Scorpionfish in the Sea of Cortez

Scorpionfish (Scorpionidae)

This scorpionfish was relaxing on the bottom at Piedra Partida, a dive site at Danzante Island in the Sea of Cortez. Danzante Island lies in the Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto, a spectacular reserve covering nearly 800 square miles of ocean and uninhabited islands. The Scorpionfish family is widespread throughout the Pacific and contains many species organized into several subfamilies and many genera. I am not sure of the species: several species of scorpionfish live in Loreto Bay.

The diving was great, although it was cold: about 66F. It was early December of 2023, and both of the dive guides came down with bad colds. I shot this using a 60mm lens with a Nikon D700 in a Subal Housing, with Ikelite D160 strobes.