REDDOG DIVING – KEY
Doug Cook’s Website for Scuba Diving
Adventures
and
Underwater Photography
ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
Last Update June
28, 2008
Doug
graduated from the
Music
that defined Doug’s
(play
but please do not copy)
Doug
was a free lance photo journalist and underwater photography instructor (PUBLICATIONS). His arsenal of photo equipment
included four Nikonos cameras, a RolleiMarine housing and RolleiFlex
camera,
and
an ancient Bolex 16mm movie camera and housing.
Today life is simple and easy with just a Cannon SD-800 in a
WD-PC5 housing:
Still
and video with automatic focus, exposure, and white balance!
These
images were scanned from 35mm slides that have started to show signs of
degradation. They have been restored
digitally where possible.
Please contact Doug Cook with comments and corrections. This collection of photos is a good
representation of the marine life in Key Largo’s
Angels and Butterflies (Chaetodontadae)
Sharks and Rays (Elasmobranchs)
Angels and Butterflies (Chaetodontadae)
Adult Queen
Angel- arguably among the most beautiful fish in the ocean.
Note the crown
on her forehead. Juveniles have vertical blue stripes.
Adult Queen
Angel
Adult Queen
Angel
Adolescent
Queen Angel- just lost her stripes.
Adolescent Queen
Angel- just losing her stripes.
Adult Blue
Angel- So closely related to the Queen Angel that they can interbreed.
Juveniles look
almost identical with vertical blue stripes.
Adult French
Angel
Adult French
Angel in a forest of gorgonian sea whips
Juvenile French Angel
Adolescent
French Angel- losing her stripes and getting yellow crescents on each scale.
Left- Stoplight
Parrotfish. Right- Grunt.
Adolescent French
Angel- losing her stripes and getting yellow crescents on each scale.
Adult Grey
Angel
Adult Grey
Angel
Adult Grey
Angels snacking on a sea urchin with diver holding the coral. Both are bad reef ettiqutte.
A pair of Rock
Beauty Angels
Feeding a pair
of Threadfin Butterflies. They mate for
life and always swim close together.
A pair of
Threadfin Butterflies. They mate for
life and always swim close together.
The stripe
through the eye is to confuse predators as to which way it’s moving.
A pair of
Striped Butterflies. They mate for life
and always swim close together.
The stripe
through the eye is to confuse predators as to which way it’s moving.
A Spotfin
Butterfly. They mate for life and always
swim close together.
The stripe
through the eye and ocellus near the tail is to confuse predators as to which
way it’s moving.
Atlantic
Spadefish- an angelfish look-alike.
Blue Hamlet
Indigo Hamlet
Butter Hamlet
Grunts, Snappers, Tangs, and Drums
Mangrove
Snappers are a common schooling fish on the reef.
Grunts
are a common schooling fish on the reef.
Grunts
and Porkfish schooling together.
Grunts
and Porkfish schooling together. Note
the lone Blue Tang hiding in the crowd.
Porkfish
in a coral cave with Glassy Sweepers.
Schooling
Blue Tang
Blue
Tangs (and Surgeonfish) have a sharp spine at the base of their tail for
defense.
The
Blue Tang puts on striped pajamas when it goes to sleep at night.
Grunts,
Snappers, and
Common
Yellowtail Snapper
Yellowtail
Goatfish have barbells by their mouth to stir up prey in the sand.
Mutton
Snapper
Snook
commonly school in coral caves.
Black
Jolthead
Porgy
The
Glasseye Snapper is nocturnal predator.
Juvenile
Spotted Drum
Jacknife
Fish mimics the Spotted Drum
Wrasses
and parrotfish characteristically swim
with their pectoral fins and only steer with their tail.
Juvenile
and Supermale Blueheaded Wrasse
A Spanish Hogfish is a wrasse.
A
Trumpetfish is not a wrasse but uses this Spanish Hogfish to hide from
unsuspecting prey.
Hogfish
grow to about two feet. This one has a
mouthful of sea urchin.
