cayman Islands. We want to have 50+ viz and see schools of fish, sharks, rays, etc... Basically a lot of life. Wrecks would be a huge plus!

Does such a place exist anymore :06:

Thanks

of course it dependes also when are u going but defently palau will have all u asked for

 

[scubacoz22]

Seems like you are on the site early today. Palau seems like a good bet for lots of fish. New Britain was lotsss of fish. I'm still recovering from the expenditure of vacation.
The variation of fish and the numbers would cause overload, I'd start to try and remember 5 - 6 - 9, different types and would see a dozen more and I'd forget the first few that I tried to remember, but what an excellent problem to have.

try cozumel lots of fish and it is fairly cheap. Even after the hurricane i hear that the fish are plentiful. We are leaving for coz Feb 26th for a full week of diving and fun Kathy

 

[tjmills]

What about Bonaire?? Easy Divin'......

 

[caymaniac]

try cozumel lots of fish and it is fairly cheap. Even after the hurricane i hear that the fish are plentiful. We are leaving for coz Feb 26th for a full week of diving and fun Kathy

There are more fish in the Pacific than Caribbean, the first two pics are from Cayman, then 4 from Australia, then the rest from PNG.

Enjoy!

 

[caymaniac]

Sorry, I missed loading this pic from the above post. It's taken near Lizard Island