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Photographs

I have complied several photographs from a variety of sources that shows you the real excitement of Scuba Diving. The image to the right is what I call a Racoon Fish. The fish in the ocean are always so colorful. In the image to the left is a nurse shark laying in the sand "sleeping". in the right fore ground you can see the coral. The fish in front of the shark is a Queen Angelfish. Coral is everywhere. So colorful. So beautiful. In Key Largo, There is an underwater park called "John Pennekamp Park". In this park there is a statue underwater. The image to the left shows the statue. Its not a very clear image, but shows a man with open arms like he is welcoming everybody. The name is "Christ of the Abyss". Key Largo is also part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary which prohibits "harvesting" any live coral.




Hammer Head Sharks The great hammerhead has a gray body, pale underside, and a flattened and extended head with an eye on each outer edge. It grows to 5-10 feet and lives between 20-80 feet deep. Unlike other shark species, they can occasionally be seen mating near the surface. Great hammerheads are oceanic sharks, but occasionally cruise reefs, walls and shallows. The great hammerhead migrates seasonally, moving to cooler waters during the summer months. He eats a wide variety of fishes and animals including stingrays, crabs, squid, octopus, lobster, fish, and other sharks. He lives in the open water, near reefs.

Nurse sharks have a gray to yellow-brown body, two dorsal fins of nearly equal size, two barbels on their upper lip, and a small mouth. They grow to 5-10 feet and live between 12-100 feet deep. Nurse sharks rest during the day and feed primarily during the night. They frequently lie motionless in the sand, but may bite if provoked. They eat stingrays, mollusks, crustaceans and small fishes.

Southern stingrays have a brown, gray, or black body, white underside and snout. Their "wings" are slightly pointed, and they have a whip-like tail with one or two venomous spines at base. They grow to 3-4 feet (excluding tail), and live between 1-80 feet deep. They feed nearly constantly, day and night. The southern stingray has a barb at the base of its tail that will cause a painful laceration if the animal is stepped on accidentally while buried beneath the sand on the bottom.

The spotted eagle ray has a dark back with numerous white spots and circular markings, white underside, a pronounced head with a flat, tapered snout, and a long thin tail with one to five venomous spines at base. It grows to 4-7 feet (excluding tail) and lives between 6-80 feet. Spotted eagle rays occasionally swim in pairs and even small schools. They often swim very near the surface and travel long distances.

The spotted scorpionfish has a mottled brown body with numerous skin flaps, and a long large fleshy "plume" above each eye. It grows to 7-14 inches and lives between 5-50 feet. The scorpionfish lies motionless on bottom habitats and does not move unless disturbed. Its pectoral fins are brightly colored, but are not visible unless spread to move. The spines on the dorsal fin of a scorpionfish are venomous and can cause a painful wound.

The Goldentail Moray has small yellow spots over a brown body and a yellow tipped tail. It grows to 1-2 feet and lives between 5-50 feet. It hides in recesses during the day but swims and feeds in the open at night using its keen sense of smell. Certain reef fish are known to “shadow”, or swim alongside, the goldentail moray when it leaves its hole to swim quickly to the shelter of another hole.

The green moray has a uniform green to brown body, with no other distinguishing markings. It can grow to 3-6 feet and lives between 10-130 feet deep. During the day it hides in dark recesses, but swims and feeds freely at night. The green moray is solitary and often can be spotted with its head poking out of the recess openings. The green moray constantly opens and closes its mouth to aid in respiration, an action often mistaken as a threat by divers.

French angelfish have a grey to black body with yellow rimming around body scales. They have a bright yellow ring around eye and a bright yellow patch on base of pectoral fin. They grow to 10-14 inches and live between 15-60 feet deep. French angelfish are often seen swimming in pairs around the reef. They eat sponges and live around reefs.

Queen angelfish have a blue body with yellow rimming around their scales, a yellow underside, and yellow pectoral, ventral and tail fins. They have a dark blue spot on their forehead ringed in brilliant blue, and a yellowish face. Queen angelfish grow to 8-14 inches and live between 20-60 feet deep. They often blend in with sea whips, sea fans, and coral as they swim about the reef. Like many other reef fishes, queen angelfish exhibit different color patterns during different phases of their life cycle. They eat sponges and live around reefs.




Squirrelfish have a reddish body with a white underside and yellowish front of dorsal fin, large, distinct eye. Squirrelfish grow to 6-14 inches and live between 4-40 feet. They typically hide in holes and under ledges during the day and feed at the bottom during the night. Squirrelfish are named for their large, squirrel-like eye.

The midnight parrotfish has a navy blue body, bright blue markings on its head, and large obvious scales. It grows to 1-2 feet and lives between 15-80 feet deep. The midnight parrotfish is unconcerned with divers but will shy away if approached too closely. It can be found in loose aggregations with all types of parrotfish. Parrotfish have fused teeth called "beaks" that they use to scrape algae off the reefs.

The breeding male stoplight parrotfish has an emerald green body with yellow markings on its head and fins, a bright yellow spot at the base of pectoral fin and at the base of its tail fin. Immature males and females have red bellies with brown and white mottled heads and upper bodies. It grows to 1-2 feet and lives between 15-80 feet. It has a hard "beak" and powerful jaws which are used to bite off algae growing on rocks and reefs. Parrotfish excrete the coral they have ingested as ground limestone, making them a major source of sand in tropical waters.



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