by Roger Blum
Mola mola
Meet the Gigantic Ocean Sunfish in Bali
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"I recently saw a puffer fish." Nothing too special about that, some might think. "But this particular pufferfish was as tall as a small building." The usual reaction to this statement is wide-eyed disbelief. Or people think, maybe after inhaling too much nitrogen, that I’ve lost my mind...
But this is a true story. In mid-November I went diving south of Bali on the island of Nusa Penida and met one of the most fascinating and mystical creatures on earth - the gigantic ocean sunfish. The sunfish, a member of the pufferfish family, can reach three meters in length, nearly four meters in height, and weigh over two tons! They are the largest bony fish in the world. The biggest ever recorded specimen, according to the Guinness World Records, measures a massive 4.26 meters in height and weighs in at a whopping 2,235 tons. Most people when imagining pufferfish think of a cute, puffed-up balloon, but the sunfish tends to look more like an enormous millstone than a ball - hence the species’ zoological name, Mola mola, ‘mola’ being the Latin word for millstone
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There hadn’t originally been any plan to do a sunfish photo shoot on this trip. Rather, I had wanted to take pictures of sharks in the waters around the islands of Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan. The strong and treacherous currents that pass by the islands change direction frequently, ensuring an abundance of large fish for aquatic enthusiasts to enjoy all year round. This makes the islands one of the best places for diving in Bali.
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I was lucky enough to see two sunfish around the two Nusas. The first puffer I encountered disappeared quite quickly, but the second was more tolerant of my presence, making it possible to photograph him extensively. After posing for a while, he suddenly turned and swam away in a flash. Sunfish swim like triggerfish, moving their ventral and dorsal fins to the right and left at the same time. It's amazing to see such an awkward looking giant move so quickly.
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The Mola Mola boasts another entry in the Guinness World Records: capable of releasing up to 30 million eggs in one spawning season, this fish is the underwater world’s biggest egg producer. Despite its impressive reproduction capacities, the species is highly endangered and every year, countless numbers of these fascinating animals die. Many of them are killed after they get caught up in the drift nets of boats trawling for swordfish. Others die from swallowing seaborne plastic waste, which blocks the fish’s stomach and intestines.
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An even stranger reason for the dwindling numbers is there culinary appeal. Although the fish produce the highly poisonous neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX), they are considered to be a delicacy in Asia, with the Taiwanese and Japanese buying and eating the most pufferfish in the world.
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A week before my sunfish experience, I spent a few days in Taiwan and perhaps unconsciously predicting my encounter with the mola mola, I ended up with one or two pieces of the mythical fish on my plate. When I actually saw the size of these underwater beasts a few days later, the thought crossed my mind that the tetrodotoxin from my meal (or a nitrogen overload) might be playing tricks on me, warping my ability to judge dimensions. Luckily, I’ve got the photographic evidence and the Guinness World Records to back up my sanity.
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Meet The Bull Sharks
The real reason I went to Mexico was actually to photograph the fauna and flora in freshwater cavern areas far away from the ocean. Here in the jungle, there are colorful cichlids, tooth carp, catfish and tetrasa, all of which we know from our native aquariums, as well as blind cave fish and turtles. But I was drawn to the ocean when I was given the opportunity by a small group of adventurous divers to swim with bull sharks.
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Shark 'n Surf in South Africa
Ever since Steven Spielberg’s underwater blockbuster ‘Jaws’ hit cinemas in 1975, people who swim in the sea have been divided into two camps: those who hope that they’ll never come face-to-face with a shark, and those who actively seek them out. I am one of the latter. Inspired by the celebrated film and its anti-hero, the great white shark, I try to dive with the elegant hunters whenever and wherever I can. On this occasion, I was in the coastal town of Gansbaai, two hours south of Cape Town.
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