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.

22 Mar, Tues

Tues, 22 Mar. woke up totally frustrated because i don't know if this is my last day here. obviously my own fault! i decided i should start packing in case i am leaving tomorrow morning. on my way into town i saw Wally, my friend from the internet. he said a guy was on the dock with a very large Dog Tooth Snapper ... so i went to investigate. i've never seen one of these in the water, and i think i'm grateful .... 60 pounds of beast ! i just looked up DogTooth Snapper on the internet. there were LOTSA photos ... none even CLOSE to the size of this guy ! WoW, what a fish ! check out the teeth ... they do look like a dog's teeth and i am sure could do some damage. then to the Marine Park to work with Grazzia on the Certificates. somehow it got to be afternoon already, as i walked across the street (literally) to snorkel. it seems lately the mornings are always sunny and clear, then in the afternoon it clouds up. there was a wind, and with no sun ... i had goose-bumps :) but decided to go anyway, since my snorkel time in Roatan is coming to an end :( i was chilled off and on; but warmed right up when i saw these 2 Reef Squid. more photos ... i love these guys . i was mesmerized by the iridescent green of their spots in the sunlight. and they were just content to stay around for me to take lots photos. they were still hanging around as i snorkeled out to the reef where the waves are breaking. it's always exciting out there, being pushed around by the waves like you were a leaf; and just a little bit dangerous. you can go through passages into a small open area, but then you can't get out, it's like a maze. you have to make sure you don't brush against any coral and get scraped. they really are sharp. but no worries, just stay calm :) i saw 2 HUGE lobsters while i was out there, but it is just so difficult to get a photo. but they were the biggest ones i've seen yet. i love the color of this Brain Coral ... so unlike the gold Brain Coral you usually see. out into the deep where i spotted another one of these weird fleshy things; which i now know is a Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber ...make sense ... doesn't it look like a Tiger's Tail ??? but, it's still just a little bit yucky ! t i spotted this shell because of it's striking black and white stripes. hello there Mr. Blue Tang. was he waving to me with those pectoral fins ? and Mr. Yellowtail Snapper. resident Baracuda. a Juvenile Stoplight Parrotfish. it is amazing to me how different fish look while going through their phases. the Stoplight Parrotfish is TOTALLY different. you would never know it's the same fish. compare the Juvenile above, to the Terminal Phase (adult) Parrotfish below. on my way back in i looked for my friend the Checkered Puffer .. and there he was. another great afternoon of snorkeling ! checked my email in the evening, ....and i am going to Cayos on Thurs am !!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm all set. they will have a taxi waiting for me when i get off the Ferry, that will take me to their dock where i will get on their boat to go out to Cayos !!!!!!! yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!! i did it ! ...i am really going to make it to Cayos !! while at the internet, i ran into Wally again. tomorrow is his last day too, and he wanted to snorkel West Bay and so do i. so we'll meet in the morning and walk there. spent the evening packing.

21 Mar, Mon.

Mon, 21 Mar my last couple of days here, so what do i want to do ? snorkel? yes. but first this morning i'll get more donations. i need to get a taxi to go to Lawson Rock to a restaurant out there. first i'll stop at RMP. Grazzia praised me for the donations i've gotten so far :) i told her that i'd be leaving Wed. she could not believe that i'd been here a month already, well 3.5 weeks. i can't either. i feel like i am just getting acquainted with things here; i feel comfortable. i guess that's how i felt leaving Utila too. and there are things that i didn't do or see here too. i guess it takes about 3 weeks to really get to know a place. .... that's good info to store....somewhere :) i went out to the Hungry Kiwi at Lawson Rock, about a 15min drive. Lawson Rock, is a Resort, ...i didn't know this, i thought it was just a Rock :) the manager wasn't in, so i walked around awhile. pretty places, these resorts. but what do the people do way out there? ...it's like living in Augusta without a car! resorts are very nice and clean; but you don't get the 'flavor' of any island, if you're living inside a bubble, with all the comforts of home. this is only my opinion, of course; no doubt because i can't sit still :). if you just want, and can, totally relax and do nothing, i guess a resort is the answer. like i said, it's a real pretty place. i went the Spa and Gift Shop. started talking to the owner, where i'm from, what i'm doing. she said, 'well, why don't i donate a couple of massages" WoW, that was an unexpected nice surprise! the other place, the Pool Bar, that i was supposed to go to was closed. around here they use a barbed wire fence to keep people out. and they are serious about their barbed wire fences! they string 5 lines of wire, about 10" apart and there's no 'sliding through' ! someone else will have to approach the Pool Bar for a donation. back at RMP, Grazzia asked me if i've ever used 'Publisher'. i think that is the name of it, ...a computer program used to publish things. i said 'no, i never have". she said, 'no problem, it's easy'. yea .... last month RMP had a Lionfish Cook-Off. she needed me to make the 'Award Certificates' for the winners. she got the main document set up and then i tried to put the text in. grrrrrrrr ! so frustrating! so i spent the next couple of hours working on that. had i known what i was doing, i could have been done in 20min. at 2pm, i needed to go to a store to pick up a pie. on Fri nights there is a girl selling Coconut Cream Pies. they are the best i've ever had. by the time i got there last Fri, she had sold out. i pouted. she offered to make me a small pie. so i needed to pick it up. gasp! it was a full size pie. ...and i'm leaving in 2 days, ...no way. she agreed to sell me half a pie, thankfully. this pie weighed 5 pounds, so i'm working on it ... breakfast, lunch, dinner. then back to RMP to try to finish up the document. i worked for a while longer, then called it a day. i got home in time to shower, change, and get back down to The Sundowner. a full work day ... and no snorkeling. i finally decided, yes, i really should leave on Wed, and sent my email to Mike at Plantation. he had said in a previous email that they could pick me up from LaCeiba and take me to the island; ... i thought he meant that it was included .... i checked the web site ... it said US$80 round trip extra. ...... ok, so now it's not such a good deal ....i asked him to confirm that and also if they had availability for Wed night ...nothing like waiting until the last minute :) here are some photos of the timing of the sunsets here ... this photo was taken just as the sun hit the water .... at 5:46:23 and 5:46:42 and 5:47:15 5:48:19 and this one as it just disappeared ...at 5:48:27 amazing how fast it sets down here close to the Equator ! i have seen the same guy at the internet cafe the last couple of days, working on photos; like me :) tonight we were the last 2 to leave and we decided to have a drink and visit. Wally, nice guy from Canada. he takes photos of the local people and their lives.

