An often visited dive site in Xcalak is home to a large school of tarpons (
Megalops atlanticus) reaching lengths of six to seven feet. These incredible silvery giants live for up to 55 years and many times underwater I have heard them make a sound using their swim bladder, a 'boom' that they produce when disturbed by one another, an impressive sound when swimming in the midst of a school of hundred large fish! Their swim bladder has multiple functions, including as a breathing organ: If a tarpon cannot access the surface it will perish because it is there where the gas exchange takes place. If you have ever seen a tarpon 'roll' at the surface then you know that they're basically coming up to "take a fresh breath of air"!
Next to that they can survive in both fresh and salt water environments due to their unique swim bladder. The individual below I photographed at La Poza, a trench-shaped dive site with a current attracting several schools of fish, most notably the enormous tarpons. They are beauties.
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