I don’t always take the time to photograph eels when I come across them. So some extent it might be because with the macro lens on the camera is it difficult to feel like I’m getting anything different than I’ve photographed before… but because other folks likely have not seen a ton of eels, I’ll share a trio of different species today…
Spotted Moray (Gymnothorax moringa) can grow to about 4 feet long or so according to my ID book, but I feel like I’ve seen larger ones – maybe they just seem larger when they’re as thick as the first one below. They all seem to have that classic gaping look that morays have when they’re looking out of their burrows…
Sharptail Eels (Myrichthys breviceps) tend to be out foraging and tend to not be too concerned with divers as they swim along checking in cracks and crevices for anything to eat. Unfortunately, the fact that they’re out hunting means they usually don’t hold still for their photo ops too well…
Yellow Garden Eels (Heteroconger luteolus) are the smallest of the trio and live in burrows in the sand – usually in groups which I think results in their name of garden eels because when they are all swaying in the currents it looks like a garden of plants. They tend to be pretty shy, so getting them to be a couple inches our of their burrows is usually the best one can hope for when photographing them, but supposedly they are up to 20 inches long in those burrows!