Blue
parrotfish like all parrotfish make a living by eating coral and pooping out
clouds of sand.
Stoplight
parrotfish
Stoplight
parrotfish
Parrotfish
being cleaned of parasites by a Cleaner Wrasse.
Characteristically
have rough skin and a locking dorsal spine for defense. They have an odd swimming habit using only
the dorsal and ventral fins for propulsion and steering with their tail.
Filefish
Scrawled
Filefish are usually shy and evasive but this time came for the bait.
I
am surprised to see this same odd fish in the
The
large Ocean Trigger grow to about two feet long.
They
can make short work of eating a spiny sea urchin.
These
little guys make good macro-photography subjects.
I’m
trying to find more in my slide collection that I have not scanned yet.
The
Its
unnerving to have this guy biting on your leg like a buzz saw!
This
shy Goby makes its home in a nest of coralline algae.
Common
Spiny Puffer agitated by the photographer to puff up with water and expose it’s
defensive spines.
They
grow to over two feet long and have a bite like a vise. I know from experience!
Don’t
try this with a two foot long puffer!
Shy
Sharpnose Puffer is only about an inch long.
Shy
Sharpnose Puffer is only about an inch long.
Spotted
Trunkfish grow to about three inches.
Their
scales have fused to make a hard outer shell for protection.
Here
the Trumpetfish uses sea whips to hide from its prey.
Trumpetfish
lurking at night.
Sqirrelfish
are nocturnal predators.
Scorpionfish
are masters of camouflage. They lie wait
for an unsuspecting fish to swim by
then suck the prey in their gaping mouth in a
flash! They have venomous dorsal spines
to be wary of. In other words, be
careful where you put your hand on what you thought was a rock!
A
Scorpionfish’s venomous dorsal spines are hollow like a hypodermic needle.
Scorpionfish
eye- often the only clue to where the camouflaged fish is lurking.
Meaning
rocks don’t have eyes!
Black
Grouper grow to over three feet and up to 100 pounds.
Strawberry
Grouper only grow to about eight inches.
Harlequin
Bass grow to about six inches.
Black
Spotted Grouper?
Jewfish
grow to over six feet long and can weight over six hundred pounds.
This
one is about 200 pounds.
Pompano- Prize gamefish.
A
pet Yellowtail Jack.
Barracuda
grow to six feet long. They will not bother
you if you ignore them.
They
deserve their reputation for sharp teeth and striking prey like a bolt of
lightning.
This
guy has parasitic isopods on its snout.
Don’t
try this at home.
Stupid
fish!
Green
Morays do have teeth and can bite but they can be friendly pets.
They
look menacing since they open and close their big mouth to move water over
their gills.
Green
morays generally are out foraging at night but can be coaxed out for a bait snack
during the day.
Spotted
morays are not friendly and in fact are very erratic.
I
had one swim up into my swim trunks and exit around my collar. Luckily no harm
done.
Spotted
Moray
A
small Golden Moray
Sharks and Rays (Elasmobranchs)
Southern
Sting Rays camouflage by burying in the sand.
They can be up to six feet long with the tail.
Southern
Sting Ray. Note the sting barb near the
base of its tail.
They
are generally shy and would only sting if extremely provoked.
Nurse
Sharks are generally docile but can get aggressive if there is bait in the
water.
This
one is about four feet long but they can grow to over eight feet long.
Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are considered dangerous and
unpredictable. Bull sharks average seven feet in length and 200 pounds but can
grow to over ten feet and six hundred pounds. They live in all tropical and
subtropical oceans and are known to swim a considerable distance up rivers.
They are responsible for more shark attacks on humans than any other species of
shark.
BULL
SHARK
BULL
SHARK
BULL
SHARK
Please contact Doug Cook with comments and corrections. This collection of photos is a good
representation of the marine life in Key Largo’s
I have tried other resources on the
web and corrected some of my memory lapses.
Feeding sharks, barracuda, moray eels, and most
everything swimming around the coral reefs.