Going to Cozumel for first time in a few days? Fish?

[Nalidixic]

Hey everyone. I'm gonna be going to Cozumel in a few days and wanna brush up on ID'ing fish that I will see down there. I have "Reef Fish Identification of Florida/Caribbena/Bahamas" by Paul Humann and Ned Deloach. Just curious if you Coz vets here can give me a good list of fish that would be worth reading about in this book. (I would read the whole thing but the book is about 475 pages long ) Thanks for any suggestions.

Nali

 

[Charlie99]

In Cozumel you will have to pretty much read the whole thing to ID all the fish!

One way would be to just learn to ID some of the most common groups, and then learn the differences between the species.

1. Angelfish. Queen, French, Blue, Gray

2. Parrotfish. Rainbow, stoplight, and queen. Blue and midnight.

3. Filefish. whitespotted, scrawled.
4. Cowfish. honeycomb and scrawled.

5. spotted drumfish, particularly the juvenile. Highhat.

6. Grunts. Bluestripe and french (and then you can help ID when a new diver on the boat asks the DM about them and the DM can't figure out what he's asking about. So common that the DM "doesn't see 'em".)

7. Horse-eye jack.

8. Barracuda.

9. nurse shark

10. Cleaning goby, neon gobies.

11. yellowhead jawfish, splendid toadfish, garden eels (not related, but all things that the DM may stop the group to observe, along with eels.)

12. Seargant Major and their egg cluster.

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For shore diving, you will be looking at lots of different damselfish, blennies, and gobies.

 

[herman]

I would add to the list trunkfish and all of the eels- green and spotted moray and snake eel in particular.

 

[scaldwell]

I bought this really nice little laminated card that fits in my BC pocket, with pictures of the main fish you will see- not the standard one you get anywhere, but made locally by a guy called Franko (he also makes a map of the island)

 

[Nalidixic]

Cool. Thanks for the list guys. I've been reading about them in my book. Gotta go pack now cause we are leavin tomorrow! WOOHOO!

Nali

 

[ggunn]

Not strictly fish, but...

Seahorses
Eagle Rays (if you are lucky)
Octopus (mostly at night)
Reef squid (mostly at night)
Turtles (green hawksbill and the occasional loggerhead)
Arrow crabs

 

[Fin59]

Cozumel Splended Toadfish

 

[kevguthrie]

Was just there last week.....saw all of the ones listed above!

Also look out for Permits, Lobsters, Crabs, and Black tip reef sharks.

It is paradise for someone looking to identify fish!!!! Look for the small file fish that blend in and look like leaves....they are small but really interesting!

Colombia reef had lots of Barracuda also!

Have fun!!!!!

 

[cxg31s]

Don't forget squirrelfish, yellow-tail snappers and groupers....

 

[5615mike]

READ THE WHOLE BOOK. TAKE IT WITH YOU. ITS A GOOD READ.
I take mine on every trip and seem to find something different almost every trip
Have a great time