Trip Report COZUMEL AUGUST 2021 - YEAR OF COVID DELTA

[jlyle]

I'm new to this site but have to say that your pictures are among the best photos I've seen so far, amazing photography with exceptional quality and clarity! This is why I love diving Cozumel !!!

I began diving Cozumel in '94 and the majority of my diving is in Cozumel because of the vast array of sea life and phenomenal water clarity as your photos have captured very well.

I was going to post some of my Cozumel photos but they were taken on film with an old camera 25 years ago, nowhere near the quality of yours as well as most others I've seen on this site so I'll just put them away LOL.

Thanks for your epic report, gives me the envie for a Cozumel trip soon !

No, no, no. Please, post your pictures. Quality is not a measure of the pleasure we get out of seeing them.

 

[cozcharlie]

Not to worry. Like some other denizens of the coral reefs in Cozumel, seahorses come and go. For many years we couldn't find any and then they showed up and numbers have varied from year to year. One year, there were seven in front of Scuba Club Cozumel!

@jlyle , how long ago did you see 7 seahorses in front of scuba club ? I (and my friends) have certainly seen fewer seahorses since the Lionfish showed up here about 10 years ago. Used to not be to hard to find at all , but has taken a lot more work over past few years .

 

[jlyle]

@jlyle , how long ago did you see 7 seahorses in front of scuba club ? I (and my friends) have certainly seen fewer seahorses since the Lionfish showed up here about 10 years ago. Used to not be to hard to find at all , but has taken a lot more work over past few years .

It was more than ten years ago, so you may be correct about the lionfish. It was also before the cruise ships started coming in numbers and likely dumping vast amounts of gray water. I wonder if the decline in seahorse population is wide spread. Anyone know of reports from other dive destinations in the Caribbean and Florida?

 

[stronj1]

Wow! Loved the circled shrimp since new finds are always so exciting! The mushroom scorpionfish, loggerhead turtle, squid, and golden roughhead blenny are wonderful shots. No way could you put too many pictures out there. I love the captions.

 

[ccannon707]

Wonderful collection of images. I don't do camera underwater as you and others always provide the fabulous pix of what I see and plenty that I don't. The blennies!!! Thank you for posting.
PS: Did your DMs spear the lion fish? And no pic of a mutton fish... they usually follow divers looking for a handout of lion fish.
PSS: The low numbers of big groupers might be about human poaching as well. Local friends have told me many are hungry this year due to so few tourists/$$.

 

[jlyle]

Wonderful collection of images. I don't do camera underwater as you and others always provide the fabulous pix of what I see and plenty that I don't. The blennies!!! Thank you for posting.
PS: Did your DMs spear the lion fish? And no pic of a mutton fish... they usually follow divers looking for a handout of lion fish.
PSS: The low numbers of big groupers might be about human poaching as well. Local friends have told me many are hungry this year due to so few tourists/$$.

Some of the lionfish we saw were culled, others were not harmed.

I worried about poaching but the lobster population seems unchanged...