Reef fish
Anemonefish
Amphiprion spp.
Small territorial clownfish sheltering in anemones that have colonised the shallow hulls. A reliable small-subject find on wrecks like the Fujikawa and Shinkoku Maru.
- Max size
- Up to about 11cm
- Habitat
- Lives among the tentacles of host anemones growing on the shallower wrecks and reef.
Best places to dive with Anemonefish
| 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 |
Resident in huge numbers at Clown Valley, which reportedly holds the densest sea-anemone concentration of any dive site; mainly Clark's and tomato anemonefish.
| 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 |
Standard on the shallow fringing reef at Pelong Rocks and at Abana Reef, which are the sites used for Open Water divers and snorkellers rather than the deeper hulls.
| 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 |
Anemonefish are on nearly every Con Dao reef dive and are one of the more dependable subjects here. Species-level identification in local reporting is not reliable.
| 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 |
Anemonefish (clownfish) occupy anemone fields on the shallow reefs, notably at Hin Luk Bat.
| 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 |
Found year-round in the anemone patches at Two Tone Garden, Koh Koun and Koh Prins' Anemone Garden.
| 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 |
Anemones with resident clownfish are scattered across the shallow sites and are one of the few reliably photogenic subjects on a training dive.
| 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 |
Anemone colonies are a fixture on the Balicasag shallows and on Panglao's slopes; the Balicasag snorkelling zone is marketed on its clownfish. Year-round, no seasonality.
| 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 |
Anemonefish are resident on shallow reefs and are commonly encountered on training dives. Heat damage affected some anemone patches in 2024, so distribution varies between sites.
| 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 |
Anemone patches on Redang's shallow reefs hold resident false clown anemonefish, including the Pasir Panjang house reefs. Anemones bleach alongside coral in heat events, so patches lost in 2024 have not all recovered.
| 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 |
Anemonefish are a realistic year-round reef sighting where host anemones persist; no monthly peak is documented.
| 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 |
Resident in anemones across the shallow reefs, including the HQ Channel and Ao Mai Ngam.
| 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 |
Reliable on the anemone-covered shallow wrecks.
Sources & last checked
Checked July 2026
Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.
View 1 source and checking notes
- Inside the Fujikawa Maru wreck, Master Liveaboards