Nano Gobies

stands of mangroves, which alternate between practically
impenetrable and more open areas. A typical feature of
the entire area is a confusing labyrinth of natural channels
through which water streams in the rhythm of the
tides. The predominantly bushy vegetation on the long,
narrow islands can best be described as a collection of
different coastal plants.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Our speedboat roars out across the gulf for about 50
miles (80 km) from Júcaro to reach the broad passage between
the two cayos of Caballones and Anclitas. Here the
hotel ship La Tortuga, the only permanent place to stay
in the Jardines de la Reina, lies at anchor in a sheltered
bay surrounded by mangrove thickets. The 93-mile-long
(150-km) archipelago is uninhabited, has been protected
since 1997, and now has the status of a national park.
There is no commercial fishing here; only fly-fishing by
licensed anglers is permitted. No more than 400 divers
per year are allowed to explore this unspoiled underwater
world, and each is limited to one week of fishing.
There are attractive dive sites all along the side facing
the Caribbean. The bottom profile is significantly determined
by the Yucatan Basin. On nautical charts the underwater
contour lines lie close together, showing how
steeply the bottom drops away. The 1.2-mile (2,000-m)
isobath lies not far from the cayos. The exposed position
of the Jardines de la Reina has had a considerable influence
on the development of the imposing fringing reefs
and their rich fauna, which includes numerous openwater
species as well.
Before diving, we wanted to look around in the shallows
of the extensive reef top. We quickly arrived at one
of the sites suitable for snorkeling. Here the rays of the
sun, broken up by the waves, danced brightly through
the clear water and created an ever-changing pattern on
the limestone plateau, which lay barely more than 16
This young
colony of Knobby
Cactus Coral
(Mycetophyllia
aliciae) exhibits
the characteristic
marginal
swelling; only
larger specimens
form more or less
radially oriented
ridges.
feet (5 m) below us and was rather bare, swept clean by
the sometimes rough seas. Above this solid base towered
Elkhorn Corals (Acropora palmata) of such monumental
stature that the endless play of sunlight looked like
flickering stage lighting amid surreal scenery. Because
this coral species requires constant water movement and
hence grows only in the shallows, its spreading branches
are sometimes snapped off during violent storms. We
saw the results of this in another, rather battered site,
where only short stumps of huge branches remained after
a tornado had swept through.
The sometimes immense power of the sea is also the
reason we found mainly stony corals (for example Faviidae,
Poritidae) of compact growth. Shoals of grunts (for
example the French Grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum) and
snappers (for example the Schoolmaster Snapper, Lutjanus
apodus) inhabited the panorama, even though the
fishes liked to retire among or beneath
the corals. The Great Barracuda (Sphyraena
barracuda) is one of the top dogs
in this terrain. These solitary predators
command a lot of respect; they
often followed us and fixed us with
glassy stares. But if we tried to get close
enough to photograph them, they immediately
beat a retreat.
BIZARRE UNDERWATER
LANDSCAPES
The Caribbean harbors the greatest
wealth of species of reef-building corals
in the Atlantic Ocean. But the edifices
The coloration of the Lettuce Sea Slug
(Elysia crispata), which grows up to 2.25
inches (6 cm) long, varies considerably.
96 CORAL