On our honeymoon in Savu Savu, Fiji, Brad and I did nine dives in eleven days. On one deep dive, we were descending alongside what felt like a dark underwater cliff when these enormous batfish appeared—silvery white, black bands, touches of yellow, like the angelfish I knew from the Florida Keys but three times the size.

Brad noticed it before I did: they were following me. I went up, they went up. I went down, they went down. I turned, they turned. For a little while in Fiji, apparently I was the leader of the batfish. I was swimming along, completely unaware that I had acquired an entourage, while Brad is watching the whole thing happen. Once he pointed it out, I turned and then they turned – as if we were the rockettes of the sea and we had choreographed our every move. 

At one point I turned around to face them square in the eye and they looked at me, “What now leader?”

And that’s how I became the Pied Piper of Fijian Batfish.

Her. We follow her. That memory has stayed with me for almost twenty years!

I did a little research the other night on these tail fin batfish. It makes sense. Scientists believe that they are one of the smartest fish in the ocean. They are the fastest growing fish in the ocean. Scientists believe they can recognize an individual’s face. Hence why they knew their leader. 😂 I feel like that information should be from my son, Alex’s “Did you know desk”!