Starfish
Red starfish (Echinaster sepositus)
Starfish (class Asteroidea) are a group of echinoderms with star-shaped and often brightly colored bodies. Most species have five arms radiating from a central disc. Starfish range from one centimeter (0.4 inches, Asterina gibbosa) to one meter (3.3 feet, Freyella remex) across the body. In some regions Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) infestations pose one of the most significant threats to coral reefs.
This supplemental online resource accompanies the book Scuba Diving Hand Signals by Lars Behnke, available on
Amazon.