Graybar Grunt: The Reef's Shimmering School

Swim up on a drifting cloud of silvery, faintly barred fish and you've likely found a school of graybar grunts — one of the great gathering fish of the Pacific reef. Here's how to spot them near Jacó, plus five fun facts.

Graybar Grunt · Haemulon sexfasciatum

How to spot the graybar grunt near Jacó

Look for large, loosely-packed schools hanging near rocky reefs and ledges, often in midwater. The pale body shows soft gray bars, and the whole school shimmers and shifts together as you approach. They part gently and reform behind you.

5 fun facts about the graybar grunt

• One of the biggest grunts here. Graybar grunt are among the largest grunts on the Eastern Pacific reef, which makes their schools especially impressive.
• Strength in the school. Hanging together in big numbers makes it hard for predators to single out any one fish.
• A grunt by name and nature. Like its relatives, it grunts by grinding throat teeth, a sound you might even hear underwater.
• Night feeders. The school rests over the reef by day and disperses to feed over open bottom after dark.
• Eastern Pacific only. This species is found just along the Pacific coast of the Americas, a signature reef fish of the region.

The graybar grunt is just one of many characters down there. See the whole cast in our Snorkel Jaco fish directory, or read real guest photos and reviews on the Snorkel Jaco reviews.