Diver Spots What Looks Like Seaweed — Then Realizes It’s A Rare, Living Creature

When scuba diver and ocean content creator Jorinde Maré heard whispers of an extraordinary sighting off the coast of Bonaire, she could hardly believe it. A friend of hers, fellow diver Jolanda, claimed she’d seen something no one on the island had ever encountered before — a striated frogfish.

These unusual anglerfish, streaked with black lines and able to change colors like underwater chameleons, are masters of disguise. They blend so seamlessly into the seafloor that even seasoned divers can swim right past them, mistaking them for coral or seaweed.

Though striated frogfish are found in tropical oceans around the world, no one Maré spoke with had ever spotted one in Bonaire.

“I spoke about this with many people on the island and in the dive industry there, and for all of them, it was surprising,” Maré told The Dodo.

Curiosity turned into determination. Maré decided she had to see the mysterious fish for herself. She followed her friend’s directions and plunged beneath the waves — but after an entire dive, there was no sign of the elusive creature.

“After our dive, we were obviously disappointed,” Maré said. “But we did not want to give up.”

A second dive brought the same result. The frogfish remained hidden, perfectly camouflaged in its underwater world. But on Maré’s third attempt, something strange caught her eye.

On a sandy patch about ten feet below the surface, she noticed what looked like a drifting piece of seaweed — until it moved.

It wasn’t seaweed at all. It was the frogfish.

“This species looks just like a piece of seaweed on the sandy floor,” Maré wrote on TikTok, still amazed by the discovery.

As she marveled at the fish’s masterful disguise, something else happened that made the moment even more magical — two more frogfish appeared nearby, resting together on another patch of sand.

“We were absolutely thrilled,” Maré said. “It was quite the sight to see.”

@oceanamare

Wait for the close up shot! This is the striated frogfish, one of the weirdest ocean critters out there! 🐸 Word has been going around in Bonaire for the past few weeks that this animal had shown up, so of course we needed to get in the water to find it. We tried finding it during two separate dives but we were unsuccessful. Frogfish are known to have pretty great camouflage, and this species looks just like a piece of seaweed on the sandy floor. Then we had to leave the island so we couldn't search again, up until last week when we got back and we tried again! This time we found three of them in one dive, and two of them were sitting there cozy together! It's super cool to see such unusual creatures, and it's proof that you can always be surprised, no matter how many times you've dived at a certain spot! Have you ever seen a frogfish before? 📤 Share this with your dive buddies! ➡️ Follow @oceanmare for more ocean and scuba diving content! #frogfish #bonaire #frogfishbonaire #marineanimals #fish #fishbonaire #scubadiving

♬ original sound – ocean – diving – marine life

Scientists aren’t yet sure whether these sightings mean the species is expanding its range or if this was simply a rare stroke of luck. But for Maré, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience — a reminder of how much wonder still hides beneath the ocean’s surface, waiting to be found.

You can follow Jorinde Maré’s marine adventures and incredible discoveries on TikTok and Instagram.