Cozumel dive trip

[saltyhog]

Just got home from my first ever dive vacation. My wife bought us certification courses for Christmas and we completed our open water dives in March at Vortex Springs, FL. This was our first venture in salt water and I was super excited to see some of what is in our tank in it's natural environment.

I have some pictures to share and hope some of you can help me ID some of the fish/coral/sponges/inverts we saw.

I think this is a brain coral but I've never seen one this color.

A couple of nems and a small arrow crab.

I'm sure this is an Atlantic Blue Tang. There were thousands of them but they varied from this color to a very pale blue.

Is this a coral, sponge, plant?

Some kind of wrasse?

 

[Preyou]

Beautiful!

 

[spspirate]

I think the brain coral there is a ridged cactus coral (common name) which is Mycetophyllia lamarckiana. Great pics!!

 

[saltyhog]

Thanks pirate!

Is this one similar or is it a brain.

Sea cucumber? Looked to be almost a foot long.

This looks like a cross between a trigger and a filefish. Pretty sure it's not in the aquariam trade as it was big.

There were lots of these Queen Angels. I know they are sold for aquariums but I can't imagine what size tank would be ok for them. The bigger ones looked to be pushing a foot and a half long. Very beautiful fish though. They are sponge eating machines.

 

[fishroomlady]

wow! great pics and glad you were able to go diving!

 

[spspirate]

Probably a platygyra sp. or also know as boulder brain coral. Looks like you had a awesome dive!

 

[spspirate]

There mostly all from the family faviidae.

 

[saltyhog]

Obviously a juvie angel fish but not sure which of the three species I saw (Queen, French or Gray)

We saw literally thousands of Blue Tangs, Lightening Wrasse, Bicolor Damsels,Lantern and Chalk Bass, Rock Beauty angels and Blue Reef Cromis. Lots of Spanish Hogfish, Cherub Angels , Yellow headed and blue headed wrasse. I did not see a single Royal Grama though my wife did see one.

We had the time of our lives. We saw several octopi (correct plural) on our night dive and watched them change colors literally every few seconds. Was disappointed only in the lack of SPS coral. There was one very common one we saw and then a few birdsnest. Sponges were literally every where and very colorful. I'm sure that's why there were so many very large angels.

This is the most common sponge we saw and it was beautiful.

 

[mike007]

Nice pics. Love Cozumel have over 80 dives there myself. You need to go back and do the wreck dive It awesome.

 

[NY_Sea]

Beautiful pics. Looks like a great dive trip. Thx for sharing.

 

[datoneazn]

Very awesome pics...get a gopro and make a video next time lol but why camera did ya use ?

 

[FL_Reefer]

Great pics, thanks for sharing!

 

[saltyhog]

I was using a Go Pro Hero 3. I did take several videos.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kseQKckmBCQ

This is a nurse shark that let me swim right over it.