The Tarpon on Bonaire, N.A. hunt by the scuba divers lights during night dives. They become quite pesky. Can't shine the light on any small fish for any length of time without the Tarpon honing in on them and eating the fish. When seeking out their prey at night they look like a sidewinder missile in slow motion. Sometimes can get ten to twenty minutes into the dive before the Tarpon find us, sometimes they are right there at the beginning. They have learned to hunt by our lights. They will swim within inches of a diver and is quite funny if diving with someone new or who has never done night diving on Bonaire. Usually can hear explicative being pronounced under water.

On the windward side there is a dive called White Hole where the Tarpon come in to rest during the day. 30 to 50 of them in a school is not uncommon. Can swim through them and they just part and let you through. Harmless to divers. At night they hunt individually.

Hand feeding is not allowed nor advised (the video is a good example of what NOT to do). Their jaws look like a chrome plated Vice Grip wrench of some sort. Not something I would want around my arm. The size of the fish on the video is common. Under water they look like they are chrome plated.

John

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