23 Mar--Last Snorkel in Roatan

Wed, 23 Mar. my last day in Roatan. met Wally at 9am by my place and we walked to West Bay. it was another 'cruise ship day' ... so the beach was packed :( but we made our way to the very end of the beach and started snorkeling around 10:45a. we weren't in the water a minute when we spotted this very large Rainbow Parrotfish. it's the first one i've seen up close and personal. i was surprised to see it in such shallow water and right in front of our faces, and it didn't swim away. i guess when you are that big, you aren't afraid of anyone :) he's happy, he's smiling. moving on we spotted this Queen Parrotfish, who also was in no hurry to move on. the Queen Parrotfish are identified by the distinctive markings around their face and lips. i lead Wally out to the 'wall' and we saw a turtle in the distance, swimming down to the depths and out of sight. also saw 2 Scrawled Filefish, but there were down too deep and far away. so couldn't get any photos :( then saw this Parrotfish that said, "please, would you get me some braces for my teeth?" :) and this Stoplight Parrotfish .. there are so many different kinds of Parrotfish ! i finally got a picture of a Yellowhead Wrasse !. we snorkeled for about an hour, then went into shore. he brought a pineapple and so we sat on the beach and ate it. really fresh pineapple! then Wally had to leave, ..... but .... I HAD to snorkel just one last time ... just for a short while .... i was back in the water by 12:30. ...it was a GREAT last snorkel of Roatan ! and i can't help taking pictures of the Doctorfish. their subtle colors are fantastic ! i wasn't seeing anything spectacular, so i headed the other way. and saw this fish that i've seen before, but still don't know what it is ... and it's long narrow body wiggles like a snake. and this Sand Diver was in the same area. Sand Divers are members of the Lizard Fish family ... you can kind of see why. and another one of my favorite fishes, the Indigo Blue Hamlet. a fish unknown to me before coming to Honduras. he wasn't going to swim away, so i just shot away :) they are a type of Sea Bass .. and look kinda grumpy .... i decided i should start heading back when i spotted this Blue Parrotfish. they are very large and distinguished by the flat area on their heads. he wasn't bothered by me either, and just kept swimming around me. as i was watching him, i saw another large Rainbow Parrotfish; who also was very cooperative. this was great luck, not having the fish swim away! ok, a quick review ... how many different Parrotfish did we see today? Rainbow, Queen, Stoplight, Blue, and one unknown one that needed braces :) so, i'm feeling pretty good, and thinking ... 'now, what haven't i seen that i'd like to see ... a Rock Beauty" ... about 30 seconds later, i gazed down this canyon and what did i see ???????? ....a Rock Beauty. Amazing ! what a day ! so i'm trying to get another shot of the Rock Beauty, who unlike the others, wasn't being cooperative; and was staying down deep. when out of the corner of my eye, i saw those 2 Scrawled Filefish that Wally and i saw earlier ... i abandon the Rock Beauty and swam for the Filefish. as i'm swimming for the Filefish, i see a school of fish swimming towards me .... i don't pay too much attention, assuming they are Blue Chromis or Tangs .... then i look closer. OMG, it is a school of 34 Caribbean Reef Squid !!!!!!!!!! The look like fighter-pilots ! WoW .... it's all happening so fast .... now, where did those Scrawled Filefish go ? they had separated and one hung out around the reef, in water ALMOST too deep for me to free dive to .... but i persisted. i'm getting better at holding my breath, unplugging my ears, readying my camera, swimming, and taking photos :) but these were worth the effort. and i took this one as he was swimming away. while i was diving for the Filefish, i noticed a Black Durgeon ... a Triggerfish-shaped fish. always black with white outines at their dorsal and anal fins .... very distinctive and striking. a closer look at the Black Durgeon. ok, now it really was time for me to get back. on my way i spotted one of my favorites, ... a vase sponge. and a school of these tiny brightly colored litle fishes. i was out of the water by 1:30 or so, but it took 1/2 hr for me to get a Water Taxi to take me back to West End, but i finally got back to the Marine Park around 3:00 and Grazzia was not there. i waited until around 4pm, said my 'goodbyes' and headed home as the sun was shining it's last light onto the pathway to my room. parting shot of my room #6. showered, changed, and took these photos as i was walking to meet Marti, Ron, and Patricia at the Sundowner. my last beautiful Roatan sunset. Right out in front of my home. .... then to dinner, and home to finish packing. Jimmy and Tita (Managers of Ft Saphrey) offered to drive me to the Ferry at 6am. but i don't have an alarm clock and needed to be up by 5am. i discovered a feature on my Mac that could 'announce' the time every hour on the hour. so i set it, turned the speakers up, and went to sleep with my laptop next to my head, so i could hear it, .... hoping i would wake up.