Les Jorasses
A rocky ridge from ten to thirty-five metres, thick with fish
Les Jorasses is a rocky ridge running from ten to thirty-five metres. The site has a deserved reputation: it is thick with fish.
Why a ridge gathers so many fish
A ridge offers two things a flat bottom does not: shelter from the current on one side, and a landmark in the blue. Shoals hold on the sheltered side and work their way up along the crest.
That is also why it is better followed than flown over: above it you see blue, on its flank you see life.
Rainbow parrotfish, and what they make
You meet large rainbow parrotfish here, often heard before they are seen: they graze the coral with a beak like a parrot’s, in a sound of shifting gravel.
They swallow the limestone along with the algae, digest the algae, and pass the limestone as sand. A good share of the white sand on Caribbean beaches has been through a parrotfish.
What level you need here
| Your level | What you can do here |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | The top of the ridge, to 20 m |
| Level 2 and above | The whole ridge, to 35 m |
What you will meet
- Shoals of porgies and grunts.
- Large rainbow parrotfish, resting there.
- Turtles, often.
- Large pelagics, passing off the ridge.