Oblique-swimming Triplefins on HMNZS Wellington
HMNZS Wellington (F69), a former navy frigate, was sunk off the south coast of Wellington in the Taputeranga Marine Reserve, in 2005. Lying on a sandy bottom, at about 20 metres down, the wreck is in three pieces: bow, bridge/midships, and stern.
On 7th April 2018 I did two dives on the F69, the first on the bridge/midships section, the second on the bow section. A large school of Oblique-swimming Triplefins, see in the accompanying image, swarmed around the front of the bridge. It's common to see Oblique-swimming Triplefins in the Taputeranga Marine Reserve, but I haven't seen them in such numbers before.
