Funky Fish

[Seadweller]

and Stuff from the Bottom of the Sea...




From left to right starting at the top row the photos are:
1. School of Spade fish
2. Brown Urchin
3. Cortez Round Stingray
4. Rainbow Wrasse (Secondary Male) this fish was born female and changed its sex due to lack of males during spawning season.
5. Female Mexican Hog Fish
6. Male Mexican Hog Fish
7. Manta Ray
8. Manta Ray

Second Row:
9. Manta Ray
10. Male Spinster Wrasse
11. Chocolate Chip and Yellow Spotted Sea Stars
12. Chocolate Chip Sea Star
13. Gafftopsail Pompano
14. Sea of Angels (Adult Cortez Angel Fish)
15. More Spade Fish
16. and still more Spade Fish

Third Row:
17. On the bottom... Brown Urchin, Sargent Majors and Male Spinster Wrasse
18. Adult Cortez Angel
19. Adult Cortez Angel
20. Female Chameleon Wrasse
21. Barred Serrano
22. Stone Scorpion Fish a.k.a. Stone Skulpin
23. Warty Anemone a.k.a. Western Flyer Anemone

you can see my entire album of Funky Fish and Stuff I sea in the Sea of Cortez on facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150252213193363.340854.617008362&l=b46fc3ed71

 

[Shawno]

Wow, those are some great pictures! Whereabouts were they taken? I used to snorkel a lot from shore years ago, but never saw sealife like that in your photos. It reminds me of what I've seen in the Caribbean or South Pacific. Very nice, thanks!

 

[Seadweller]

Thanks Shawno... some are from along the malecon at the mouth of the port... some from Bird Island... and some are from in front of "asprinkles" place and the waters below the lighthouse down in Puerto Lobos...

 

[AZ ROB]

Mark it looks like you have that camera figured out for the underwater shots Nice job

 

[Stuart]

I recognize the wrasse and small parrotfish in your hands. Common to catch when making bait. I always release them. I recognize the Moorish Idols (look like angelfish), too.

It's a beautiful world down there! I've seen nearly all of that in San Carlos snorkeling. The one thing that's really, really, neat to find is in the tidal pools along the Mirador. Some of them are big enough to swim in when the tide goes out. I've snorkeled in there and found beautifully colored goby and nudibranch. They are small, so you really have to look for them. The nudibranch are just incredible!

 

[Seadweller]

How true Stu... I feel that I have been truly blessed and I am extremely thankful every day that I can sea all of these amazing and beautiful creatures right here in my backyard... I just Love the Sea of Cortez and wish I could show it off to everyone...

 

[Estero]

Great pics! One of my former professor's, Donald Thomson, at the U of A authored a great book called Reef Fishes of the Sea of Cortez which we basically had to memorize :shock:. The original was published in 1979 and that is the best version to get if you can find one. The revised version done in 2000 apparently has black and white pictures. There is one listing on ebay for the original 1979 version here http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Reef-Fishes-Sea-Cortez-Rocky-Shore-Fishes-Gulf-California-1979-Book-Illustrated-/4430664?_pcategid=100847&_pcatid=4&_refkw=gulf+shores&_trksid=p4528.c0.m279#

 

[brokenwave]

I'm going down Sunday and on Monday, I will be snorkling in front of my house on Pinto Point, I will look for some beautiful Angel Fish. Since it's going to be nasty, weather wise, I might as well be in the water.
Thx for the pic's.

 

[beachgirl]

Sedna Nudibranch......I saw many of them and was just fascinated!!

 

[Seadweller]

Great photos... they are cool little critters aren't they...

Fun facts… The word nudibranch comes from the latin nudus (meaning naked) and branchia (meaning gills)

Also called: sea slug any marine gastropod of the order Nudibranchia, characterized by a shell-less, often beautifully coloured, body bearing external gills and other appendages

 

[Ladyjeeper]

Mark,
your pics are amazing! I need to go snorkeling soon........And the nudibranch..... I've never heard of them before.... It's beautiful..... Great pics, Julie!

 

[beachgirl]

I didn't take those pictures while snorkeling......I took them while tidepooling. I'm not sure, but maybe because the tide went so far out is the reason I seemed to have seen a lot more creatures. The Nudibranchs' (which were plentiful) and the Mexican Fireworms' were the most interesting I saw this trip down...hope next time it's even better!!
Chari, honey, you said the wrong thing...........I will drag you down to the water, slap the gear on you and you will snorkel, LOL!! Seriously though, tidepooling and snorkeling are soooo much fun. I have yet to try scuba diving, but it's on the bucket list for sure!!!!!

I need to be more adventuresome like Mark and snorkel places other than along the Mirador......

 

[Ladyjeeper]

I think I have some snorkeling gear in my trailer... I was gonna look for it last weekend but Jerry's dentist thing was just so harrowing that I forgot. I'm super squeamish but I wasn't going to leave him alone with a dentist he couldn't understand.......I tried not to look but I could still hear all the scraping, it was so nauseating!.......It's a good thing I love him...anybody else and I'd a been out the door running....We were in there Fri. and Sat. for 3 hours... Argh! Anyway, October it is..... But Julie, honey, the mental picture of you dragging me anywhere is pretty funny! What are you, 5'2" and a hundred pounds, if that? LOLOLOLOL! I guess you could use my Jeep...........We'll be down the whole same week you are going to be there. We'll do that.

 

[Seadweller]

Julie... next time you are here I'll take you to my favorite spot... lots of sponge, schooling fish, anenome and maybe even a perro pargo (dog snapper) or porcupine puffer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=0wjZ0Pusfs4&vq=medium

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=txsQXK0bMYw&vq=mediumhttp://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=0wjZ0Pusfs4&vq=medium

 

[brokenwave]

I went down on Sunday, couldn't snorkel Monday or Tuesday, way too windy. I was right, the Weather would be Nasty, EXTRA on that.
Crossed the border at 5PM today, the best part was somebody from Nevada was bringing a Oversized Tall boat (to tall) through the lanes and started ripping all the overhead conduit from the ceiling areas.

Border guys were really PO'd. They had 4 agents and 1 dog up in the boat checking everything. There were 6-7 agents questioning the 3 truck owners that were part of the Nevada group.
My agent was so PO'd and distracted by it, I could have brought a truck load of anything across, because he didn't ask for anything, Waved off my passports, He just said, Go!

I really wanted to see some nice fish. And it is eerrie to see JJ's closed in the daylight, only seen that a couple of times.

 

[beachgirl]

Chari, you crack me up.....use your Jeep.......... So you guys are going to be there the 8th-16th??

 

[Ladyjeeper]

Yup! I spend every Columbus Day week there. The weather's perfect! and the water is still warm!

 

[kelly]

I was at the mirador condos july 7 thru 21, cant forget how much fun we had. I LOVE THE PICURES. I am going back for 3 nights 4 days in september, hardly wait.