help with fish ID

[cancan]

We were snorkling at Eden Rock in the Caymans. We saw a large school of fish.

The depth was 30 ft and they were close to the bottom. They appeared about

3 ft. long and looks like the had 3 fins on the bottom, 1 fin on top, and a split

tail fin. They looked like torpedos. Just curious as to what we were seeing. Thanks

[jhmoore143]

did it look like this?

 

 

If so, those were barracuda's. . .

[cancan]

I've seen barracudas and these were different. I don't think that the snout

was that pointy and the tail was more notched.

[jtonra]

Tarpon maybe?

 

[cancan]

Thanks. Yes I believe they were tarpon. They were just hovering near the

bottom.

[satxdiver]

You may have seen yellow jack fish. They school and stay a bit under the surface. As for the size, everything looks bigger in the water which helps those of us who are near sighted due to refraction in the water. The yellow jack are very common in the Caribbean.

 

Barracuda normally do not school although I have seen them do it in Micronesia (Pacific). I have never seen barracuda school in the Caribbean although they are commonly seen alone. Tarpon do school but are not seen often in the Caribbean. They tend to be a fast moving fish so since the fish you saw were not moving, they probably were not Tarpon.

 

My guess is that you saw yellow jack fish.

[jtonra]

Tarpon do school but are not seen often in the Caribbean. They tend to be a fast moving fish so since the fish you saw were not moving, they probably were not Tarpon.

 

Sorry to disagree but the reason I suggested that they were likely tarpon is because I've personally seen them in this area of Grand Cayman. As a matter of fact they are quite common there.

[cancan]

I have read of a few restaurants in the Caymans have have a scheduled tarpon

feeding.

[satxdiver]

Since the OP does not have a picture and only a general description we are all guessing. I have dived from both the shore and liveaboard (Cayman Aggressor) in the area and have not seen a tarpon which of course means simply that I did not run across one. According to the Reef Fish Identification book, tarpon are only occasionally seen in the Caribbean and they like canyons and secluded areas. Both are not conducive to snorkeling.

 

The OP may or may not have seen a tarpon. Unfortunately we really will not know. I just returned from a liveaboard in Belize and was able to find a tarpon for the first time in the Caribbean.

[cancan]

This is from the Wharf restaurant web site:

 

"Every night at 9:00 p.m. The Wharf has it’s own special show at our seaside bar, whereby our abundance of residing Tarpon Fish are fed. Our guests can assist with the feeding of these magnificent creatures, some of them weighting over fifty pounds!!"

 

I also reread several posts on the Cayman port forum and read several divers and

snorkeler reporting numerous tarpon in that area.

I do have video on the fish but no still shots.

[tombo]

On Grand Cayman if you do the shore dive at the entry close to the Turtle Farm, go over the mini-wall and make a left, you will very often find schooling tarpons in about 30 feet of water. Off nearby southern Cuba there is a dive site titled "Los Sabalos" (sabalo is Spanish for tarpon) where you will see hundreds of tarpons.

[Capt_BJ]

There are plenty of Tarpon around Grand Cayman. First bunch I ever saw was hanging around Bonnie's Arch around 1985 ....

[diverearl]

Eden Rock is known for the Tarpon that frequent the area under the over hang right at the shore. The Caribbean has Tarpon all over the place and is a favorite destination for fishermen. There is often a large school of Tarpon on Tortuga Reef just off shore at Playa del Carmen.