COZUMEL – OUR HAPPY PLACE - AUGUST 2019

We arrived on time at LAX Friday night for what was supposed to be a 0:45 AM flight to DFW. We were told the flight was delayed until 1:30 AM with no explanation. Of course 1:30 became 2:00 and then they announced they had to find another first flight officer because the one on the plane had "timed out." As 2:00 AM came and went, the departure time was then changed to 10:14 AM, at which point we were told that people who would miss connecting flights should go to the service desk. Needless to say, Deborah and I were nowhere near the front of the line. Sloooooowly we advanced. The best they could do was put us on a flight leaving Sunday at 6:00 AM. We took a cab back to the house.

I wasn’t sanguine about making it to Cozumel the next day as we had a short connection in DFW and needed to change terminals.

Air travel sucks!

Sunday, we were able to fly and made the tight connection in DFW for the flight to Cozumel. Miracle of miracles, our luggage was there as well. Playing “red light, green light” in customs, we lost and had to submit our bags to a hand search before being allowed to leave the airport for the shuttle ride to our hotel.

At Scuba Club Cozumel, we were met with, “Welcome home!” I can’t tell you how wonderful those words mean to me.

© Bonnie Pelnar

Scuba Club Cozumel is a semi-all-inclusive dive resort. We started coming here in the early nineties and have returned once or twice a year to enjoy their hospitality and the warm, clear waters of the Caribbean. We love this place. Check out their website: http://scubaclubcozumel.com

It was late afternoon and the dive shop closes at 6:00 PM, so we quickly unpacked, grabbed tanks, and threw our gear together for a quick (one hour plus) check out dive off shore in front of the hotel. We poked around looking for little stuff. I played with my new Olympus TG 6 camera. I think I like this new toy.

My rig

Star horseshoe worm (Pomatostegus stellatus)

Spotted moray (Gymnothorax moringa)

Lantern bass (Serranus baldwini)

File clam (Lima scabra). Just above the clam is a tiny rusty goby (Priolepis hipoliti) hanging upside down. No, I didn’t see the goby until after I downloaded the images.

Bumblebee shrimp (Gnathophyllum americanum). They call him “Righty” as he’s missing a claw.

There’s a daily park fee for diving. When asked, “What’s the park fee for?” Jose said, “It’s to pay for the wall!” ROTFLMAO

Scuba II with Nestor, Mike, and three other divers.

DALILA REEF
A very strong current made for a great ride.

Reef salad

Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbriocota) and friends. The turtle is busy eating a sponge and the “friends” are grabbing any leftovers.

Nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum). This was a very large female who was not in the least concerned about my taking her picture.

YUCAB REEF

Juvenile smooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter)

Juvenile spotted drum (Equetus punctatus)

Social feather duster (Bispira brunnea)

Green turtle (Chelonia mydas). It’s always a treat to see one of these pretty turtles. They are less common than the hawksbill turtles in Cozumel’s waters.

NOTE: I’ve been taking underwater images with an Olympus OMD EM-5 for several years. The EM-5 is a great “mirrorless” digital camera that takes interchangeable lenses. One lens is an 8mm fisheye for wide angle photography. The first boat dive each day is frequently on a deep, southern reef where there is lots of opportunity for wide angle images. The second boat dive is normally on a shallower reef with lots of fish and macro life, calling for a different lens. I hate opening the underwater housing on the boat to change lenses, so I haven’t been using the 8mm lens a lot. I recently acquired an Olympus TG 6 “point and shoot” and underwater housing that takes very nice fish and macro images. So, I played with the EM-5 + 8mm FE on the first dive and the TG 6 on the second. Results are shown below unless otherwise noted.

Scuba II with Nestor, Mike, Cecilia, Andreus, and Sandra.

PALANCAR CAVES

Sponges with divers

Alien sponge. My favorite.

Nestor, our excellent dive guide! El mejor.

TORMENTOS

Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbriocota)

Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus)

Pipehorse (Acentronura dendritica). An extremely small, distant relative of seahorses and pipefish.

Scuba II with Nestor, Mike, Cecilia, Andreas, and Sandra.

PALANCAR HORSESHOE

Coral diver

Divers. “Which way did he go?”

