Hawkfish
Longnose hawkfish (Silke Baron / CC BY)
Hawkfish have stout to moderately elongated, often colorful bodies, and large heads. The scientific name, Cirrhitidae, derives from a set of cirri that are attached near the tips of ten dorsal fin spines. Hawkfish species normally range from 7 centimeters (2.8 inches, dwarf hawkfish) to 28 centimeters (11 inches, halfspotted hawkfish) in length. They can be found on the branches of soft and hard corals or sponges.
This supplemental online resource accompanies the book Scuba Diving Hand Signals by Lars Behnke, available on
Amazon.