Mackey had promised to put us on batfish and English Point reef is where he knew they would be hanging out.

We dropped the anchor in the sand inshore from the reef shoulder and descended to the sandy bottom at about 35 feet. We came to rest among thousands of garden eels in every direction, probably the largest field of these little guys I have ever seen.

The reef is magnificent with large sand chutes running over the edge of the wall every fifty or so feet. There is another large and old anchor, standing upright and encrusted in the coral. I would never have seen it but for Mackey pointing it out.

But we chose this reef to find this little guy, the Shortnose Batfish. As we moved back above the reef and began drifting across the sand field, Mackey found the first batfish after a few minutes. I would have never seen it and still don't know how he found it. Its pectoral fins have adapted to allow it to "walk" as if on front paws like a dog. When stirred to a more frantic movement, it shook its caudal fin like a salsa dancer.

Finally, as we approached the boat, toward the end of the dive, and not five feet from the anchor, was another batfish. This time I saw it because it was moving across the sand.