Flying Fish

At the end of a dive, when the bottom fades and the ascent crosses the last meters, also look toward the surface. This is where the black-winged flying fish lives, in that thin layer of open water just beneath the mirror.

A silvered silhouette can dart through the blue, extended by immense dark pectoral fins and large pelvic fins that already give it an unusual appearance underwater. These pelvic fins, also highly developed, further reinforce this astonishing silhouette of a small four-winged glider.

But the real surprise comes when it leaves the sea. It does not beat its fins like a bird: before exiting, rapid movements of its tail give it momentum, then its large fins deploy and it continues its trajectory by gliding above the surface.

Changing environment does not mean disappearing from the food chain: among its predators are notably dolphins, tunas, mahi-mahi and seabirds. At night, another trap is reported: DORIS indicates that flying fish can be attracted by boat lights and sometimes end their leap on the deck.

A few seconds earlier, however, it was still just a silvered form in the last meters; an acceleration is then enough for it to disappear on the other side of the mirror.