Scuba diver meets school of giant tarpon hunting in Belize

Tarpon are magnificent fish and ferocious predators. They grow to almost 2m (6 feet) in length and a whopping 165kg (275lb). This scuba diver in Belize was returning to the boat after an afternoon dive. As she cruised over the coral in the shallows, she was confronted by a school of tarpon that were drifting past in front of his face. Tarpon this size have no predators except large sharks and they have little fear as they meet up with this clumsy human.

A very unique thing about tarpon is that they have a specialized swim bladder. This can also function as an accessory respiratory organ, allowing them to breathe air from the surface so that they can survive in water with very low oxygen saturation. They are also able to swim much faster than other fish in the same environment because of their increased oxygen uptake. This makes them formidable predators. They have voracious appetites, inhaling their food whole.

For a scuba diver, a school tarpon so close up is a very interesting sight!