Palancar reef
Encyclopedia
Palancar Reef is a large coral reef
located on the southwest side of the island of Cozumel
and is part of the Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park
. The site is very popular with scuba divers and is divided into several sections based on depth & coral
formations. Dive depths range from 50 to 110 feet, with coral swim-throughs located in many places.
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
located on the southwest side of the island of Cozumel
Cozumel
Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatan Channel. Cozumel is one of the ten municipalities of the state of Quintana Roo...
and is part of the Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park
Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park
The Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park is off the coast of the island of Cozumel in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The cozumel reef system is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second largest coral reef system in the world. Even though almost the entire island of Cozumel is...
. The site is very popular with scuba divers and is divided into several sections based on depth & coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
formations. Dive depths range from 50 to 110 feet, with coral swim-throughs located in many places.
Sealife
- Angelfish
- BarracudaBarracudaThe barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Its body is long, fairly compressed, and covered with small, smooth scales. Some species could reach up to 1.8m in length and 30 cm in width...
- CrabCrabTrue crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s - GrouperGrouperGroupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.Not all serranids are called groupers; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name grouper is usually given to fish in one of two large genera: Epinephelus...
- Moray eelMoray eelMoray eels are cosmopolitan eels of the family Muraenidae. The approximately 200 species in 15 genera are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water and a few, for example the freshwater moray can sometimes be found in freshwater...
s - Nurse SharkNurse sharkThe nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, sometimes referred to as the Nur Shark is a shark in the nurse sharks family, the only member of its genus Ginglymostoma...
s - Ocean sunfishOcean sunfishThe ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It has an average adult weight of . The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the globe. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally...
- ParrotfishParrotfishParrotfishes are a group of fishes that traditionally had been considered a family , but now often are considered a subfamily of the wrasses. They are found in relatively shallow tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, but with the largest species richness in the Indo-Pacific...
- Sea turtleSea turtleSea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...
s - Spiny lobsterSpiny lobsterSpiny lobsters, also known as langouste or rock lobsters, are a family of about 45 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia...
- Splendid toadfishSplendid ToadfishThe splendid toadfish, Sanopus splendidus, also known as the coral toadfish, is a species of toadfish entirely endemic to the island of Cozumel.Commonly found under coral outcroppings. Dens can be spotted by the sloping sand patch...
- Yellowtail amberjackYellowtail amberjackThe yellowtail amberjack or great amberjack, Seriola lalandi, is a large fish found in the Pacific and Indian oceans. It can be divided into three sub-species: The California yellowtail, Seriola lalandi dorsalis, the southern yellowtail, or in New Zealand and Australia the yellowtail kingfish or...
Dive Locations
- Palancar horseshoe
- Palancar caves
- Palancar garden
- Palancar shallows
- Palancar deep