NW Florida beach snorkeling

While out surf fishing with a couple friends this week, I went out snorkeling to see what things looked like where we were casting our lines. Since we were mostly catching fish that we didn't care to eat, I wasn't missing out on anything too important.



Atlantic Mole Crab (Emerita talpoida)
"Sand flea"



Lettered Olive (Oliva sayana)



Shark Eye (Polinices duplicatus)



Roughtail Stingray (Dasyatis centroura)



Smooth Butterfly Ray (Gymnura micrura)



Gulf Kingfish (Menticirrhus littoralis)



Florida Pompano (Trachinotus carolinus)



Leatherjacket (Oligoplites saurus)



Hardhead Catfish (Ariopsis felis)



juvenile Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) and Ladyfish (Elops saurus)



Gulf Flounder (Paralichthys albigutta)



Sharksucker (Echeneis naucrates)

This little Sharksucker followed us for about a half hour and would almost stick onto me while I was swimming; occasionally venturing away from me just long enough to grab little morsels before returning. I had assumed there wouldn't be all that much to see along our sandy beaches, so was pleasantly surprised to see such an interesting variety of animal life.