On top of the list of the favorite marine animal surely there must be the manta, whaleshark and dolphin – right?

Let’s give other animals a chance too and look at why they are our or your favorite. Is it because they are big or tiny, fierce or cute, hard to spot, weird or fancy looking?

We all love the manta ray as it is huge, moves so elegantly in the water that it almost appears like a ballet dance. On top of that the manta ray sometimes looks at you in a peculiar way and gives you a feeling as it wants to communicate with you. We see mantas while diving and snorkeling in the season from May to November.

Of course, the whaleshark is on top of our list because it is really big and despite its size it is just feeding on plankton. It has this peculiar pattern of stripes and dots all over its body and it can only be found in a few places in the world. Last year we had some early sightings in May and then some more sightings during August & September here in the Baa Atoll.

Dolphins can bring a smile to everyone’s face. We can see dolphins from the boat and if you are extremely lucky also under water. Everyone gets excited no matter if we see them above or below the surface. Sometimes you can hear them communicate with squeaking sounds.

I love frogfish as they are very hard to spot. They come in many different colours. I have seen them in blue, orange, red, blue, rose, white and black. They can’t swim. The pectoral fins of a frogfish look like they have elbows and with those it walks across the reef. Since I am here in Baa Atoll, I have only seen 3 different frog fish.

The longnose hawk fish is small, usually lives in a bush of black coral and has a chequered pattern in red and white. It just looks cute. We even have a logbook stamp with a longnose hawk fish and a necklace pendant. That’s how much we like this small creature.

We have a snorkel trip to Turtle Reef and it is always full. Turtles are definitely a favorite. Some are totally relaxed and just keep eating their favorite food while we are watching or taking pictures. Sometimes we see them coming to the surface to breathe which is also pretty exciting.

Ghost pipefish have the weirdest shape. They look like sea grass or some floatsome and not at all like a fish. Ghost pipefish are not strong swimmers and usually drift in the current until they find protective place where they can settle. They are hard to spot and not easy to photograph which gives us an extra challenge.

You must love the big eyes, the pattern and shape of a porcupine puffer fish. They are easy enough to spot and easy to take pictures of.

Every diver wants to see a shark, the bigger the better. They are the top predator on the reef and are respected by all the other fish and of course by us. They just have this fierce look and purposeful movement that makes them exciting to look at.

I love some of the juvenile fish, especially when they have a completely different color or pattern then the adult. For example look up the juvenile clown trigger fish and the emperor angelfish.

Octopus are very smart and fit into the smallest crevices. They can change their color and the surface of their body. To escape from predators they release a cloud of ink to make their getaway.

Did I mention your favorite marine animal?

Next week we tell you all about our least favorite fish.