By V.E.K.Madhushani, Jadetimes News
Scuba Diving Amidst the South Pacific's Most Enigmatic Feeding Frenzy
The Full Moon's Mysterious Call: Red Snapper Spawning Frenzy in Palau
At 6:00 AM, a small boat bobbed gently a few miles off the coast of Palau, an island nation in the Pacific. Eight divers, clad in wetsuits with scuba gear ready, sat on the boat's edge, waiting. The early morning sun occasionally sparkled on the waves, but the divers' focus was on the water, where their guide had just submerged. Their mission: to witness one of the ocean's most extraordinary phenomena the spawning of thousands of red snapper, known as Lutjanus bohar.
This wasn't a quest for a single fish. The divers were on the lookout for at least 1,000 snapper, though 5,000 would be ideal. Moments later, the guide's hand shot up from below the surface, signaling the sighting of an enormous, amorphous mass of snapper at the dive site known as Shark City. The anticipation was palpable as the divers counted down from three and backrolled into the water in unison, descending swiftly to a depth of 31 meters.
What they encountered was nothing short of breathtaking a dense, swirling mass of red snapper engaged in a spawning aggregation, a natural spectacle that occurs three days before the full moon each month. As the tide turned, the shimmering school of fish, roughly the size of a football field, began to ascend toward the surface. Female snapper released their eggs in a synchronized release, triggering a frenzy of activity from the males, all vying to fertilize the eggs. Divers, too, found themselves in a chaotic dance, trying to capture the event on camera before the water became clouded with genetic material.
This remarkable mating event, while likely occurring in oceans around the world, is only reliably observed at two dive sites in Palau: Shark City and another near Peleliu Island. These sites offer a rare opportunity for divers to witness this natural phenomenon. However, the challenge of locating these spawning events is considerable, with most recreational divers limited to depths of around 20 meters and advanced divers to no more than 40 meters.
"There are probably sites like this every 10 or 20 miles, but we just don't know where they are," said Mandy Etpison, a pioneer in Palau's diving industry and the first PADI certified instructor on the island. Etpison, who helped confirm the island’s best known spawning phenomena in 2009, recalls that the discovery of these events often happens by accident, either through reports from fishermen or sheer luck.
Research on reef fish behavior in Palau remains minimal, with scientists speculating that fertilization coincides with the start of the outgoing current to maximize the dispersal of eggs into the open ocean. The precise mechanisms by which these fish navigate to the exact time and location of spawning remain a mystery. "They get cues from the Moon, I think," said Christina Muller Karanassos, a lead researcher at Palau's International Coral Reef Research Center. "At spawns, you get some immature fish that follow bigger fish to the site. So maybe they learn."
For divers, witnessing Palau's red snapper spawning is as much about luck as skill. On one attempt, the diving group missed the spawning by just 20 minutes. However, on their second attempt, they were fortunate to experience the event in full, along with the presence of opportunistic predators like bull sharks.
Palau's commitment to marine conservation is well known. In 2009, the country established the world's first shark sanctuary, banning the fishing of 350 shark species in an area the size of France. In 2015, over 80% of Palau's waters were designated as the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, prohibiting offshore fishing. Efforts are ongoing to implement a fisheries management plan to protect species like the red snapper, especially around known spawning grounds.
For those considering a dive in Palau, it's worth noting that the red snapper spawning dives are recommended for experienced divers. Most dive shops suggest at least 50 logged dives, while Etpison recommends 100. Less experienced divers may opt for shallower bumphead snapper spawns, which occur during the new moon and typically feature calmer conditions.
In Palau, the chance to witness a snapper spawning or encounter a bull shark might be a highlight anywhere else in the world. But here, it’s just another day on the reef a testament to the island’s rich marine biodiversity and the ongoing efforts to protect it.
