The Secret Language of Fish
How Marine Life Communicates in Boracay’s Waters
How Marine Life Communicates in Boracay’s Waters
The Secret Language of Fish: How Marine Life Communicates in Boracay’s Waters
When we dive into the ocean, we enter a world filled with unspoken conversations. Fish and marine creatures don’t have vocal cords like humans, but they have evolved incredible ways to communicate, using colors, body movements, sounds, and even bioluminescence.
Boracay’s reefs are home to a vibrant array of marine life, from schools of shimmering fusiliers to well-camouflaged frogfish and intricate coral ecosystems. Observing how these creatures interact reveals a hidden world of signals, warnings, and social bonds. In this article, we’ll explore the secret language of fish and how you can witness these fascinating forms of communication while diving in Boracay.
Color and Camouflage: The Visual Language of the Reef
One of the most striking ways fish communicate is through color. Boracay’s reefs are full of fish that use their vibrant hues and patterns to signal messages to other marine creatures.
How Fish Use Color to Communicate:
- Attracting Mates: Bright, bold colors often indicate that a fish is looking for a mate. For example, male wrasses and parrotfish can change color dramatically during mating displays to impress females.
- Warning Signs: Some fish use bright colors as a warning to predators. Lionfish and scorpionfish, both found in Boracay, display vivid red, orange, and white patterns to signal their venomous spines.
- Camouflage and Deception: Some marine life, like frogfish, change their skin color to blend seamlessly into their surroundings, making them nearly invisible to both prey and predators. Ghost pipefish and filefish mimic coral branches or floating debris to avoid detection.
- Group Coordination: Schooling fish, such as fusiliers and barracudas, use their shimmering scales to reflect light, helping them move in synchronized patterns to confuse predators.
📍 Where to See It in Boracay:
- Crocodile Island – Excellent for spotting colorful wrasses, angelfish, and butterflyfish.
- Angol Point – A great place to observe schooling fusiliers and parrotfish in their natural habitat.
Body Language: The Silent Signals of Fish
Fish and other marine animals use their bodies to express dominance, submission, or aggression. If you watch closely while diving, you can see many different forms of body language in action.
Common Body Language Signals:
- Fin Flaring: Many fish, such as triggerfish and groupers, flare their fins to appear larger and more intimidating when facing a rival or predator.
- Head-Down Posture: When a moray eel or lionfish lowers its head and spreads its fins, it’s usually a sign of aggression or territorial behavior.
- Lateral Display: Fish like damselfish and surgeonfish use side-to-side movements and body tilts to warn others to stay out of their territory.
- Twitching and Jerking Movements: These motions are often seen during mating or when a fish is signaling for a cleaning service. Cleaner wrasses at Boracay’s reefs recognize these cues and approach to remove parasites.
📍 Where to See It in Boracay:
- Friday’s Rock – A prime site for watching territorial behaviors among damselfish and groupers.
- Camia II Wreck – A hotspot for moray eels and schooling fish interactions.
Sound Communication: The Underwater Orchestra
Although the underwater world seems silent to divers, many fish produce sounds to communicate. Unlike whales and dolphins, which use echolocation, fish create sounds using their swim bladders, teeth, or bones.
How Fish Use Sound to Communicate:
- Drumming and Croaking: Some fish, like groupers and grunts, create low-frequency sounds by vibrating their swim bladders, usually to attract mates or warn rivals.
- Clicking and Popping: Clownfish make clicking noises to establish hierarchy within their anemone homes. Triggerfish also create loud pops to defend their territory.
- Grinding Teeth: Parrotfish, commonly found in Boracay, produce crunching noises while feeding on coral, which can be heard by divers if they listen carefully.
📍 Where to Hear It in Boracay:
- Angol Point – A great place to listen for parrotfish feeding on coral.
- Punta Bunga – An area where triggerfish and groupers are often heard signaling to each other.
Bioluminescence: Nature’s Glow-in-the-Dark Messages
Some marine creatures take communication to a whole new level by producing light. Bioluminescence, or the ability to glow, is used by certain fish and invertebrates to attract mates, lure prey, or ward off predators.
Bioluminescent Marine Life in Boracay:
- Plankton Blooms: At night, microscopic plankton emit a blue glow when disturbed, creating an otherworldly underwater effect.
- Flashlight Fish: These deep-water fish use glowing patches under their eyes to signal each other in the dark.
- Squid and Cuttlefish: These intelligent cephalopods use flashing light displays to communicate and confuse predators.
📍 Where to See It in Boracay:
- Night dives at Angol Point or Crocodile Island offer some of the best opportunities to witness bioluminescence.
Cleaning Stations: A Unique Form of Underwater Cooperation
Cleaning stations are one of the most interesting forms of marine communication. Certain small fish and shrimp act as “cleaners,” removing parasites from larger fish in a mutually beneficial relationship.
How It Works:
- Client fish approach a cleaning station and signal that they need cleaning by opening their mouths or spreading their fins.
- Cleaner wrasses and shrimp get to work, removing dead skin and parasites.
- Even large predators like moray eels and barracudas participate, trusting the tiny cleaners completely.
📍 Where to See It in Boracay:
- Crocodile Island – Look for cleaning wrasses tending to larger fish near coral heads.
- Channel Drift – A great site to see cleaner shrimp working on groupers and eels.
How Divers Can Observe and Interpret Fish Behavior
Understanding the secret language of fish can enhance your diving experience and deepen your connection to the underwater world. Here are some tips:
- Be Patient and Observant: Take time to watch how fish interact, rather than just swimming past them.
- Maintain Good Buoyancy: This ensures you don’t disturb marine life and allows you to witness natural behaviors.
- Avoid Sudden Movements: Fish are sensitive to motion, so move slowly to avoid startling them.
- Listen Underwater: Pay attention to the sounds of feeding, clicking, and drumming while diving.
- Use a Dive Light at Night: A dive light can reveal colors, patterns, and nocturnal behaviors otherwise hidden in the dark.
Final Thoughts: The Ocean’s Silent Conversations
Boracay’s reefs are alive with communication, from the color-changing displays of cuttlefish to the clicking conversations of clownfish. By understanding how marine life communicates, divers gain a deeper appreciation for the intelligence and complexity of ocean ecosystems.
Next time you take a dive in Boracay, pay close attention to the secret signals of the reef—you might just uncover an entirely new way to experience the underwater world.

Wish to know more about the diving in Boracay? Our team will be delighted to answer your questions and let us know why we should be your first choice when planning your dive vacation to the Philippines. We hope to hear from you soon!
