The ocean around the Indonesian islands of Bali and Lombok are some of the best places to spot beautiful tropical fish! To help you identify some of the most common ones that you’ll see while snorkelling or diving, I’ve put together this handy guide.
Snorkelling in Indonesia is one of the best things to do while you’re here as the waters are warm and there are many calm areas to swim in. Always be careful when snorkelling and swimming in the sea, stay in recommended areas and don’t go alone. If you go by boat, then make sure that the driver doesn’t drive too close to cliffs, as this can result in accidents due to the currents.
I also recommend bringing your own snorkel as some of the ones available to hire from budget places aren’t very good and I used one that squeezed my face! They’re sometimes cheaper to buy at home, as they cost around $25 to buy in Indonesia or about $4 per day to hire.
Be sure to adhere to the snorkelling code of conduct in order to protect the reef, do not touch any coral or marine life, apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going into the water and don’t take anything from the ocean, unless its trash.
Read more of my sustainable snorkelling tips and reef-safe sunscreen recommendations here.
I’ve concentrated on tropical fish here, but you stand a good chance of seeing turtles, dolphins, manta rays, octopuses and sharks as well!
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1. Foxface rabbitfish
2. Raccoon butterflyfish
3. Teardrop butterflyfish
4. Saddle butterflyfish
RECOMMENDED SNORKEL:
5. Threadfin butterflyfish
6. Flame angelfish
7. Emperor angelfish
8. Threespot angelfish
9. Circular spadefish (batfish)
10. Sergeant major fish
11. Humbug dascyllus
The humbug dascyllus is also known as the whitetail dascyllus.
12. Tomato clownfish
13. Blue-green chromis
14. Bicolour parrotfish
15. Coral grouper
16. Clown triggerfish
The great thing about the clown triggerfish is that it’s impossible to confuse with any other fish!
17. Titan triggerfish
This giant fish can be aggressive and cause damage, so keep your distance from them!
18. Striped surgeonfish
19. Oriental sweet lips
Don’t let the problematic name put you off, this fellow is a striped and spotted beauty.
20. Trumpetfish
21. Cornetfish
Obviously, there are plenty more fish in the sea! Not to mention the manta rays, sharks and turtles which I will mention in another post. But what I want to know is what have YOU seen?
I saw these while I was snorkelling in the waters around the Gilis and Nusa Lembongan, but did you see different fish on other islands? Let me know in the comments below.
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