kittsw's Identifications

Surprisingly active, out in the open but probably more inquisitive about divers than hunting prey. It shot past in a hurry,so I only got one photo. But it didn't appear to be chasing anything. I suppose I should also keep in mind the fact that we're well into autumn, so this was quite late afternoon, and the tide was rising fast, it was quite a big tide, mostly cloudy sky by this time, and the water clarity-not great to begin with-was declining more rapidly in the 2nd half of the dive. In short, the subject fish was probably transitioning from the species' usual reclusive diurnal phase towards its usual nocturnally active phase. Perhaps it sensed food in the direction it was heading. And silly me often forgets the fact that many baited hooks surround both jetties, plus the fact that the jetty and boat fishers are pulling hooked fish and jagged squid to the surface frequently as the tide rises. A weak cold front was approaching too, which usually improves recreational fishers prospects for good catches just ahead of the weather change. OMG another long ramble!

Could be same one already submitted from this dive but there were several full size adults actively foraging and at times 2 individuals (?perhaps even three) could be seen simultaneously. This one has wide open mouth but from winnowing, not as a cleaning station client, FTR.