You reach the site, excited at the prospect of seeing your first sea turtle. After all the site is named after them!  You have been briefed that Tortugas is a gradually sloping bottom with no wall, and as you descend to see corals and sponges that appear to stretch unendingly in every direction across the bottom beneath you.

You get down to about 60 ft but see that the reef continues deeper, presumably to the blue abyss. You remain at this depth as you have been told that this is where the turtles hang out. This is going to be an easy dive. There is a steady current in the direction you want to go, which allows you to fly effortlessly without even a fin kick.

And so the ride begins. You fly over huge barrel sponges, big enough to climb into if the urge took you. You decide not to, as in a couple you spot large striped lion fish, sheltering from the current.

The reef here is buzzing with activity, everywhere you look is a fish of a different size or shape going about it´s daily activities.

In a small archway in a rock you spot a baby nurse shark. His light grey eye appears to be unseeing. You believe that  this unmoving creature cannot possible be related to the main apex predator of the ocean. But shiver briefly at the prospect of seeing his larger mama!

Briefly you turn into the current, and under a coral head you spot the protruding spines of a couple of reef lobsters. Not wanting to burn too much air you allow the current to drift you away.

Out of the corner of your eye you spot a green steak and turn to see a giant Green Moray gliding between the rocks. He is chasing the fish, or are the fish chasing him?

Then you spot exactly what you came for. As he gracefully lifts his head, his camouflage is broken. You spot an old man of the deep, a turtle. He seems unaware as you hover over him, admiring his beautiful shell. This one turtle becomes many and in each direction as you drift you come a cross turtles of different shapes and sizes munching on the coral. Your dive objective is met!

Then one last treat. As the corals and sponges turn into turtle grass you spot a graceful flying formation of a Spotted Eagle Ray, He remains below you for your safety stop.

As you slowly ascend at the end of your dive, you vow to return another time!

You have a small knot of nervous anticipation in your stomach. You have been briefed that there is an element of danger in this dive that does not exist on all dives. Bull Sharks are one of the sharks attributed to shark attacks around the world. You have been assured that these attacks have never been on divers. But still the latent fear remains. You believe that for you, as for most people, the fear must stem from watching “Jaws” too many times as a child.

The boat ride is short, you cannot believe how close to the beach these creatures are thriving. As you get geared up, everyone on the boat is a bit more subdued than normal, a few making jokes, but there is a general nervous excitement in the group.

As you begin your descent you look down. Straight away you spot the unmistakable shape of a gray bull shark, 90 feet below you on the white sand. A broad snout, large triangular pectoral fins to its right and left and the dorsal fin on top. It sweeps its tail from side to side, moving rapidly. Then, another shark cuts across in front of that one.

As you continue to descend your heart begins to beat a little more rapidly. You see that you are heading down into the middle of group of about 15 bull sharks zig-zagging the sand. You begin to question your mental state.

You settle yourself with the group on the bottom, trying to stay as still as possible to prevent stirring up the sand. You decide low viz is last thing you want to create on this dive.

As you watch the sharks, your nervousness slips away. They are so serene, moving effortlessly in their own environment. You feel privileged to be down here with them. All are so close that you can look into their flat gray eyes.

You spot the triangular shape of one as it swims from a distance, front on, right towards you. You heart starts to thump again as it looms on you, not changing direction.  Thump, Thump, Thump. Then suddenly with a flick of the tail it cruises to your left.

Then they all disappear for a moment, out into the blue, then reappear from every angle, crossing in front of the group. One tilts sideways, showing you its underside and opens its mouth, baring rows of sharp white teeth.  Childhood movies replay for a brief moment in your head, At once the smiling shark is gone though. Your adrenalin has never been higher. 

By the end of your dive, you are charmed by the sharks, you are amazed by the sharks, but you are no longer scared by the sharks. As you slowly ascend at the end of your dive, you vow to return another time!

Scientific Name: Rypticus Saponaceus

Where to spot them here: Curiously this fish lies motionless on its side, resembling a dead fish, in caves and holes on Sabalos, Barracuda, Moc Che and Chunzumbul.

How to identify them: A solitary species inhabiting shallow water on bottoms with eroded limestone or mixed sand and rocks, as well as around reefs. Brownish grey in colour with “soap sud” markings. All soapfishes are small, the largest attaining lengths of about 30 centimeters (1 foot)

What you may not know about them: The name soapfish refers to their ability, when agitated (such as being caught on a fishing line!), to produce toxic body mucus that forms a slimy, soapsuds like froth upon its secretion into the water. The toxic mucus serves as a deterrent to predators.

Scientific Name: Heteroconger Longissimus

Where to Spot them here: The sandy patches to the side of all the shallow reefs. There’s a large colony to the right the north buoy lines of Moc Che.

How to identify them: Brown garden eels are narrow and can be up to 50cm in length. They are easily spotted feeding in large groups in open sandy patches with their tails in the sand and their bodies up high waving in the current. When a diver swims towards them they gradually retreat into their burrows until they disappear.

