Oceanic Sunfish
The oceanic sunfish, popularly known by the Latin name of the genus, Mola, (which means millstone) is the largest bony fish on the planet. Bali is famous for it’s Mola sightings which occur annually around the months of June to October. The molas come to Bali when the water is cooler and are often found at popular dive sites. For many years, these oceanic sunfish that showed up each year were thought to be the Mola mola, which is the originally described member of the genus. However, recently it was determined that the Bali molas are actually Mola ramsayi, a species that is mainly found in the southern ocean and is smaller than the Mola mola.
This photo of 2 Oceanic Sunfish was taken at the popular Crystal Bay dive site located on the island of Nusa Penida, off the east coast of Bali. The molas were being cleaned of annoying parasites by small fish who offer their services at cleaning stations.
You can read more about the Oceanic Sunfish family visit the following Wikipedia link.
Nikon D70 with 12-24mm at 12mm, ISO 200, f5.6, 1/30, Sea and Sea Strobes
