A Special Day. ~~~ !!!!
my last day here ... what do i want to do ? ... dive of course! i went out with my #1 Dive Shop, Belize Diving Adventures. Everette, on the left was the Dive Master, and Darrel was the Boat Captain. there was also another couple from Florida. our first dive was to Paradise Canyon; and the second dive was a 'drift dive' at Mermaid's Lair. in a normal dive, you dive down, cruise around and circle back to the boat that is anchored waiting for you. in a 'drift dive', you dive down and go with the current. the Boat Captain watches your bubbles and picks you up 'down the way' .... somewhere ....
this time of the year, the sea is really rough .... Easter Winds they call it; and we dove OUTSIDE the reef, and the waves were a good 8'. it was a roller-coaster ride out there, ... up and over and down, riding the waves. they were HUGE ! i was wondering how we were going to execute getting in and out of the boat. i dove in some pretty heavy waves in Utila, with great difficulty. and that was nothing compared to these waves! but, Everette explained that when each of us got in the water and gave the 'ok' signal, we were to go right down to about 10' and wait there; and not spend any time on the surface where we would be thrown around. and, it was a much better procedure and worked perfectly! when we all gathered at 10', then Everette gave the signal to continue down.
it's incredible that once you are under the water, the wave action is gone! we started our dive, and i was absolutely amazed at how many very large Groupers were swimming around in the water with us. they came right up to us, totally unbothered. it was ... well, like we belonged there ... like we were just another fish in the sea.
Nassau Grouper.
Nassau, Snapper, Wrasse, ....
and if the Grouper weren't enough ... there were lots of Nurse Sharks just cruising around as well. This is a Black Grouper with a Nurse Shark in the background.
here is a shot to give you an idea of the 'canyons' ..... reminds me of the canyons in the Rockies. that's a long ways down there .....
except there are Nurse Sharks swimming around here .... instead of Bears and Lions :)
Everette pointed out this tiny Arrow Crab (about 4") ... first one i've seen, with real heavily banded reddish-black legs.
a Rock Hind. they hang out around the coral crevices, and i've had a hard time photographing them while snorkeling, because they dart out of sight; ....but seemed to be unconcerned by divers. they are so pretty with their reddish brown spots.
lots of Yellowtail Snappers swimming around.
another Rock Hind, hovering over a beautiful Star Coral.
a Pork Fish ... reminds me of an Angelfish head and a French Grunt body and tail.
Black Groupers ... swimming right in front of my face !
an amazing 'hat' coral ... well, ok, that's what i'm calling it. but it was a beautiful bright red-orange color, shaped like a hat, with all these round balls with holes poked in them ... reminded me of a 'popcorn stitch' in knitting .... huh? ....what do i know about knitting ????????
another Nassau Grouper.
and more of that same coral. i am so attracted to bright colors, aren't i ?????? ...can't help it that i'm a color person!
so we're drifting along in Mermaid's Lair ... when it happened again. i am so fortunate! remember last year, when i was out at Glovers Reef and the dolphins came to play with us while we were snorkeling? ......... well, ........ it happened AGAIN ! this is just such a sensational experience, it's hard to describe!
they are so free and .... 'playful' .... that is the only way i can describe it ... and it's the interaction and communication that you feel with them that makes it so special .... amazing !
diving down ...
then up again ....
and coming back to see what we were doing .... i mean this guy was heading full speed right towards me ...
then at the last second twisting and swimming off in the other direction ....
WoW! we were all just in a trance watching them. it was a mom and a baby. and the baby was the one that was really playing around. then all of a sudden it was like the mom said, 'ok, enough, let's go' .... and they were gone ....
left us with this feeling like we had just been given a gift that filled us with such a euphoric feeling of joy ... what a fantastic experience. and i've been fortunate enough to experience it twice!
we continued to dive and see more fish ... but everyone was looking around and around, to see if maybe the Dolphins would return for more fun .... but they were gone. :(
before we surfaced, we did get to see a Hawksbill Turtle grazing among the coral. i almost missed him because he blended in so well with the coral. Unlike the Dolphins, ... he completely ignored us ... no interaction what-so-ever.
i know i raved about the coral at Cayos, but there is some pretty colorful coral here too ... happy to see it !!!
this pretty Azure Vase Sponge, with a tiny little crab on it.
