Hey Everyone!

My boyfriend and I are back from an AMAZING 10-days in Bonaire. INCREDIBLE. Will post a full trip report soon... but! I wanted to throw this out there... we went out into Lac Bay (without a camera of course...) and saw this really big weird looking fish hiding in some coral. He must have been about 2.5-3 feet long and maybe 1-1.5 ft from belly to top (no top fin that I could see), had a bulbous forehead, big ol' fish lips, big black eyes, really small side fins, and was a dolphin-grey with kind of random small black spots/splotches. He was hanging out with another rather large fish that swam away very quickly when we swam by. He looked very timid and gentle (as much as a fish can???) and kept backing into his coral hideout while we lingered. We are both beginner snorkelers and have no idea how to find out what kind of fish this was!

Does this sound familiar to anyone??

Could it have been a big grouper? They are very gentle, at times inquisitive & definitely have "big ol' fish lips".
See this link..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath_grouper

vince,

thanks for your response! the mouth is similar, but this fish had quite a large bulbous forehead! sort of like how a mahi-mahi can have a big forehead... also, the markings on our fish were much less condensed than the markings on the grouper.

the search continues...

Hi Ann was this the fish?

hi freddie,

definitely not. ahhh the search continues! perhaps someone can suggest a site that has a list of fish around bonaire with photos? i checked reef.org already....

Sounds like a Porquepine fish, google for photos. Similar to the burrfish pictured above, but more like your discription.

nope, not a puffer fish in the least. this fish was really quite large..... smooth skin like a dolphin's, a few medium to large blackish spots/splotches....

maybe a greater soapfish or a rockhind.
http://www.deepseaimages.com/dsilibrary/showgallery.php?cat=687


(Message edited by subaqua on October 9, 2008)

Perhaps a midnight parrotfish. I saw one on the West side last year that had a very pronounced bulge on the forehead area.
Here is a link to a bad photo of him...
http://www2.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=220055043/PictureID=6223255152/a=108463614_108463614/t_=108463614

Sounds to me like a Porgy.

https://www.usefilm.com/image/409088.html

possibly a blue parrotfish...they often have a large bump on the forehead and sometimes have darker spots on them. they are usually a brilliant blue. they can get to be about 3' (1 meter) long

Hi
There's a picture of a "Goliath Grouper" taken near Hilma Hooker here. http://www.mvpix.com/photos/021/Netherland%20Antilles/Bonaire/Nature/Underwater/Fish/20060514-082826-jsmoriss-8587.jpg.html
There is really nothing for scale so it's hard to tell for sure how big it is.
Mick

We saw a very large "mystery" fish also while at Sorobon, and someone identified it as a Permit. Google that and see if it looks like what you saw.

hmm. this fish that we saw was not silver like the Permits i'm finding online. he was a very dull grey... and his skin looked fat. and his head was really bulbous.. like he was some kind of whale or shark, but of course not that big. he was probably about 2.5-3 ft long and sorta looked... slow. if a fish can look slow...

o.k... large, bulbous head, slow looking, almost 3'.. now that sounds like a napoleon wrasse
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/animals/sea-life/7826200-napoleon-wrasse.php?id=7826200

http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Nature/Underwater/Fish/NapoleonWrasseApproaching1.jpg

mm... nope!

i am so bummed we didn't have a camera!

I'm betting on one of these guys.



I have seen quite big ones on the east side, also they love to hide behind coral.

nope! not it.....

i drew a sketch, but i can't figure out how to add a pic to a post??

I know! I know! Well, I think to think I know anyway, here's my try at it:

That didn't work out too well, here it is again,


or try this one and see if that looks like it.

That didn't work out too well, here it is again,


or try this one and see if that looks like it.
http://research.myfwc.com/gallery/image_details.asp?id=22047

Did I get it right???

no...

i'm beginning to think we discovered a new species or something!

I would still bet on a Blue Parrotfish in a lighter color phase or a Grouper which can change colors to match surroundings. The bulbous forehead seems to point toward a Blue Parrotfish particularly of the size described.

I know the parrotfish have been different colors, and we saw quite a few really large ones about 3feet last time we were there. Who knows, but hey, they all are awesome looking. We'll be coming out there on April 3rd for TWO WEEKS this time. woo hoo

it was definitely not a parrotfish. the mouth was nothing like a parrotfish! and this guy was big and kinda fatty! his face sorta looked underdeveloped.

ahhhh i don't know!

But it sure is fun to get everyone in on it.
Hey parrotfish is my answer for almost everything.
They are soooo huge on Bonaire, not like the ones
in Turks and Caicos or Cayman. No matter, now you'll just have to go back again with a camera next time (smile). We're bringing an Olympus 1030 underwater camera to see if it goes better than the scads of disposable cameras we always buy!

Try this pic.

How about a Cubera Snapper.

Aquaman

Was it traditional fish shape?

I have seen Cubera Snapper in the reef, it is big like she suggests and the sloping head could be taken for under developed...

I don't have a picture with me, does anyone?

Aquaman

(Message edited by barry_b on March 18, 2009)

Here's one.

Looks like that snapper pic is at the wreck of Our Confidence?????

Yeap, that be the place. He was a biggun and probably still is.

nope. def not a snapper. he didn't look like he had scales, or at the very least not shiny ones. and he was not shaped like a traditional fish. so strange!

I like that dive to Our Confidence. Lots of rubble activity and often many critters around the quickly rotting wood of the wreck. Good at night!

This has turned into a stump the Bonaire enthusiast.

Aquaman

A Moray eel
Mick

Maybe an infant whale shark?????