Blue Marlin

The most often interactions divers may have with the Marlin are during surface intervals where marlins on the hunt slashing around at the surface.

The Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) is a species of marlin, endemic to the Atlantic Ocean. It is a predator that feeds on a wide variety of organisms near the surface. By using its bill, it can slash while swimming through schools of fish, and then return to eat the stunned or dead prey. It is highly sought as a game fish to be caught by the means of rod and reel and has commercial value because its meat has a relatively high fat content.

The Atlantic blue marlin lives in the tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The distribution of Atlantic blue marlin expands in a northerly direction during the warmer months and contracts towards the equator during colder months.

The bill is long and stout. Both the jaws and the palatines (the roof of the mouth) are covered with small, file-like teeth. The lateral line system is a group of neuromasts rooted in lateral line canals that are used to perceive weak water motions and large changes in pressure. It has the appearance of a net. It is obvious in immature specimens but unclear in adults, as it becomes increasingly embedded in the skin.

Occasional - Sightings are not unusual, but not on a regular basis.