Shore Diving Cozumel

[ggunn]

Might be too late, too - the only "shore diving" I know of in Cozumel is at the El Cid La Ceiba (the Airplane site, although it got moved and banged up in the big hurricane) and down at Chankanaab; diving at Chankanaab is shallow and very easy.

There are other places to shore dive that are just as good as out by El Cid - the strip between Park Royal and Blue Angel, for instance. Nothing you can get to from shore is going to approach what you can see from a boat, of course.

 

[1KWIK_69]

I'm very happy to report that some of the life is starting to come back near shore just north of Villablanca. The area just south of the stingray prison has some corals growing again, and we saw lots of big and small puffer fish, southern and spotted stingrays, a couple sea snakes, and unfortunately, lots of sea urchins. While it still doesn't hold a candle to the boat diving, shore diving that area is still way better than a day of lake diving or not diving at all!

 

[ggunn]

I'm very happy to report that some of the life is starting to come back near shore just north of Villablanca. The area just south of the stingray prison has some corals growing again, and we saw... a couple sea snakes.

Sharptail eels, I'll wager.

 

[1KWIK_69]

Sharptail eels, I'll wager.

What's a sharp tailed eel? We saw a couple spotted morays, but the sea snakes were definitely sea snakes. I know one when I see it. I'll post a pic or five tomorrow after I have a chance to dump them from my camera.

 

[DandyDon]

.... and unfortunately, lots of sea urchins.

You don't like Urchins? I was delighted to see them come back after almost being eradicated in the Caribbean. Yeah, you have to be careful to not touch one, like everything else.

I think the "snake" is indeed an eel that resembles a real snake, but Gordon will have to explain.

 

[ggunn]

What's a sharp tailed eel? We saw a couple spotted morays, but the sea snakes were definitely sea snakes. I know one when I see it. I'll post a pic or five tomorrow after I have a chance to dump them from my camera.

Sharptail eels are eels that look like snakes. They've got triangular heads and spotted markings (not speckles like spotted morays), and they crawl around on the bottom just like snakes, but they are water breathers; you'll never see one come up for air. I dive the area between Villablanca and Blue Angel a lot, and I see them there all the time. I'll betcha a cold Leon Negra that that's what you saw.

Myrichthys breviceps, Sharptail eel
Sharptail Eel, Myrichthys breviceps

I don't think there are any actual sea snakes indigenous to Cozumel.

 

[DandyDon]

I've seen those. Always thot they were spotted morays. Thanks again Gordy!

 

[1KWIK_69]

You don't like Urchins? I was delighted to see them come back after almost being eradicated in the Caribbean. Yeah, you have to be careful to not touch one, like everything else.

I think the "snake" is indeed an eel that resembles a real snake, but Gordon will have to explain.

You both may be right. I did some looking and the only info I could find from more official sites say they're eels, but all the pics I found show them having a small fin down their backs. The ones I've seen and photographed have no fins?

I'll try and post the pics tomorrow.

 

[1KWIK_69]

You don't like Urchins? I was delighted to see them come back after almost being eradicated in the Caribbean.

Then you'll be really happy to know that besides all the mature urchins we saw everywhere, I also ran into a field of hundreds of baby urchins that were all burrowed down into the sand over a large area in the shallows.

 

[ggunn]

I've seen those. Always thot they were spotted morays. Thanks again Gordy!

Spotted morays are the ones you see most often around Cozumel. They are mostly black but are covered with green speckles.