How to start fish id'ing?

Nike style, "Just do it!".

You can use wet notes and write down the fish name and quantity.

Name/Quantity (S Single 1, F Few 2-10, M Many 11-100, A Abundant 100 +)

REEF BUTT (Reef Butterflyfish) M (Many)

The REEF slates http://www.reef.org with a bolt snap work well and fit in pockets. Using the waterproof paper (free with fish id course) and the slate makes it easier to check off the fish seen and faster to enter the data on line as the form follows the water proof paper. Wet-notes make you scroll up and down the Internet page finding the fish which gets old.

Once you start, you'll find all the fish you know, then start making notes of identifying characteristics of new fish you don't know the names for. Then go look them up. Soon you'll be able to figure out the families "Big lips, Silvery, odd shaped bottom dweller" and go from there.

On the next dive, you'll find the old fish, the new fish you just learned (re-enforcing the memory and learning) and then take notes on some new fish to look up when you get home. Then the cycle continues. Then go to class to answer the tough questions and learn some new families of fish to look for.

Diving with other fish id divers speeds things up as they can tell you the name of the fish underwater saving you the "look up" phase of learning.

Also, you'll start with the big fish, Grunts, Angels, Butterflies, and move to the smaller fish, Blennys and Gobies. Once you figure out that Rough-head Blenny's are abundant and not just the "single one your found" you've reached fish id nirvana and enlightenment.

Soon every dive becomes a treasure hunt for fish. You'll be the one on the boat saying, "Did you see that hovering goby?" and everyone else will be wondering what your talking about? All they saw were Angelfish, a Barracuda, and a Green Moray.

--Matt