You spot the regal angelfish by its blue, white and orange bands, then it darts into its crack as you approach. It lives on every Egyptian reef of the Red Sea, in every season: look for it on the Shark Reef wall at Ras Mohammed, on the walls of Elphinstone and around the Giftun Islands.
Where to dive to see the regal angelfish?
EgyptHow do you identify a regal angelfish?
The regal angelfish, or royal angelfish, measures 20 centimeters on average and up to 25. Its oval, compressed body is crossed by slanting blue and white bands edged in black on an orange background; the dorsal fin is midnight blue speckled with pale dots, and the tail fin is bright yellow. The only species in its genus, it looks like no other angelfish in the Red Sea.
How does the regal angelfish live?
It lives on sheltered coral reefs in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, between 2 and 80 meters deep, and feeds on sponges and tunicates, attached animals often mistaken for plants. Mostly solitary, it lives in pairs during the breeding season. The species is a protogynous hermaphrodite: all individuals are born female and the largest turn into males. When they spawn, pairs release their eggs and sperm near the surface, and the larvae drift in open water for about sixty days before settling on the reef.
Where and when can you see regal angelfish in the Red Sea?
In the Red Sea, the regal angelfish lives on every reef in Egypt. At Ras Mohammed, it stays in the cracks of the Shark Reef wall, among the soft corals. You will also find it on the walls of Elphinstone, around the Giftun Islands and on coral-covered wrecks.
Look for it in the cracks and under the overhangs of the walls. You spot it by its colors, then lose it as soon as it slips back into its crack. It is there all year, and no month is better than another.
How do you photograph a regal angelfish?
It is one of the favorite subjects of Red Sea photographers, and one of the most frustrating: it hides as you approach. Stop two meters away, settle your buoyancy, wait for it to come back out, and shoot without a burst of flash, which would make it vanish for good. Never put a hand in the crack to make it come out.
Our tip
It stays in cracks and darts off as you approach: keep your distance, camera ready, and wait for it to come back out on its own. No burst of flash, and no hand in the crack.