Garden Eel
Heteroconger hassi
Sighting evidence at Coral Slope, Kapalai Island
Colonies of Hasselt's garden eels extend from burrows in the sandy plateau adjoining the slope, swaying in unison in the prevailing current to filter zooplankton. As divers approach slowly, the eels retract progressively into their burrows from the near end of the colony outward, creating a ripple effect that has become one of the iconic behavioural sights of Kapalai diving. The sandy flat hosts one of the denser garden eel aggregations in the Celebes Sea, numbering several hundred individuals in a single colony.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Garden Eel is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.