Masked butterflyfish

The masked butterflyfish (Chaetodon semilarvatus) is endemic to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden – it lives nowhere else on Earth, which makes it one of the most sought-after photo subjects on Hurghada dives. Its whole body is a radiant lemon yellow crossed by thin orange vertical lines, and a blue-grey "half mask" sits around the eye – hence the scientific name semilarvatus, "half-masked".

Even among butterflyfish it is exceptionally faithful: pairs stay together for years, probably for life, and you almost always see them in twos. During the day they typically hover nearly motionless in the shade of a table coral or overhang, as if pausing to rest – they set out to feed mainly on coral polyps and small invertebrates. Their larger gatherings of 10–20 fish are rarer, but an unforgettable sight.

Around Hurghada it is fortunately common: on the Giftun plateaus, along the Small Giftun walls and in the Gota Abu Ramada coral garden you will meet a pair under the Acropora tables on almost every dive. It is not a shy fish – approach slowly and the pair usually just drifts off a few metres with great dignity, so you have a good chance of watching them in the shallower coral gardens while snorkeling too.