Sponges

Nestor

Mike

Andreas and Sandra

SAN CLEMENTE (BAJO)

Squirrelfish (Holocentrus adscensionis)

Gray angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus)

Coney (Cephalopholis fulva)

Sea slug sex – Painted elysias (Thuridilla picta) – hypodermic piercing to inject sperm. Ouch!

Yellowline goby (Elacatinus horsti). This little fish cleans other fish of parasites and dead skin. Here it is in its “shop” waiting for a customer.

Scuba II with Nestor, Mike, Lu, Mark, Cecilia, Andreas, and Sandra

CARACOLILLO

Mark

Queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris)

Lu and Mark

Anemone

Mike and longsnout seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)

Bar jack (Caranx ruber) and ray. The jack shadows the ray hoping to grab any small creatures scared up by the hunting ray.

Mike

EL PASO DEL CEDRAL

Rainbow parrotfish (Scarus guacamaia)

Green moray (Gymnothorax funebris)

Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus)

School of French grunts (Haemulon flavolineatum)

Scuba II with Nestor, Mike, Lu, Mark, and Cecilia.

Scuba II fisheye

PUNTA TUNICH – HUGE CURRENT! 

Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbriocota)

School

Reef

Scuba II

CHANKANAAB REEF

Goldentail moray (Gymnothorax miliaris)

Rock hind (Epinephelus adscensionis)

Rock beauty (Holacanthus tricolor)

Pederson cleaner shrimp (Ancylomenes pedersoni)

Splendid toadfish (Sanopus splendidus)

Chalk bass (Serranus tortugarum)

Banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)

Scuba II with Nestor, Mike, Lu, Mark

LA FRANCESA REEF

Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)

Pepe

Red lionfish (Pterois volitans)

Safety stop

YUCAB

Barsnout goby (Elacatinus illecebrosus)

Spinyhead blenny (Acanthemblemaria spinosa)

Queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris)

Painted elysia (Thuridilla picta)

SHORE

Juvenile sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilus)

Red lionfish (Pterois volitans)

Cottonwicks (Haemulon melanurum)

Christmas tree worm (Spirobranchus giganteus)

Spotted drum (Equetus punctatus)

Stareye hermit (Dardanus venosus)

Scuba II with Nestor, Lu, Mark, Mike, Bill, Jim and Jan

SAN FRANCISCO REEF

Mark

Jim and Jan

Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbriocota)

Atlantic spade fish (Chaetodipterus faber). In all the years we have been diving Cozumel, we have never encountered these fish. Global warming?

Selfie

Bill

PARADISE REEF

Splendid toadfish (Sanopus splendidus)

Flamingo tongue (Cyphoma gibbosum). There are four egg capsules to the right of the snail.

Longsnout seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)

Seahorse and Mike

Scuba II with Nestor, Mike S., Mark, Lu, Bill, Jim, Jan, Jana, and Mike T.

PALANCAR GARDENS

Horse-eye jacks (Caranx latus)

Jim

Diver on wall

Jan

Looking for seahorses

Scuba II picking up divers at the end of a dive.

SAN CLEMENTE WALL

Spinyhead blenny (Acanthemblemaria spinosa)

Whitespotted filefish (Cantherhines macrocerus)

Red snapping shrimp (Alpheus spp.)

Scuba II with Nestor, Mark, Lu, Mike, Jana, Mike, Bill, Jim and Jan.

Group picture

PALANCAR BRICKS
Great visibility

Diver on the reef, showing the structure on the deep dives at Palancar Reef.

Huge sponge

Mike T.

Rearranging the bricks to spell, COZUM… Ran out of bricks.

EL PASO DEL CEDRAL

Rock beauty (Holacanthus tricolor)

Green moray (Gymnothorax funebris)

Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus)

Schoolmasters (Lutjanus apodus)

Boats loading

Scuba II with Nestor, Mike, Jim, Jan, Jana, Mike T, Roger, Judy, Bill

DALILA REEF – strong current

School

Roger

Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)

French angelfish (Pomacanthus paru)

Jim and Jan

YUCAB REEF – strong current made for a challenging dive

Yellowface pikeblenny (Chaenopsis limbaughi)

Spotted cleaner shrimp (Pericimenes yucantanicus)

Lineshout goby (Gobiosoma sp)

Yellow stingray (Urobatis jamaicensis)

Waitstaff

Scuba II with Nestor, Mike, Jana, Mike S, Jim, Jan, Roger, Judy, and Bill.

