Parrotfish (mixed schools)

Multiple parrotfish species — stoplight, rainbow, and queen parrotfish — graze the reef surface at Punta Sal in unusually large schools. Parrotfish are essential reef grazers; their feeding removes algae that would otherwise overgrow and smother coral, and their sand production supports the white beaches divers love. At most Caribbean sites, overfishing has decimated parrotfish populations and broken the grazing cycle — allowing algae to colonise bleached coral before it can recover. The dense parrotfish schools at Tela are considered one of the ecological mechanisms sustaining the reef's health. Their characteristic beak-scraping sound is constant throughout the dive.