Dive with
Best places to dive with Longfin batfish
Platax teira
A tall, disc-shaped silver fish that drifts in loose groups around reefs and wrecks. A resident school is a well-known feature of the SS Thistlegorm, where the fish hang in the current above the cargo holds and often approach divers closely.
Destinations ranked by how reliably longfin batfish is seen. The bars show the likelihood by month — never a guarantee. See the full species page for more.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Batfish are described cruising in from open water over the wrecks and are among the most frequently mentioned fish on the hulls. Reliable year-round.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Batfish hang around the wrecks year-round, often in small groups near the Okikawa Maru, Kogyo Maru and Irako.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Batfish are among the resident schooling fish on the HTMS Chang wreck.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
A resident school hangs over the SS Thistlegorm year-round, drifting in the current above the cargo holds.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | not seen |
| February | not seen |
| March | not seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | not seen |
| December | not seen |
Batfish schools are a recurring Tokong Timur and offshore-pinnacle sighting during the operating season.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Schools hang around the superstructures of the larger wrecks.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Reported by the local operator on the deeper edges at Bay Canh and Hon Cau, usually in small groups.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Groups of batfish hang around the pinnacles and wreck sites, curious and easy to approach.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Small groups hang around structure — the Sugar Wreck, the Police Wreck and the boulders at Terumbu Tiga. They are curious and will follow divers, which makes them a staple of Perhentian training-dive photos.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Batfish are regularly reported around the LCU and other wreck structures, but no defensible monthly pattern was found.