Busy shuttling between SC and TN this year, I've forgotten about the
newly discovered phenom of LARGE groups of spotted eagle rays in
Cozumel around the first couple of months of the year, for their
annual pilgrimmage to mate there.

The site where these squadron are found WERE unknown and not visited
by any of the dive shops, and we (on Al's private boat) were hanging
on a 80-90 fsw ledge on EAN36 for almost an hour (in AL80 singles
of course <g>) to get the best view of these squadrons.

I even had a video being circulated (probably in the hands of
Mike Wallace by now) to show that the squadrons were no "tall
tale".  Brad can vouch for that.   :-)

At any rate, word has gotten around, and Albert (PRIMA owner)
said the DIVE SHOPS are taking divers out there now, and CHASING
the eagle rays away (not unexpected) and the most he had seen
in one group was 24.

Last year, the eagle rays lingered till as late as March (when Sue
went there on our Spring Break), and I had seen much larger groups
when I was there in February.

The fact that the best SPOT to hang STILL and wait for them at
80-90 fsw (exactly the same as one waits for the Squadrons
of Manta Rays at Yap at 45 fsw) automatically elmininated most
of the regular divers in Coz (who don't dive Nitrox and could
suck their air dry in less than 20 minutes at that depth).

Alas, if I had thought about it, I probably would have taken a trip
down there just for that about-to-disappear phenomenon of
Squadrons of Eagle Rays in Coz.  My video (a nicely done 10-minute
segment, by a local with whom I dived) may turned out to be a
"collector's item" soon, and MAY be worth as much as Strike's
one square-inch of real estate in Hong Kong!  :-)

-- Bob.


the way one