Blackfin Barracuda, Sphyraena genie, hunting sardines in coastal waters

Blackfin Barracuda, are a common coastal species across the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific Ocean.

Chevron barracuda, Sphyraena genie, hunt sardines feeding in plankton rich waters under a pier, while silver monos (aka silver moonies, consume plankton. Andaman Sea, Thailand.
Blackfin barracuda, Sphyraena genie, hunt sardines feeding in plankton rich waters under a pier, while silver monos consume plankton. Andaman Sea, Thailand.

I took this picture under an old concrete pier along the west coast of Phuket, Thailand. This is the Andaman Sea side of Thailand. Despite being oceanic waters, the waters just off the beach along these western shore are often quite cloudy. Plankton blooms grow in the nutrient-rich waters, while even slight swells churn up and suspend fine sand.

Schooling sardines between the pillars of an old concrete pier. Andaman Sea. The sardine form tight schools largely for protection, such as from the blackfin barracuda circling above.
Schooling sardines between the pillars of an old concrete pier. Andaman Sea.

I was free diving under the pier mostly to photograph schooling sardines, thousands of which were swooping and wheeling between the concrete pillars. The visibility was not great, so once underwater I normally had to ‘hang’ for a minute or so to orientate myself. The schooling sardines, in turn, attracted in predators like the barracuda which patrolled the outer part of the pier. The disc-like silver monos (Monodactylus argenteus) are plankton feeders, something that abounded in the soupy waters. Monos are sometimes known as silver moonies, pretty apt given their shape and silver-yellow colouration.

This image, as with many of my images, is available to license by contacting me directly. Other images are available to license via my Alamy account.

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