The moray eel is a common fish of south coast waters but is more likely to be seen by divers because it spends most of the daytime resting in a hole with just its head pointing out. However, they can often be seen by observant snorkelers and even rock shelf walkers. Sometimes you might even see two or three in the same hole. Probably the most I have seen on the one dive was during a night drift dive in the area of the Narooma Wharf. There appeared to be morays popping out of holes everywhere.

Morays can look rather fearsome because they appear to be observing the observer quite intently and they keep their mouths open, displaying a row of jagged teeth. The only real danger, though, is to those who might be silly enough to poke a finger at them or who might stick their hand in a hole. The usual rule applies – leave things alone and they’ll leave you alone. Their habit of sitting in a hole with their mouths open is really just their way of breathing. They are taking water in their mouths and passing it over their gills. So the idea that they are threatening the observer is quite misplaced.

The official common name is the Green Moray, though they are usually more of a golden colour with just a green tinge. They can grow to about a metre in length. They are active and good hunters, using an acute sense of smell to find their prey, which may be small fish, crustaceans or molluscs. If a diver breaks open a sea urchin to feed some fish, he is likely to find a moray will appear out of nowhere, moving and writhing around very quickly as it tries to get its share.

The Green Moray is part of quite a large family of eels found all over the world, most of which are tropical and some of which, like the Giant Moray, grow to a considerable size. They all have a similar life-style.