A guide to Cleaning Stations

Although the ocean is in a constant swirl of prey and predator interactions, it’s difficult for divers to observe natural behaviour, as animals often flee from our large and intruding presence. However, as any seasoned photographer or naturalist knows, there is one place that is always home to a buzz of activity on the reef: the cleaning station!

What are Cleaning Stations?

"Cleaning station" is the name given to a coral head or rock where marine life stops by to have parasites and other nuisances “cleaned” by specialized fish or shrimp that live in that area. There are many kinds of cleaning stations that can be found on a reef, some are world-famous while others are non-descript and only noticed by observant divers.

One thing that all cleaning stations have in common is that they offer fantastic opportunities for capturing natural behaviour on camera. Cleaning stations can be so integral to an area that they create an entire diving industry based on rewarding experiences for divers observing cleaning stations at work. Famous examples of such areas are usually manta related and include top sites such as Yap in Micronesia and the Socorro Islands off Baja Mexico. However, it’s often the small and hidden cleaning stations that reward divers with the most interesting animal behaviour.

The Cleaners of the Station

Common “cleaners” on a tropical reef include a variety of shrimp as well as many species of wrasse, butterfly fish, and even larger angel and banner fish.

A cleaning station is often easy to spot; it’s typically a large rock, sponge, or coral head that stands out from its surroundings and is located in an area that receives consistent tidal flow. Blue Corner dive site in Palau is a great example of a “current dive” where many sharks come in close to the reef and hover briefly above a cleaning station, using the current to keep them in place and drive water across their gills.

The island of Nusa Penida in Bali, Indonesia is home to cool water and strong currents and there are many areas around this small island where schools of banner fish await the appearance of giant Mola molas wanting to be cleaned of parasites.

Almost every dive site in the world will feature a few cleaning stations that a sharp-eyed guide can point out to eager divers. Although these sites may not be home to charismatic mega fauna, they often feature great encounters with many smaller members of the reef community, stopping by for a “wash”. Moray eels, grouper, damselfish and a number of other residents will stop under an overhang or sponge for cleaners to pick parasites or food out of gill slits and mouth cavities.

Although it looks dangerous for a tiny shrimp or cleaner fish to jump in the mouth of a large moray eel, but the fish being cleaned don’t prey upon the cleaners. This is most certainly one of the most impressive examples of symbiosis on the reef.

Divers' Behavior at Cleaning Sations

For photographers, a cleaning station is a wonderful place to investigate. At cleaning stations that feature large animals such as mantas or sharks, knowing where to position yourself is very important in order to get the best angle of the animal, but at the same time it’s very important not to get too close to the cleaning station in order not to scare away the subject!

With small scale cleaning stations, the key for photographers is to move slowly and carefully in order to get close enough to take a winning photograph. A stealthy approach is most definitely required, as animals that are cleaning tend to be very wary and will often bolt at the first sign of a disturbance. Therefore, it’s important for a photographer to move just a few feet at a time and then stop and wait for the animal to get used to his/her presence before getting closer.

These small cleaning stations are great places to capture images of morays, groupers, and even toothy barracuda! For divers living on the edge, there are brave shrimp that will even jump into a human mouth for a little dental work!

Next time you are enjoying a dive, slow it down and have a look under coral heads and around large rocks, as you may find it’s a busier place than expected. With such a large variety of cleaning stations on the reef, you may just stumble upon a giant grouper with it’s mouth wide open and a cleaner shrimp picking bits of detritus from the jaws- most definitely a picture worth taking!