Giant Tarpon appear as ghostly silver specters during night scuba dive

Scuba diving is an exhilarating sport at any time, but it is especially thrilling at night when some of the larger creatures are more active and more likely to be hunting. This scuba diver is exploring the reef on Little Cayman Island and he suddenly realizes that he is not alone. A large school of massive tarpon have come into the area, possibly attracted by the diver’s lights and the prospect of a meal. Shrimp and small fish are naturally attracted to light and they swarm around divers. The bigger fish understand this and they drift in and out of the beam, hoping to catch a fish or two. They also understand that the smaller fish can be blinded or disoriented by the bright lights and temporarily, they are much easier to catch.Show more

But for the diver, the ghostly silver fish that suddenly appear in front of him and then disappear just as quickly can be unnerving. These Tarpon are three to four feet long and weigh at least 80lbs but they can reach eight feet in length and weigh almost 300lbs. They are powerful swimmers and formidable predators but they are never a threat to humans. When they first appear though, they resemble barracuda or small sharks as they dart in and out of view. Their scaly sides create a large flash and it is difficult to get a proper impression of how big they are.

Divers become accustomed to these large fish after a few minutes and they are a welcome and fascinating sight. Difficult to see clearly, they appear like a ghostly silver specters out of the darkness. They came so close to these divers that they could be felt occasionally brushing past. They are powerful swimmers and effective hunters. At this size, they prey exclusively on medium sized fish that they can swallow whole.