19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
A lionfish rests among a sponge

I stumbled upon this small lionfish on a shallow shore dive in a little coral and sponge bush. Normally lionfish are seen in deeper waters in Cozumel since divers spear them due to how invasive and damaging they are to the ecosystem but this lucky guy was cruising the shallows.

Photo Detail
Date Uploaded: 11.2021
Photo Location: San Miguel de Cozumel, Mexico
Camera: ILCE-6000
Copyright: © Anthony Butz