Cuajiniquil, Costa Rica - March 2024 | Daniel Gonzalez-Suarez

In Costa Rica, we’re fortunate to have these amazing rocky reefs in the Pacific coast. This time I went diving, I started taking pictures underwater. My setup: An Olympus TG-6 placed on a tray along with a flashlight (that I didn’t use). These pictures are the first ones I took with the camera!

Three sea star species: Phataria unifascialis, Mithrodia bradleyi and Pharia pyramidata.

Diadema mexicanum, the long-spined sea urchin, is an abundant figure in the Eastern Tropical Pacific rocky reefs. The second picture shows how its long spines offer shelter to some recruits of the Cortez rainbow wrasse Thalassoma lucasanum

Sea stars and sea urchins are echinoderms, a group that also includes brittle stars, sea cucumbers and sea lilies - these last ones are quite uncommon in Costa Rica.

Sea cucumbers sheltered inside rocks. A feature that characterizes echinoderms is the five-side symmetry, easily evidenced in sea stars. However, you can see in the left picture that same symmetry! On the right picture, you can see the tentacles that characterize the sea cucumber order Dendrochirotida. These belong to the species Cucumaria flamma.

You bet I saw more than echinoderms. Rocky reefs have a burst of many beautiful species!

Two coral species commonly found in this zone: Pocillopora sp. and Pavona clavus.

Can you see it? Some species from the Scorpaenidae family of fish have great camouflage. Be careful - they’re quite venomous. Here you can see Scorpaena mystes.

The Gallery

I got to photograph many other creatures like sea urchins, hermit crabs, ascidians, black corals (!), solitary corals, moray eels and pufferfish. We truly have an amazing diversity here in Costa Rica. Find more pictures down here:

The Gallery

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