Mon, 14 Mar.
went to the Marine Park around 9am ... Grazzia was busy and asked me to return around 1pm. came back home, cleaned up my room a bit, and found Jimmy and asked him to see if he could fix my shower so i could have hot water. he fixed it right away :) He and Tita are very nice people. i took my snorkel gear with me when i went back to town, ... i wanted to snorkel Half Moon Bay right out from of the Marine Park. i'd only snorkeled there 1 day and since i was with the group of kids from the mainland, i really didn't get to snorkel it.
Grazzia asked me if i would go around to the businesses and ask them for donations for the annual Fund Raiser for the Marine Park to be held in April. so i have a list of businesses to contact, both here on West End and also at West Bay. iill start on that tomorrow, today i wanted to snorkel. ...and snorkel i did. i love it, pretty much everytime i get in the water, i see something that i've never seen before. and today was no a bonus !
i got in the water close to shore, it was only about 2' deep, and sea grass. i immediately spotted these 2 fish, .... shaped kind of like a tank. and they had these iridescent green eyes !!!!! WoW
i didn't know what they were, i'd never seen them before and they were unusual looking, ... fat body all the way down to the tail, what there was of a tail. later i looked them up. they are Checkered Puffer Fish.
those green eyes were amazing !
leaving the shallows, i came across this fish .. i think it's a Grouper, but can't get a positive ID from the books.
i left there and started swimming out, but stayed close to the coral .. in fact, over top of it. the water is only about 2' above the coral heads, so you get to be up close and personal with whatever is there to see. i'm trying, once again, for the 100th time, to get a good photo of the beautiful Queen Angelfish, when out of the corner of my eye, i see this quite large shape. i abort the Queen Angelfish mission, and start toward this big fish, taking pics. i have never seen one of these before either!!!!!!!! ... and i believed it to be an Ocean Triggerfish. i photographed the Queen Triggerfish last year at Glovers ... beautiful fish! but the Ocean Triggerfish is quite plain ... but much larger! Triggerfish are distinctive because of the fins on the top and bottom that wave back and forth as they swim, ... completely different from other fishes. in checking the books, i'm not sure if it's an Ocean or a Gray Triggerfish .... but the Triggerfish part is definite.
i found this lobster hiding under a coral ledge.
and this Barred Hamlet kind of guarding the lobster's cave.
this silly Parrotfish smiled 'cheese' for the camera, so i couldn't resist one more Parrotfish photo.
i wonder if a doctor would diagnose this Blue Tang as being enemic ... they are usually such dark blue.
on my way cruising over the coral, i spotted this fish. it wasn't interested in being photographed, but i got this shot. it is a Spotted Trunkfish. i've seen Smooth Trunkfish and just plain Trunkfish ... but this one is a Spotted Trunkfish, distinguished by it's white mouth.
i headed out for the wall and was following crevices in the coral and when came across this Porcupine fish ... they are quick and i missed a really good shot, and got this one instead. they are so cute with their innocent big eyes, looking at you, asking .. "are you going to hurt me?"
another school of Blue Tang passed me by.
so i swam around more and headed back in ... when i saw another Queen Angelfish ... she was VERY cooperative ! knew if i was patient enough, i'd finally get some good shots of the absolutely beautiful colorful fish.
so i very slowly approached and stayed very still and took these shots. they are SO colorful!
and my day wasn't over yet ... after taking 30 shots of her, i headed towards shore again, and ran into this French Angelfish! this is not a full grown fish, as distinquished by the light line down it's side from fin to fin.
ok, i am really chilled now, so i quit ... what a GREAT day of snorkeling. i have t say that i REALLY like snorkeling. i know diving affords many more opportunities; but for all the equipment, time, and money ... and then you are only there 40min or so ... i love the freedom, quiet serenity, and ease of snorkeling !
home, showered, then back to meet Marti at Sundowner for another beautiful sunset.
i didn't know what they were, i'd never seen them before and they were unusual looking, ... fat body all the way down to the tail, what there was of a tail. later i looked them up. they are Checkered Puffer Fish.
those green eyes were amazing !
leaving the shallows, i came across this fish .. i think it's a Grouper, but can't get a positive ID from the books.
i left there and started swimming out, but stayed close to the coral .. in fact, over top of it. the water is only about 2' above the coral heads, so you get to be up close and personal with whatever is there to see. i'm trying, once again, for the 100th time, to get a good photo of the beautiful Queen Angelfish, when out of the corner of my eye, i see this quite large shape. i abort the Queen Angelfish mission, and start toward this big fish, taking pics. i have never seen one of these before either!!!!!!!! ... and i believed it to be an Ocean Triggerfish. i photographed the Queen Triggerfish last year at Glovers ... beautiful fish! but the Ocean Triggerfish is quite plain ... but much larger! Triggerfish are distinctive because of the fins on the top and bottom that wave back and forth as they swim, ... completely different from other fishes. in checking the books, i'm not sure if it's an Ocean or a Gray Triggerfish .... but the Triggerfish part is definite.
i found this lobster hiding under a coral ledge.
and this Barred Hamlet kind of guarding the lobster's cave.
this silly Parrotfish smiled 'cheese' for the camera, so i couldn't resist one more Parrotfish photo.
i wonder if a doctor would diagnose this Blue Tang as being enemic ... they are usually such dark blue.
on my way cruising over the coral, i spotted this fish. it wasn't interested in being photographed, but i got this shot. it is a Spotted Trunkfish. i've seen Smooth Trunkfish and just plain Trunkfish ... but this one is a Spotted Trunkfish, distinguished by it's white mouth.
i headed out for the wall and was following crevices in the coral and when came across this Porcupine fish ... they are quick and i missed a really good shot, and got this one instead. they are so cute with their innocent big eyes, looking at you, asking .. "are you going to hurt me?"
another school of Blue Tang passed me by.
so i swam around more and headed back in ... when i saw another Queen Angelfish ... she was VERY cooperative ! knew if i was patient enough, i'd finally get some good shots of the absolutely beautiful colorful fish.
so i very slowly approached and stayed very still and took these shots. they are SO colorful!
and my day wasn't over yet ... after taking 30 shots of her, i headed towards shore again, and ran into this French Angelfish! this is not a full grown fish, as distinquished by the light line down it's side from fin to fin.
ok, i am really chilled now, so i quit ... what a GREAT day of snorkeling. i have t say that i REALLY like snorkeling. i know diving affords many more opportunities; but for all the equipment, time, and money ... and then you are only there 40min or so ... i love the freedom, quiet serenity, and ease of snorkeling !
home, showered, then back to meet Marti at Sundowner for another beautiful sunset.
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