Cozumel – The island Yields Its Bounty 
Cozumel 2018 Wall Flying Tour was fantastic this go round! Not only had the weather cooperated, but the visibility and water temps exceeded our wildest expectations! October and November can be difficult as the island goes into winter. Not this time, however! Leaving my 3 mm one piece Henderson in my suitcase, a swimsuit and rash guard was all that was going to be required.
Reef Conditions
Cozumel’s reefs suffered greatly at the hands of Hurricane Wilma back in 2005. I never really felt it had come back completely since then. The introduction of the lionfish in early 2000’s had decimated the reef’s nursery population as well. Up until recently, no small fish growing into big fish! Definitely a sad prognosis for a time! I’m happy to let divers know that Cozumel has come back into its own this time around. The reefs were in beautiful condition. The coral heads literally sparkled from the indirect lighting from the sun above. Everywhere we looked, no lionfish to be found. Under shallow recesses of coral heads, tens of thousands of small silversides and others resided unharmed. Larger schools of sergeant majors, blue tang, blue chromis and fusiliers swept around the divers in large numbers. It seems the local population’s interest in the flaky, white fillets the lionfish provide, have come to fruition.
Drama In The Water 
On one particular dive our group encountered a blown up pufferfish. A red snapper expertly had pushed the puffer, bouncing like a beach ball, down an incline. Impaling the snappers cheeks were the splines from the puffer’s rough skin texture. Uncomfortably, he continued his relentless torture of the poor little creature. Before we knew it, a free swimming eight foot green moray eel had entered the chase! After a number of close calls with both its predators, the divers secured a small crevice in which to place the puffer. He managed to shrivel himself down enough to make a hasty retreat within, and escape his tormentors. A very close call for the puffer, but victory for our dive group! Afterwards we crossed a small ravine between to coral heads, we sped along the alluvial plain with a leatherback turtle! How much fun can one dive team have on one dive!!! We didn’t have enough time to find out! Our gas supply dwindling, we had to abort a fantastic and fun dive!
The Final Assessment
Cozumel Wall Flying Tour 2017 was a memorable success with plenty of animal life on every dive! Giant eagle rays, turtles, large southern stingrays, barracuda, and even the reclusive splendid toadfish entertained our dumbstruck group of divers! The only aspect that made our endeavor even more awesome was the great, fun group that went with us to make this excursion such a success!
Check out the photos and especially the video below:
