has anybody seen a Cozumel Toad Fish?

[DiverColt]

We just got back from our trip to Cozumel, and as we we were diving at Paridise Reef, we saw a "Cozumel Toad Fish".

Our guide was sure suprised to see it, he said it was pretty rare.

How rare is it??? has anybody else seen one?


heres a fairly depictive photo of one that I found

http://www.ruaux.net/pages/Cozumel Frog Fish.htm


:monkey:

 

[raviepoo]

I've seen a bunch of them. Maybe your guide was excited at the opportunity to show you a fish endemic to the area?

 

[Charlie99]

DiverColt once bubbled...
We just got back from our trip to Cozumel, and as we we were diving at Paridise Reef, we saw a "Cozumel Toad Fish".

Our guide was sure suprised to see it, he said it was pretty rare.

Not all the rare, but tend to stay out of sight inside their holes. My most exciting "sighting" was a night dive on Paradise when an unseen one loudly croaked just as I stuck my head down near a hole.

They are very territorial, and now your guide can show that very same fish to every group he leads to the same area of Paradise.

I used to think DMs had truly super-fantastic fish spotting ability and was repeatedly amazed at how they spotted certain fish.

Then one day on a dive on Santa Rosa the DM gave the signal for a juvenile spotted drumfish. AFTER he gave the signal, we went around a corner, then up underneath a ledge to find it. Unless he has super X-ray vision, he was relying upon knowledge of the location of this territorial fish from seeing on a prior dive. I won't embarrass myself by saying how long it took me to discover this.

 

[nusspli]

I saw at least three during my stay in Cozumel last week.

 

[SeaOtter]

I also saw a splendid toadfish in Cozumel at Tormentos a few weeks ago.

 

[sharon]

Many times in Coz. usually they are found laying low under rocks and such. I love hanging upside down and looking under things, I guess that's why I find them. They are so ugly that they are cute.

 

[DiverColt]

Yeah i guess you have a pretty good chance of finding them. It was a really cool experiance though:bang:!

 

[sdwho]

Definitely not "rare" -- but not always easy to spot. With experience you can get a feel for what kind of "holes" you're likely to find one in...What's really cool is seeing one out of its hiding place swimming free...They've got a broad "face" but a very a tapered body...


sdwho

 

[Otter]

DMs will tend to help you find 'rare' creatures -- it builds excitement for you. A cynic might say that it also might help pad the tip jar

If anyone is curious check out my website http://www.oberlin.us and select Gallery and Reef Fish. You can click on the Spendid Toadfish and hear what it sounds like.

 

[Wristshot]

our DMs pointed out two different ones on two different dives in June. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera with me on either of those two dives. Never saw one on any of the dives when I did have a camera in hand. Typical.

I echo the sentiments about DMs memorizing locales for territorial fish. When Pepe (Deep Blue) whipped out a small magnifying glass to show off a tiny yellow blenny we all figured it out. There is no way in hell he could have seen that from where we pulled out the magnifying glass. Of course I don't feel cheated, just not quite as impressed as I initially was.

Wristshot