Category: Observing the Reef

Longenose puffers can be pesky! I have been bitten 5 times. Become aware of their behaviors so you can keep that number at zero. Those that have been approached by this cute little fish, please share your encounters in the video comment section.

Here is a video of Stingrays Swimming in Ventana Bay. They have a reputation of being stingy creatures, however, stingrays would rather not sting you. But when you step on them, you leave them no choice! To prevent this, some recommend shuffling your feet in the sand to scare them off.

 Here is a very short video to introduce what a Stingray looks like buried in the sand. Stingrays are harmless creatures, unless you step on one when they are buried in the sand. Some people shuffle their feet in the sand to scare them away. That’s what I do when I enter the water. A Stingray has a barb on the tail that they use to defend themselves; that’s the sting in Stingray. It’s very painful. Stingrays will leave you alone otherwise. I enjoy watching their unique and graceful way of swimming.

Learn to recognize when a female Sharpnose Puffer exhibits nest building behavior so when you snorkel, you too can spot the reproductive behaviors of these fish. This short film shows pairs of Puffers engaged in reproduction. 

I have put together a free reef fish ID resource video with 94 species of fish from our very own Ventana Bay. The photos were taken while snorkeling in the bay. I hope the vid brings some joy to people over the holiday, and is useful to those who want to get to know our local fish residents. Thank you to Mary Sim for collaborating on this project! She’s been so helpful since I started documenting fish around our local reefs in the fall of 2017.

Hawksbill Turtle Sighting in Ventana Bay! Here’s a short video of a beautiful creature sighted Dec 9

Below the vast blue mirror of Ventana Bay lives a variety of flora and fauna, what the locals call “silvestre” or the “wild”. At the core of this diverse ecosystem are the rocky coral reefs that dot our beautiful coast line. While our predominantly finger-based coral may not provide as colorful a display as seen in coral colonies throughout the Caribbean, these shallow, rock-based reefs provide a critical habitat for a diverse array of life that have called Ventana Bay “home” long before we did.

Baby fish or “juveniles” seek protection and sustenance in these shallow reef systems and adult turtles come in for rest and nourishment. Slow-growing coral colonies are nurseries not only to fish, but to crustaceans, star fish, sea urchins, clams, sea anemones and a host of other critters that hold a symbiotic relationship with their living host. Mary Sim, a local snorkeler living in the area since 1987 and a full-time since resident 1998, recalls in one snorkel session, “logging over 95 varieties of fish on one reef.” Continue reading “The Coral Reefs of La Ventana Bay” →