Diving Cozumel

Where did the week go? The rest of the week flew by in a blur of dives, feasting on great Mexican food and fish classes. We were so tired every night we were asleep before our heads hit the pillow!

Here is a brief recap...Tuesday we dove Delila, Chankanaab and Villa Blanca Wall. Delila is my favorite site and should be renamed Cherubfish Gardens. This is the only time I've ever been able to mark my survey slate "abundant" for these delightful little fish. They were in groups of 3 to 6 everywhere! This hilly site is covered with lush algae and other plant life, making ideal habitats for bucktooth and greenblotch parrotfishes as well as scores of other fish species. My buddy, Laurie, and I were down to 100' and could have descended a bit farther if time and gas supply allowed. Still, this dive ended all too soon after only 45 minutes of bottom time.

Wednesday was a two tank dive in the morning at Palancar Caves and Tormentos Reef. After a brief nap and lunch, the Colonel and I did a short dusk/night dive right across the street from Aqua Safari. We identified dusky cardinalfish and a reef squirrelfish. An octopus also came out of its hole and did his camouflage dance for us. In a short 22 minutes we had more fun in 20' of water than a person should be allowed to have.

Thursday morning we visited Palancar Horseshoe and Chankanaab Bolones. It is so frustrating that several of our group have come across glassy sweepers, but I have missed them every time! The light reflects off their shiny bodies as they swim in close schools and reminds one of the reflected light from a disco ball. Thursday night Barbara, Tom and I dove Paradise Reef. Barbara and I made a good team of finding fish for Tom to photograph. I was the official recorder of our sitings during the dive. The highlight of the evening was seeing at least five spotted moray eels out of their hiding places and hunting along the reef.

Friday we dove Columbia Pinnacles and Punta Sur Shallows. Viz was only about 20' at Punta Sur Shallows, which was good in one way: it made us focus on the small stuff right in front of our faces and not be distracted by other things in the distance. For such a shallow, silty place the Colonel and I saw an impressive diversity of species: dusky damselfishes, several species of parrotfishes, silversides, hamlets, gobies, blennies, grunts, snappers and even an ocean triggerfish that swam into view for a second before it disappeared into the gloom. This was the only dive the Colonel and I actually stayed together for the entire dive.

For the week, our group identified 198 different species of fish and found at least a dozen lionfish for the divemasters to remove from the reef. The staff at Aqua Safari and our trip leaders, Sheryl Shea and Tracey Griffin are the best there is and made the entire trip delightful!

On Saturday the Colonel and I returned to the frigid North and anxiously await the next adventure...

Best fishes,
Reefnut

Monday's dives

A successful first day diving for us on Cozumel. The rest of our group dove yesterday but the Colonel and I prefer to attend church and engage in quiet activities instead of diving on the Sabbath.

Between the three dives today, we spotted at least five lionfish. Chino, our divemaster, managed to capture three of them. Aqua Safari advertises that any guest who finds a lionfish and points it out to a divemaster gets a free afternoon dive. I discovered one of the lionfish at 28ft on Cardona Reef, hanging upside down against the ceiling of a low profile reef cave. The body was about 6" long -- a good-sized critter. Chino captured it with one swipe of his net. I guess that makes my afternoon dive today free.

In addition to all the usual suspects, some of the noteworthy finds on our dives today at Caracolillo, Cardona and Paradise:

• Yellow-cheek wrasse (Cardona)
  
• At least 10 yellow sting rays (Paradise)
• Lesser electric ray (Paradise)
• Glassy sweepers (Caracolillo)

A shower, an hour of group fish ID class, a tasty dinner at El Foco, and its time to hit the sack. We're looking forward to another full day of diving tomorrow.

Best fishes,
Reefnut

Cozumel REEF trip next week!

The Colonel and I are headed to Cozumel next week to join up with about 20 other fish nerd divers for our annual REEF field fish survey. This year there is a greater sense of urgency and duty as the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish has finally appeared in Cozumel waters. The first sightings were in January, 2009 and sightings have been more frequent as the year advanced. One of our tasks while underwater will be to actively look for and record the details of our lionfish sightings. The divemasters accompanying us are the only ones authorized to take them off the reef (yes, that means kill them), so whenever we spot one we will need to get the attention of our divemaster and he will "take out the trash".

When you think of lionfish in Caribbean or Atlantic waters, think cockroach with venomous spines and an over-sized appetite. They breed like crazy and vacuum up every living thing on the reef. These guys don't belong here and the national marine park folks on Cozumel are more than a little worried. Dive tourism is huge on Cozumel and a significant part of the local economy. Divers come to Cozumel from all over the world to swim up close and personal with the abundant diversity of reef critters. If these are threatened, Cozumel won't be such an attractive place for divers anymore and the local economy will be hit hard.

Keep checking as I will be posting updates throughout the trip and, hopefully, a few pix. If you want to know about the lionfish invasion, REEF has posted some good information, links, and how you can help. Click here to find out more.

Best fishes!
Reefnut