COLOMBIA DEEP

Divers on the wall

Jana/Mike

Longnose batfish (Ogcocephalus nasutus). Juvenile, about half an inch long!

Lined sole (Achirus lineatus)

Headshield slug (Chelidonura hirundinina)

Striped elysia (Elisya sp.)

COLOMBIA SHALLOWS

RIP George Dunbar Pence, Jr., April 9, 1940 – June 7, 2019

Smooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter) juv.

Bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata)

Fringed filefish (Monacanthus ciliatus)

Scuba II with Nestor, Mike, Jana, Roger, Judy, Bill, and Mike S

SCUBA II – Cesar, Eduardo, and Nestor.

CHANKANAAB REEF

Splendid toadfish (Sanopus splendidus)

Squat anemone shrimp (Thor amboinensis)

Spotted scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri)

Jackknife fish (Equetus lanceolatus)

Cardinal fish hiding in a giant anemone

Balloonfish (Diodon holocanthus)

LOS PECIOS

Porcupine fish (Diodon hystrix)

Juvenile Queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris). It looks like something took a nip out of the dorsal fin.

Redspotted hawkfish (Amblycirrhitus pinos). Lots of freckles.

“Hey, you! Yes, I’m talking to you! Take that camera and put it where the sun don’t shine!”
Spinyhead blenny (Acanthemblemaria spinosa)

Juvenile French angelfish (Pomacanthus paru)

Glassy sweepers (Pempheris schomburgki)

PARADISE

Blue-eye hermit crab (Paguristes serceus)

Nudibranch egg spiral. I looked around but couldn’t find the slug. According to Dr. Patrick Krug at Cal State Los Angeles, "Those could be E pratensis eggs, but they could also be E subornata as the two are almost indistinguishable... it could even be E velutinus, especially if it was on Halimeda." Thanks to Anne DuPont who referred my question.

Seahorse and Nestor’s hand for size comparison

Longsnout seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)

Milk conch (Strombus raninus)

Flamingo tongue (Cyphoma gibbosum)– can you spot the eye?

Coral Diver with Geiser, Jana, Judy, Roger

EL PASO DEL CEDRAL WALL

Black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci)

PARADISE

Splendid toadfish (Sanopus splendidus)

Goldentail moray (Gymnothorax miliaris)

Flamingo tongue (Cyphoma gibbosum) face

Flamingo tongue (Cyphoma gibbosum) Sex?

Trumpetfish (Aulostomus maculatus) “You can’t see me!”

Slender filefish (Monacanthus tuckeri)

Sailfin blenny (Emblemaria pandionis)

Atlantic yellow cowrie (Cyprea spurca acicularis)

Reef Diver with Nestor, Mike, Jana, Roger, Judy, James, Emma

SANTA ROSA SHALLOWS – the current was raging and visibility was poor due to sand blown up into the water column.

Emma

Lettuce slug (Elysia crispata)

Squat anemone shrimp (Thor amboinensis)

CHANKANAAB – while visibility was improved, the current was running in the opposite direction to normal.

Spotted cleaner shrimp (Pericimenes yucantanicus)

Intermediate stage French angelfish (Pomacanthus paru)

Larval green razorfish (Xyrichys spendens).

Christmas tree worm (Spirobranchus giganteus). Symmetry.

Roughhead blenny (Acanthemblemaria aspera).

Sharpnose puffer (Canthigaster rostrata)

Yellowmouth grouper (Mycteroperca interstitialis)

Reef Diver with Nestor, Jana, Mike, James, Emma, Roger, and Judy.

PALANCAR HORSESHOE

Deborah on the wall

Jana

Judy

Roger

Emma and James

Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbriocota)

YUCAB

Lettuce slug (Elysia crispata)

SHORE DIVE (NIGHT)

Orange marginella (Prunum carneum)

Red reef hermit (paguristes cadenati)

Spotted goatfish (Pseudupeneus maculatus)in its night colors

Banded clinging crab (Mitrax cinctimanus). These little crabs are often found hiding in anemones for protection from predators.

Spotted moray (Gymnothorax moringa)

Redhair swimming crab (Portunus ordwayi)

Red night shrimp (Cinethorhynehus manningi)

Sharptail eel (Myrichthys breviceps). Often mistaken for some sort of sea snake. There are no sea snakes in the Caribbean.

