Mismaloya Beach

This week I’m going to write about some of the wonderful things you can find off Mismaloya Beach here in Puerto Vallarta, just south of Los Arcos. You can reach this area either by boat or by shore, but be prepared for a few hundred meters of swimming if you opt for the cheaper option!

What can we see here? Amongst a ton of marine life there are 2 real cool species that live here.

Firstly, the eels! A few of you might be squirming at this point, but I love spotting them. There are around 200 species of eels and many are found in this area.
The ´scary´ looking ones are the green moray eels and they relax with their mouths wide open exposing their teeth. All they’re actually doing though is breathing. Inhaling water into their mouths and expelling it from their gills is how they extract the oxygen they need to breathe and survive. So to the novice onlooker it’s intimidating, but like the majority of marine life, they are harmless if left undisturbed. They are fairly lazy by nature, which is probably the reason they are large! They can grow up to 8 foot in length and weigh in at 60lbs. Because of their lazy ways, they are a photographers dream.

Another moray lurking around this dive site is the zebra moray. No prizes for why it is called this! These are far shyer and tend to hide under rocks during the day, but when night time comes, they are out hunting for any small creature that swims by. I usually catch sight of them during the day here as I don´t believe they are that great at hiding!

Another gem of the ocean found at this site is the good old octopus. I can watch these creatures for way too long. They are tricky to spot as they camouflage themselves so well, changing colour to match the surroundings, but often they will just sit and keep an eye on you and it is cool to see them changing colour. If you keep your distance and stay still, they may come closer to you to check you out, but any sudden movements will find you being inked. By the time the water clears, it will be long gone. They are such loveable creatures they have 3 hearts, but all octopus are so loveable!

The tiny blue ringed octopus is the most venomous creature known to man. I have had the pleasure in photographing and videoing them many times. They are only about 6 inches long, but carry enough venom to kill 26 humans in minutes. They are cunning in their disguise, matching their surroundings perfectly until spotted, then they turn yellow and flash black and neon blue rings at you. Always tricky to catch on film as you don´t really want to take your eyes off them, but you can´t help loving them as they are so cute. So, no need to worry about sharks now, is there?