Dive with
Best places to dive with Camouflage grouper (marbled grouper)
Epinephelus polyphekadion
A stocky, mottled brown grouper of Indo-Pacific reefs, solitary most of the year. At Fakarava it forms one of the largest documented spawning aggregations of any grouper - roughly 17,000 fish gathering in the South Pass to spawn around the June or July full moon. The predictability of these aggregations makes the species vulnerable to fishing, and the IUCN lists it as Vulnerable.
Destinations ranked by how reliably camouflage grouper (marbled grouper) is seen. The bars show the likelihood by month — never a guarantee. See the full species page for more.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | peak season |
| July | peak season |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Present on Fakarava's reefs year-round but seen singly outside the spawn. The spectacle is the aggregation of roughly 17,000 fish in the South Pass over a few days around the June or July full moon, documented by CRIOBE researchers. Outside that window you may see scattered individuals only.