Fish Spot: Brown Garden Eels

Common Name: Brown Garden Eel

 

Scientific Name: Heteroconger Longissimus

Where to Spot them here: The sandy patches to the side of all the shallow reefs. There’s a large colony to the right the north buoy lines of Moc Che.

 

How to identify them: Brown garden eels are narrow and can be up to 50cm in length. They are easily spotted feeding in large groups in open sandy patches with their tails in the sand and their bodies up high waving in the current. When a diver swims towards them they gradually retreat into their burrows until they disappear.

What you may not know about them: The eels construct permanent burrows in the sand, which they never leave. Mating occurs between members of the opposite sex that occupy adjacent burrows by intertwining their bodies while the tail tips remain in their respective burrows.