Cozumel Underwater 1 ~ New Jersey Scuba Diving

One of the cannons at Plaza Las Glorias.

Tiny Banded Coral Shrimps Stenopus Hispidus inside the cannon. Fire or Red Boring Sponge below.

John & student diver

Conducting an Open-Water class

Spotted Butterflyfish Chaetodon ocellatus. Not a great shot - only included here because these guys are pretty common in NJ in late summer/fall. But not this big.

A Whitespotted Filefish Cantherhines macrocerus, with no white spots. Gray Cornucopia Sponge Niphates digitalis at right.

Nurse Shark Ginglymostoma cirratum

A shy Coney Epinefelus fulvus - a sort of small sea bass.

Another Coney, and another peering out from behind the rock.

Bluestripe Lizardfish Synodus saurus. A similar type is found in our own waters.

Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus argus. I tried to pick one up in a restaurant holding tank. Not as easy as it looks.

Colors get lost in long shots. Columbia Reef

A school of fast-swimming Horse-eye Jacks Caranx latus.

Yellowtail Snapper Ocyurus chrysurus

Gray Angelfish Pomacanthus arcuatus. These guys are placid and relatively easy to photograph.

Yet another Coney, hovering above a dreaded Black Sea Urchin Diadema anellarum. ( Touch one, and you'll see why. ) Also, Lettuce Coral Agaricia above the urchin.

A large Black Grouper Mycteroperca bonaci. It's not very black, but like many fishes, they are very good at changing color.

Longspine Squirrelfish Holocentrus rufus

A long shot over Yucab Reef (?)

Queen Angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris

The same guy, still cooperating. The Green Algae in the background is some species of Halimeda ( sometimes called "disk algae." )

Cozumel Underwater 1

Cozumel

Fire Island Artificial Reef