CACAO DAMSELFISH

     Damselfishs provide divers with bright and beautiful colors when they are in the juvenile stage, while at the adult stage they are rather dull because they darken until they lose all their characteristic marks of the juvenile phase. This is the case of the cocoa damselfish (see this link stegastes variabilis ) featured on this video shot in July 2015 and August 2016 in West Florida over the wreckage called 'South Jack' Nohab ', located a few miles west-southwest of the wreck 'Docs Barge', which loses the black spot on the back of its dorsal fin.

      Rather territorial, the cacao damselfish is known for its aggressiveness in defending its domain.
Over a wreck .....
This video highlights the difference between the very colorful juvenile stage with a black spot on the caudal and the colorless adult stage with the disappearance of that same black spot. We also notice the aggressiveness that seizes this fish when a diver approaches too close to its territory.
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Over a ledge .....
This video allows to see the difference in color rendering of this fish depending on whether it is filmed without lighting (1st part of the video) or with lighting (2nd part). Again, black dot on the caudal juvenile stage and aggressive defense are well highlighted.
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To know more about the wreck 'South Jack Nohab' .....


The history of this wreck is very interesting because it is that of a yacht that belonged to a given moment of its history to the Kaiser Wilhelm II and having experienced multiple vicissitudes. This story was the subject of a document written by the American Association of Underwater Explorers entitled 'Identification of the South Jack Wreck' -Kaiser Wilhelm's Yacht Lensahn 'and to download it in English in PDF format, click below :
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