9 Feb--StingRays-Eagle Rays-Pt1

Tues, 9 Feb it's gonna be a hot one today .... there is almost no breeze, on the way to breakfast i was sweating. i met Dolores and he said that another cold front was coming in, and that was why it was so still. at 8:45 this morning, we went out in the boat with Buck to do stingray transects. this is like what we did a few days ago. where Buck drives the boat along the 'virtual line' and we stand on he bow of the boat and spot stingrays, left and right of the 'line'. well, Alex and Marie spot them, and i am the 'scribe'. i am i training, but i still find it very difficult to distinguish between a stingray and a piece of coral or algae. it all looks very much the same to me. ..... see what i mean ? .. here is a photo of a 'patch reef' that i talked about yesterday. it's a coral reef just below the surface of the water. . Here is a photo of Alex pointing out a stingray .... at this particular spot, the water is VERY calm so it is easier to see them. but from this distance, to me, it could still be a piece of coral.... here, it's obvious that it's a stingray .... as i mentioned, the sun was out, no breeze; it was hot; i could feel the sun burning the tops of my feet. yes, i was wearing sunscreen :) .... after lunch it was decided we would go out again to observe stingrays. ...another location ... this time, outside the reef by my room. although it was rather calm, there are always waves crashing against the reef. getting into the water is tricky, walking over slippery rocks and dead coral, carrying your gear, then trying to put your fins on with the waves knocking against you and pushing and pulling you. my fins are not the easiest to get on, and i got kind of banged up and scratched by the coral in the process. the coral is really sharp and leaves you with large 'floor burns' that sting ... but, hey, it's all part of the experience! small price to pay ! finally in the water, i am in awe once again! there is so much to see! i love these Blue Tangs .... i'm supposed to be looking for stingrays, but there is so much more, and i don't see any. we snorkel around a bit, Alex goes one way, and Marie the other. we should stay with the 'buddy system' and i think i'm with Alex, but then i realize that Ray is going with him. so i turn around and start snorkeling towards Marie. then i see it ... a Spotted Eagle Ray!!!!!!!!! ....just the other day, i said that i hoped to be able to get a photo of one, but never really thought i would. they usually just speed off, flying through the water, as soon as you see them. it was incredible .... it just kept slowing swimming/flying close to the sand. Here you can see how her face and nose has the shape of a dolphin. Here is me and the Eagle Ray ... proof i was there ..... the white spots and circles on their black bodies are striking ! i have also posted some video of the Spotted Eagle Ray on You Tube. go to www.youtube.com and type "Glovers -- Spotted Eagle Ray" in the search box. after 20+min, we start feeling guilty, .... so we leave the Eagle Ray and start looking for stingrays ..... so we're snorkeling and snorkeling. it's not wavy, but there are huge 'swells' ... it was really fun. i'm looking down, trying to see a stingray .... but i see something way down there with 4 legs .... could it be .... a turtle ??? Yes, it is .... i call Marie over. we watch for awhile. i'm taking pictures, but he is still quite deep. i know it has to come up for air eventually, so i continue to follow it. it doesn't seem to be in any hurry, to get away from me, nor to surface. i keep taking pictures .... i don't know what kind of turtle it was ..... i have a lot of pictures for today, so, i'm splitting it into 2 parts; because i think a lot of pictures makes it difficult for you all to load my blog on your computer ... maybe not ... but just in case. to be continued ....