What an incredible way to the my Barrier Reef Adventure of 2011 !
Thank you everyone for your support, thoughts, and prayers for my safe travels !
this time of the year, the sea is really rough .... Easter Winds they call it; and we dove OUTSIDE the reef, and the waves were a good 8'. it was a roller-coaster ride out there, ... up and over and down, riding the waves. they were HUGE ! i was wondering how we were going to execute getting in and out of the boat. i dove in some pretty heavy waves in Utila, with great difficulty. and that was nothing compared to these waves! but, Everette explained that when each of us got in the water and gave the 'ok' signal, we were to go right down to about 10' and wait there; and not spend any time on the surface where we would be thrown around. and, it was a much better procedure and worked perfectly! when we all gathered at 10', then Everette gave the signal to continue down.
it's incredible that once you are under the water, the wave action is gone! we started our dive, and i was absolutely amazed at how many very large Groupers were swimming around in the water with us. they came right up to us, totally unbothered. it was ... well, like we belonged there ... like we were just another fish in the sea.
Nassau Grouper.
Nassau, Snapper, Wrasse, ....
and if the Grouper weren't enough ... there were lots of Nurse Sharks just cruising around as well. This is a Black Grouper with a Nurse Shark in the background.
here is a shot to give you an idea of the 'canyons' ..... reminds me of the canyons in the Rockies. that's a long ways down there .....
except there are Nurse Sharks swimming around here .... instead of Bears and Lions :)
Everette pointed out this tiny Arrow Crab (about 4") ... first one i've seen, with real heavily banded reddish-black legs.
a Rock Hind. they hang out around the coral crevices, and i've had a hard time photographing them while snorkeling, because they dart out of sight; ....but seemed to be unconcerned by divers. they are so pretty with their reddish brown spots.
lots of Yellowtail Snappers swimming around.
another Rock Hind, hovering over a beautiful Star Coral.
a Pork Fish ... reminds me of an Angelfish head and a French Grunt body and tail.
Black Groupers ... swimming right in front of my face !
an amazing 'hat' coral ... well, ok, that's what i'm calling it. but it was a beautiful bright red-orange color, shaped like a hat, with all these round balls with holes poked in them ... reminded me of a 'popcorn stitch' in knitting .... huh? ....what do i know about knitting ????????
another Nassau Grouper.
and more of that same coral. i am so attracted to bright colors, aren't i ?????? ...can't help it that i'm a color person!
so we're drifting along in Mermaid's Lair ... when it happened again. i am so fortunate! remember last year, when i was out at Glovers Reef and the dolphins came to play with us while we were snorkeling? ......... well, ........ it happened AGAIN ! this is just such a sensational experience, it's hard to describe!
they are so free and .... 'playful' .... that is the only way i can describe it ... and it's the interaction and communication that you feel with them that makes it so special .... amazing !
diving down ...
then up again ....
and coming back to see what we were doing .... i mean this guy was heading full speed right towards me ...
then at the last second twisting and swimming off in the other direction ....
WoW! we were all just in a trance watching them. it was a mom and a baby. and the baby was the one that was really playing around. then all of a sudden it was like the mom said, 'ok, enough, let's go' .... and they were gone ....
left us with this feeling like we had just been given a gift that filled us with such a euphoric feeling of joy ... what a fantastic experience. and i've been fortunate enough to experience it twice!
we continued to dive and see more fish ... but everyone was looking around and around, to see if maybe the Dolphins would return for more fun .... but they were gone. :(
before we surfaced, we did get to see a Hawksbill Turtle grazing among the coral. i almost missed him because he blended in so well with the coral. Unlike the Dolphins, ... he completely ignored us ... no interaction what-so-ever.
i know i raved about the coral at Cayos, but there is some pretty colorful coral here too ... happy to see it !!!
this pretty Azure Vase Sponge, with a tiny little crab on it.
What an incredible way to the my Barrier Reef Adventure of 2011 !
Thank you everyone for your support, thoughts, and prayers for my safe travels !
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