/ FishRed Sea life
Sohal surgeonfish
Acanthurus sohal
The Red Sea's own, and it owns the piece of reef you are floating over.
- How often
- Common
- Group
- Fish
- Visible while snorkelling
- Visible while snorkelling
Found nowhere but the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden: blue and grey pinstripes with a brilliant orange flash along the flank. In front of the tail sits a scalpel-sharp blade that folds out sideways, which is where the family name comes from.
Sohals are aggressively territorial and will drive off fish many times their size. A diver drifting over the wrong patch of reef gets the same treatment, minus the blade.
Which species do you want to see?
Tell us the species and the date · the captain plans the boat around the conditions.