Wide Eyed Reef Fish

Soldierfish are a common sighting amongst divers visiting tropical and subtropical locations and are typically seen swimming in tightly organized schools that may resemble a military formation, hence their name. Members of the squirrelfish family, soldierfish have red bodies and wide eyes. Due to their nocturnal behavior and desire to live in caves and overhangs throughout the reef, soldierfish are also recognizable by their large eyes.

You can dive with soldierfish throughout the warm waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. They grow, on average, to around 30 cm (12 in) long and have laterally compressed, oval bodies. Their fins are usually yellow and/or white in color, with the dorsal fin being spiny and the caudal fin forked. There are many varieties of soldierfish, such as blackbar, big eye black bar, and panamic soldierfish. Discovering a school of soldierfish under a ledge while diving along a reef is always a fun sighting. Explore the dive map below to see where you can go diving with soldierfish.