Subject: Four juvenile Golden Trevallies (Gnathanodon speciosus) are piloting a Pink Whipray (Himantura fai). Piloting is the behaviour of swimming in front of, close to or constantly following a bigger fish. Juvenile Golden trevallies are known to mimic the behaviour of the related black and white striped Pilotfish (Naucrates doctor) (both species are Jacks/Carangidae) by aggregating around bigger fish (usually sharks, groupers or rays) and so enjoying protection from predators.
Technique: Because blue (the dominant colour in this clip) and yellow (the little Trevallies) are complementary colours (= any two colours which are direct opposites in the colour wheel), the juvenile Trevallies jump off the screen. Just a little enhancement of the contrast in the blue spectrum and a small increase of the saturation of the yellow was enough to make these images pop.
For a more in-depth description about the Pink Whipray please go to our vlog post 176 or click on this link: https://www.beyondscuba.com/post/a-pink-whipray-himantura-fai-swims-over-the-wreck-of-the-tug-ii
Also you can capture the magic of the underwater world with our online Marine Wildlife Videography course!