What you may not know about them: The eels construct permanent burrows in the sand, which they never leave. Mating occurs between members of the opposite sex that occupy adjacent burrows by intertwining their bodies while the tail tips remain in their respective burrows.

Latin Name: Carcharhinus leucas

Where you can see them here:  In Bull Shark season here in Playa (Usually November thru February) the site for the Shark Dive is Jardines Deep(or Tiberon Flats). They cruise around at 20 metres deep in a large group feeding and breeding, only 5 minutes off the beach! At this time you might be lucky enough to spot one or two on all of our sites. Imagine seeing one on you first Discover Dive or your Open Water course! Out of season they stay deeper so Pared Verde is a good place to spot the odd Bull Shark.

How to identify them: The name, “bull shark”, comes from the shark’s stocky shape and broad, flat snout. These are big sharks measuring between 7 and 12 feet long (2 to 3.5 metres) If you come on the Bull Shark dive these are the sharks which will pass very close to you, so are hard to miss!

What you may not know about them:  Every report about Bull Sharks suggests they may be more dangerous to humans than any other species of shark, and, along with tiger sharks and great white sharks, are among the three shark species most likely to attack humans.

Now, Bull sharks will eat fish, dolphins, rays, turtles, seabirds, molluscs, echinoderms, crustaceans, even other sharks and virtually any other animal. But in our experience in Playa, not divers!

Scientific Name: Pterois Antennata

Where to spot them here: The lion fish was not a fish originally found in the caribbean.  It is unclear how they have been able to established themselves but one theory is that aquarium released specimens has started to propagate in the warm waters. They are aggressive and seem to have no native predator here and sadly can be found in abundance on all sites particularly in Tortugas where they hide in the large barrel sponges.

How to identify them: This is actually quite a pretty fish being zebra striped with long tentacle like fins which fan out on all sides when alarmed, much like a lion’s mane. They are a variety of sizes and juveniles are quite well camouflaged on the reef, so watch where your hands are!

What you may not know about them: Lion fish have venomous spines on the end of their fins that can produce painful and potentially life threatening puncture wounds. The only treatment for the sting is to immerse the affected body part in boiling hot water for many hours. The venom in the spines remains active for days, so even dead fish should be treated with caution.

These limited edition pointillist Lionfish prints, signed by the artist are available in the shop now!

Scientific Name: Diodon Hystrix

Where to spot them here: We see this fish between 5-65 feet, so Chunzumbul, Sabalos or Tortugas are all good sites! They can be seen either in the sand, on top of the reef or in midwater.

How to identify them: A rectangular shaped fish, they are sometimes confused with puffer fish but have heavier spines (hence the name porcupine) on their body. Porcupine fish are medium to large sized fish with giant eyes and a “smiley” mouth.

What you may not know about them: To deter predators Porcupine fish have the ability to inflate their body by swallowing water increasing in size to almost double vertically. The spines produce a toxin which when ingested, progressively shuts down the nervous system and can cause paralysis and death within hours. So while they might look funny when inflated, don’t mess with these ones!

Scientific Name: Lachnolaimus Maximus

Where to spot them here:  Usually found on day and night dives at Moc che, Jardines and the other shallow sites. Spot them changing color to quickly camouflage when they swim from reef to sandy bottom.

How to identify them: The hogfish gets its unusual name from its long, pig-like snout and protrusible mouth which it uses to root around the sea bottom for food. They have 3 long spines at the front of their dorsal fin which will be raised if alarmed. To camouflage itself their color changes between mottled brown to pearl white depending where it swims.

What you may not know about them: Hogfish have a fascinating life history; they are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning that individuals first function sexually as females and then later transform into males. This change generally occurs at around three years of age and a length of about 35 centimeters.

Scientific Name: Microspathodon Chrysurus

Where to Spot them here: These are much more common to the shallower sites where they breed but they have been seen deeper on Moc Che Deep and The Green Wall. Juveniles can be seen on Chunzumbul darting in and out of the  Lettuce Coral.

How to identify them: 10 to 15 cm in length. Easy to spot with that bright yellow tail and electric blue spots along their back. The juvenile is the “disco fish” with bright blue spots all over a dark blue body.

What you may not know about them: They, like all damselfish are a very territorial species and sometimes aggressively protect their homes in holes and coral colonies. They feed primarily on algae but also on polyps of fire coral.

Latin Name: Urolophus Jamaicenis

Where you can see them here:  The shallow sites are the best places to spots these smaller rays. They can be regularly spotted on top of Jardines or hiding in the sand under rocks on our other shallow sites.

How to identify them: It is a small stingray (maximum length 60cm, but indulge us in our megafauna section!) and as such is often mistaken for a baby ray by divers. It is circular or slightly oval in shape. As the name suggests, it is yellow or light brown in colour with speckles, spots and blotches across it’s upper side.

What you may not know about them:  Though innocuous towards humans, the little yellow stingray can inflict a painful injury with its venomous tail spine. So do not be tempted to touch these cute creatures!