Beautiful friendly fish closely investigate scuba divers

Dave and Kristy are scuba divers with a love for the ocean and all of the creatures who live there. They are on a dive that has taken them to 30m (90 feet) beneath the waves along the edge of a pinnacle in Papua New Guinea. The water is crystal clear and the visibility is spectacular. They explored the corals and saw fish of indescribable beauty and varied colour.

After being this far beneath the surface, breathing pressurized air, scuba divers build up a quantity of nitrogen in their blood that must be expelled. To return to normal pressure at the surface without ascending slowly enough will cause immediate and catastrophic effects on their neurological function. For safety, these divers must ascend to 6m (18 feet) and wait three minutes until the gases in their blood return to safe levels. This part of a dive is often the most boring part as the divers generally hover in open water near the boat.

But occasionally, the safety stop provides an interesting look at marine life that does not remain under cover and protection of the coral. These fish are platax, commonly referred to as batfish. They prefer to swim in the open ocean, near the surface and away from structures. They will often congregate under boats and regard scuba divers with curiosity from a distance. These fish have decided to take a very close look at Dave and Kristy and they provide a beautiful close up view of their beautiful colour. The fish seem interested when the divers wiggle their fingers. They also take enough of a liking to Kristy to follow her to the boat.