Help with fish ID.......

[caymaniac]

Sorry but I disagree. Pretty sure its a Blacktip Grouper, Epinephelus fasciatus.
They can be highly variable, but the lack of mottling (especially in the tail) is a good indicator.

Halfmoon is mottled/speckled and the side bars are more irregular. Image by Lockett above is also (I believe) a blacktip, not a halfmoon. Best reference for this is Steene, Allen, Humann, Deloach: Reef Fish Tropical Pacific. If you google image search you will see several mis-identified images. Try a google image search of the latin name Epinephelus rivulatus and you will see some decent images of the halfmoon.

I think it is more likely the halfmoon grouper, the coloration on the Blacktip grouper does not match from what I've seen, I checked out your suggested website. This was a daytime dive and the fish is at cleaning station which may alter the coloration somewhat but not to the extent of that of the Blacktip grouper.

 

[IXΘYΣ]

Internet ichthyology sure is fun, isn't it? Sort of reminds me of 70mph botany back in college where we'd try to identify plants from the interstate. We had some pretty significant surprises when we'd stop and actually get our hands on what we'd seen.
For what it's worth, I don't think either picture is rivulatus, but I also don't have any better suggestion.
IXΘYΣ

 

[donnyb]

Tail & cheek in the images have no mottling/spots. The halfmoon does.
Color of Blacktip is "highly variable" per all guidebooks.
It also looks like there is some dark markings on the ray tips of the dorsal fins, but hard to tell since its down.

May have to agree to disagree on this one?

 

[H2Andy]

i think it's a great white shark

just a small one

and it's orange

 

[IXΘYΣ]

i think it's a great white shark

just a small one

and it's orange

Don't give up your day job Andy.
IXΘYΣ

 

[H2Andy]

you're just jealous of my ichthyal acumen

eyebrow

hey, i'm thinking of renaming this new fish a subspecies
of the great white shark:

the small orange shark

 

[Rick Murchison]

Comparing fishbase photos of the Blacktip and the Halfmoon, I now vote for Blacktip.
Rick

 

[Epinephelus]

Those two pictures are of Epinephelus fasciatus.
Trust me
E