June 2026 Sea-gram

The June

Sea-gram

from MilaBooks.com

For ocean lovers, divers,

and "deep-thinkers."

A Hungry Loggerhead Looking for Lunch

Paul Mila photo, Cozumel, Mexico (c)

Welcome to the June 2026 Sea-gram

From MilaBooks.com

To our many recent Sea-gram subscribers, "Thank You!"

I hope you enjoy your June issue!

This month we're recapping another great Cozumel adventure, featuring encounters with an array of fascinating underwater creatures. Enjoy the videos and photos!

Our Story Behind the Photo this month is about an unusual encounter with a "shiver" of sharks -- not a "school," as you will find out below.

We also have several fascinating short videos that Sea-gram fans have sent in for your viewing pleasure.

I hope you enjoy them!

In this month's Kids Korner, read about the Children's Center of Hilton Head Island, and the great work they do.

Summer is here, so please visit the Tropical Authors' link and check out some entertaining beach reads for reading under your umbrella.

For more fun, search @paulmila5210 on YouTube and enjoy our many videos!

I hope you enjoy this Sea-gram, and share it with your friends and family.

Paul Mila

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Our Week of Cozumel Diving!

Enjoy this 7-minute video, featuring the music of Enya,

and explore the amazing world beneath Cozumel's azure waters!

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Stories Behind The Photos

A "Shiver" of Sharks!

Diving on Cozumel's Cedral Pass Reef (Paso de Cedral), about 60 feet down, near the end of our 1-hour and 25-minute dive (a time record for me), we were following a single nurse shark. The shark led us to a group (a shiver) of nurse sharks resting together on the sandy bottom.

I wondered, what do you call a bunch of sharks?

I looked it up. Here's the answer, according to Google:

"A group of sharks is most commonly called a 'shiver.'

While it is easy to assume the term was coined by nervous humans, the word 'shiver' likely originates from the old English word 'shive,' meaning a slice or shard. This is a nod to the way their sleek bodies appear to slice through the water."

I was curious why these sharks were hanging out together, because I had never seen that behavior before.

Once again, Google provided an answer:

"Do sharks actually group together?"

"Even though many sharks are solitary hunters, several species gather in groups for a few key reasons:

Socializing: Some species, such as nurse sharks and sand tiger sharks, form long-term social networks or 'friendships.' "

Thanks, Google!

A Rare Treat - The Spendid Toadfish

Divemaster Carlos found this colorful splendid toadfish peeking out of the coral on San Francisco Wall.

There are several species of toadfish, but the splendid toadfish is found only in Cozumel.

Three Great Videos!

First, two videos from Tom Helmke

Leave it up to Sea-gram fan Tom Helmke to find interesting, off-beat videos for us!

Tom's first video shows us a fascinating sea creature most of us have never encountered: the ocean sunfish.

Tom's second YouTube short shows how a sea spider, a very wierd creature, goes about its day!

From Barbara Vollmer

Barbara was part of our Cozumel dive group when we encountered this shy green sea turtle hiding in the soft corals.

Here is Barbara's Story Behind the Video:

"Well, you (Paul) spotted the beautiful turtle in the billowing coral, and I came beside the coral and shot it with my gopro 10black.

"Luckily, the turtle turned her sleepy head my way for some great video! I was glad we were behind a coral formation since the current was pretty clipping along that day."

Thanks for sharing your great video, Barbara!

As Barbara mentioned, the current was very strong that day, as you can see from the "billowing" coral.

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The Authors' Corner

For Exciting Beach Reads, click:

PAUL'S TROPICAL AUTHOR PAGE

Click on the Tropical Authors logo below

and dive into adventures

from our other Tropical Authors!

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Kids Korner

Donating Books Can Make a Difference!

Harry Hawksbill, Gracie Green Turtle,

Larry Loggerhead, and Sally Stingray

were a big hit at the

Children’s Center of Hilton Head Island!

This is an early childhood center for children of working parents. Over 100 children attend every day, ages 6 weeks to 6 years old, on a sliding scale cost, depending on income, open from 6 am to 6 pm.

Below on the left is Jody Levitt, Executive Director of The Children’s Center. Next to Jody in the yellow sweater is former Board Chair, and now volunteer, Andrea Siebold.

The Center's mission: “Making high quality early education and childcare services available & affordable for working families - giving children a great start to life!”

From Andrea: "Wow! And now they will enjoy your wonderful books for many years to come!!"

Click on their photo below to learn more about this entertaining and informative children's book series.