New Jersey Scuba Diving

Cozumel Underwater 2

Cozumel - Threespot Damselfish — Threespot Damselfish *Pomacentrus planifrons*

Ferocious, territorial, extremely pugnacious, and fortunately only four inches long. In the background is the tentacle of a Giant Anemone Condylactus gigantea .

Cozumel - French Angelfish — French Angelfish *Pomacanthus paru*. Now my collection is complete.

Cozumel - Smooth Trunkfish — Smooth Trunkfish *Lactophrys triquiter*. These are not very trusting - this is the best shot I was able to get all week.

Cozumel - Yellowtail Damselfish — Yellowtail Damselfish *Microspathadon chrysurus*

Unfortunately, the shot is clouded by condensation on the camera lens. The blue spots are incredibly intense, like LEDs. Lettuce Coral at upper-left, Common Brain Coral Diploria strigosa at lower-left.

Cozumel - Giant Anemone — Another Giant Anemone close-up. This and the next picture seem to suffer from some sort of bad camera or strobe setting.

Cozumel - Flamingo Tongue — Flamingo Tongue *Cyphoma gibbosum*. A snail that feeds on Sea Fans *Gorgonia* and Sea Rods *Plexaurella* ( as it's doing in this picture. ) Pity the colors didn't come out.

Cozumel - gunboat wreck — Looking over the bow of the gunboat wreck.

Cozumel - Red Finger Sponge — Wow, that red really hits you after all that blue. Alright, I admit I diddled with the colors a bit. Red Finger Sponge?

Cozumel - Blue Chromis — Blue Chromis *Chromis cyaneus*. The little guys are often the hardest to get - by the time you line up the shot, they're gone!

Cozumel - lobsters — A cave full of "lobsters". These aren't real lobsters though - lobsters have claws! These are some kind of insect I think. Yellow Boring Sponge *Siphonodictyon corraliphagum* above.

Cozumel - Chromis — Close up - more Chromis.

Cozumel - Rock Beauty — Another close-up. The yellow tail in the center of the picture belongs to a Rock Beauty *Holacanthus tricolor* - a small and very evasive type of angelfish.

Cozumel - Ocean Surgeon Fish — Ocean Surgeon Fish *Acanthurus bahianus*

Cozumel - Deepwater Lace Coral — Deepwater Lace Coral or Sea Fan *Iciligorgia schrammi*

Bull Shark

Carcharhinus leucas

Size:
to 12 ft, perhaps larger

Habitat:
coastal waters, bays, rivers, into freshwater

Notes:
dangerous

The Bull Shark can be recognized by a combination of characters including a stout body, short blunt snout, triangular serrated teeth in the upper jaw, and no fin markings as an adult. This species has a second dorsal fin about one-third the height of the first, a small eye, and no skin ridge between the two dorsal fins. It is gray above and pale below, sometimes with a pale stripe on the flank.

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