In this video I’m taking you back down to Cozumel for part five of my series where I challenge you to spot different ecology during the dive. Today’s site is Palancar Caves—hands down one of my favorites and, in my opinion, my third favorite dive site in all of Cozumel. We’re not just sightseeing on this one either; I want you looking for three specific things throughout the dive: the blue tang, the spiny lobster, and cone coral. This is also the first video in the series where I’m having you key in on a type of coral, not just fish. Palancar Caves is an advanced dive, and I’m very clear about why. It’s deep, there’s a slew of overhangs, swim-throughs, caverns, and even caves, and the current can be strong—strong enough that you’ll feel it even while you’re inside the swim-throughs. That means you need solid buoyancy control and better gas management than you’d use on a shallow reef. If you want to go deeper on identification and ecology, I also point you toward the SSI ecology programs, because they’re an easy way to get more educated and even earn a specialty certification from home.