Reef Diver with Nestor, Jana, Mike, James, Emma, Roger, and Judy

PALANCAR CAVES – aborted the dive due to an extremely strong current and subsequent sand storm!

CHANKANAAB REEF – better conditions than “Caves,” weak current and better visibility. Current was running in the “wrong” direction, so we started the dive on the “grassy” area and drifted back to the reef.

Peacock flounder (Bothus lunatus)

Barsnout goby (Elacatinus illecebrosus) on interesting back ground.

Adult spotted drum (Equetus punctatus)

Reef Diver with Nestor, Jana, Mike, Emma, James, Judy, and Roger.

SAN FRANCISCO – wrong way current on the sand above the reef.

Roger

Nestor

Gray angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus)

John

TORMENTOS – wrong way current.
Blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) being cleaned by goby

Blue chromis (Chromis cyanea)in front of orange sponge

Pederson cleaner shrimp (Ancylomenes pedersoni)

Painted elysia (Thuridilla picta)

Pipehorse (Acentronura dendritica) and finger to show how small these little critters are.

Thorny mud crab (Micropanope unator) about the size of a small pea, hiding in fire coral.

Reef Diver

LOS PECIOS
Atlantic guitarfish (Rhinobatos lentiginosus). A new find, said to be “rare.”

Spotted cleaner shrimp (Pericimenes yucantanicus)

Balloonfish (Diodon holocanthus)

Longsnout seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)

The following were shot with the TG 6 and a WA adapter.

Judy

Nestor

Sand diver (Synodus intermedius) (close focus wide angle)

Inside the wreck

Judy

Wreck 2

Reef Diver with Jana, Mike, Emma, James, Judy, and Roger.

PALANCAR “BRICKS” – moderate current with improved visibility.

Emma

Roger

Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbriocota)

Headshield slug (Chelidonura hirundinina)

Peanut worm (Sipuncula sp.) – James and Emma caught my attention and I swam over to see what they were excited about. Whoa! a peanut worm, a little more than a foot long feeding in the sand. What a wonderful find.

EL PASO DEL CEDRAL – moderate current; nothing the group can’t handle.

Sharksucker (Echeneis naucrates)

Group = Emma, James, Jana, Mike, Deborah, me, Judy, and Roger.

Reef diver

Reef Diver with Nestor, Jana, Mike, Judy, Roger, James, and Emma.

WOW, WOW, WOW! This was our last day of diving and we hit the jackpot. On the first dive we saw and eagle ray, a green moray, turtles, and sharks. The second dive wasn’t too bad either.

DALILA REEF

Red hind (Epinephelus guttatus)
I don’t think you were inoculated against measles! Worst case I’ve ever seen.

Nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) – not the best picture in the world but it shows the two nurse sharks and one of the crevalle jacks that accompanied them.

PARADISE

Yellowline arrow crabs (Stenorhynchus seticornis) in an azure sponge.

I started finding a lot of tiny black critters on the sand that looked like worms. Not knowing what the heck they were, I sent a picture to Anne Dupont who knows things. She says, “It is Aglaja felis, Er. marcus & Ev. Marcus, 1970. A bit of trivia, Eveline Marcus named it "felis" for her cat. The name has changed to : Nakamigawaia felis or Migaya felis, I just can't keep up with it all.” And, yes, those are grains of sand.

Juvenile Green razorfish (Xyrichys spendens) trying to hide in a milk conch (Strombus raninus)

Arrow shrimp (Tozeuma carolinense). I’ve been looking for these little guys on every dive and finally find one on our last dive of the trip!

Fringed filefish (Monacanthus ciliatus)

Judy

Emma

Jana

Deborah

Mike

Nestor

THE END.

The above pictures may only be used by permission and attribution – “Picture by Jim Lyle”

If you would like to see more of my trip reports and many, many pictures of colorful fish, go to my webpage: http://chemistry.csudh.edu/faculty/jim/Jim'sWeb_Page.htm

• Re: Cozumel - Our happy place - Aug 2019 Betty Barada 06:43:49 10/17/19 (0)
• Re: Cozumel - Our happy place - Aug 2019 Jorg Raue 17:54:17 08/25/19 (0)