Critter of the day: Moray Eels

Moray eels are found on every dive site we have here on the Ningaloo Reef. Most of the time you will see just their heads, or even just their noses, sticking out a hole or ledge to clue you in that there is some cool critter lurking. Often, as you get closer, the eels will actually come out farther to check you out a little bit better!

Most eels have extremely sharp teeth (and poor eyesight) so waving fingers in front of them is not a good idea, though they are not considered "dangerous" as unprovoked attacks are virtually unheard of. An eel bite can be very nasty and is prone to infection; I've seen infection set in over a matter of hours and the diver had to can the rest of his planned dives!

All of the eels we encounter are quite happy to let you get in nice and close so you can see all of their teethies or so you can get a really nice photo. The exception is our humongous giant morays - they're simply scary with their sheer size and have no fear! You just need to learn to be calm, respect the eel's space and not accidentally get too close.

Exmouth gets a great variety of eels on our Ningaloo Reef sites. Not only do we get a diverse selection of gorgeously patterned eels, we get bright yellow dwarf morays, almost pure white morays and other bright colours, too. Most of the eels we encounter are alone but sometimes you will find two or three snuggled in a crevice.


Gymnothorax melatremus - Dwarf morays tend to be some of the shyest we come across and if your shadow falls across one or it feels you in the water it will often retract deep into its hole. It's unlikely it will pop its head back out during the duration of your dive, so its important to give them a little more space.

These pretty guys have several common names: Leopard spotted, Tesselated eel, Giraffe moray or Black-blotched - Gymnothorax favagineus

Some eels are no bigger around than your finger while others can grow so large you wonder if you could actually even get your arms around them! It's often hard to tell how long an eel is as they usually prefer to keep most of their bodies hidden but we know we get eels that can be up to 3m! Usually the fatter they are, the longer they are.

Often there are bonus creatures hanging out in the same hole with eels: crabs, shrimps, nudibranch and small fish. Eels also seem to be a dirty lot - cleaner wrasse and a variety of cleaner shrimps seem to be constantly working hard. Sometimes the shrimp are almost bigger than the morays!



Snowflake or Starry eels (Echinda nebulosa) are a pretty rare sight here on the Ningaloo Reef so it's always exciting when someone reports seeing one. They differ from our other eels not only by their beautiful markings, but also by their blunt teeth which are perfect for eating their favourite food - crustaceans (they will also eat fish, of course).

Chances are very good that you will be able to observe several different species of moray eels when you dive with us at Exmouth Diving Centre. Remember to talk with your guides if you are particularly interested in them and they will do their best to find more eels and hopefully a cleaning station or two for you!