08/08/2026
My favorite photo from our diving trip to Blue Bay Divers Saronde Island in North Sulawesi: mating mandarin fish, just a five-minute boat ride from Saronde Island!
Mating of mandarin fish takes place in the dark during sunset or twilight. The male searches for a female. He displays his fins and makes vibrating movements. When the female is ready, she rests her belly against the male's belly. Together, they swim up to just above the reef. At the highest point, they release the eggs and s***m into the open water for external fertilization. You can see the eggs beneath the female mandarin fish in the picture. Immediately after letting go, they both shoot back to the safety of the bottom at lightning speed.
Because the mating takes place in the dark, divers cannot use normal light. To enable the underwater camera to focus sharply even in the dark, we placed a red filter over a dive light. The guides of Blue Bay Divers Saronde Island know where to find the mandarin fish. And then it’s a matter of patience and watching the dark water with Yvonne van Gemert to see where the mandarin fish emerge above the reef. And, of course, continuously looking at the screen of the underwater camera, keeping my finger constantly on the shutter button ..... what a gift from our beautiful underwater world 🙏
And as a bonus, three other pics of individual mandarin Fish 😀 Anke Andree
