Fish Reef

Otago, South Island

Offshore from the north Otago coast near Palmerston, where a formation of large boulders and bedrock ridges creates varied habitat from ten to twenty-two metres. Scarlet wrasse work the boulder faces, picking invertebrates from sponge-covered surfaces. Look for Jason mirabilis nudibranch among the hard coral, barracouta over sandy patches, and red moki along deeper contours.