20 Mar, Sun.

Sun, 20 Mar. woke up today and realized, it's the 20th of March! i need to be back in Belize by the 28-29 .... i have to leave ... soon, if i am going to Cayos Cochinos. ....and i am committed to go to Cayos one way or another. if i don't go now, i will regret it. Marti and i have not been successful in finding someone with a sailboat who was going there that we could get a ride with. so, back to my original plan; ferry to LaCeiba, then ferry to Cayos Cochinos. one of the first days i was here, i stopped at a bar to have a Mojito, (and it was a very good one!). i only had a 500 Lempira bill, and the bar didn't have change. this is a common problem here. the ATM dispenses 500 bills and none of the merchants can change them. there were 3 guys at the bar and one said he would buy my drink. got to talking to them and found out they were from Cayos Cochinos ... i said, 'hey, i want to go there!'. they work at Plantation Beach Resort. it is the only 'resort' (think: a loose interpretation of 'resort'), on any of the 13 tiny islands that make up Cayos Cochinos. a night's stay, including meals, off shore snorkeling, and 2 dives is the same price that i'd have to pay to get to Cayos for a day trip from here in Roatan. sounded like a great deal to me! but, the problem still remains: getting to Cayos inexpensively. i planned to email him again .... but my procrastination held me back ... grrrrrrrrrr. i walked around town and got more donations. the Thai restaurant donated US$100 dinner ... that's HUGE for here! then rewarded myself with a snorkel right in town at Half Moon Bay again. this time i did the other side. again, i wasn't disappointed. TWO new things i'd never seen before. i had to look this one up, it's a Spanish Hogfish, with very pretty colors. snorkeling around not seeing much else, when i spotted this snake. i watch it for quite awhile, dove down, took pictures, and watched some more. he was way busy moving all around, looked like he was hunting for dinner to me. i saw another snorkeler that said there weren't any sea snakes here, and it was probably an eel .... i looked it up. Yes, it's a Sharptail Eel. it was over 3' long and maybe 1' wide. Cool ... most Eels are nocturnal, but this one is out during the day, and was actively hunting. i watched him put his head into a hole in the rocks and i could see his body pushing and pulling and twisting. it was obvious it was fighting something ... great to watch ! here he has his head in a rock and you can tell he's pretty big. and there were 2 of these Juvenile Spotted Drum Fish, moving so fast, i couldn't get a good photo of them. they float effortlessly in the current and then dart here and there. they are only about 6" long with very very long dorsal fins! i saw these on a dive on Utila, but had never heard of them before that. very striking in black and white. Yellow Goatfish; which is sometimes this color when it is resting on the bottom. when it swims around it's white with a yellow stripe. and Spotted Goatfish. a Tiger Grouper. there is a guy here, Stanley, that made a mini submarine that takes people down 2,000+ feet ! that is way deep! he has used parts from airplanes, cars, and motorcycles to build this one. he built his first one when he was 9 yrs old and it is now resting in Half Moon Bay; photo below. the one he has now is quite different from this one. it's a great story if you want to check out his web page: http://www.stanleysubmarines.com/ this Grouper was right up by shore, hiding under an old anchor. home, shower, changed and met Marti on the dock to watch the sunset ... another beautiful one. at the end of the day, i still have made no plans to leave and go to Cayos, or anywhere else :(

19 Mar, Fri.

Sat, 19 Mar. another rough night with the neighbors, and it was raining in the early morning, so i slept in until 8am. at the Sundowner the other night, we were talking about the Super Moon. Patricia and Ron invited us to their house for dinner to celebrate the Super Moon and to do a night snorkel under the light of the SuperMoon ! i am really excited about that! they even have the underwater flashlights! so in between rain showers, i walked into town to buy veggies to make salsa for tonight. none of the market trucks were here yet, probably coz it was raining, so i went to Earth Mamas and had a nice big breakfast with fresh OJ and Eggs Benedict :) then made a few more requests for donations. i'm pretty good at this :) i can't ask for anything for myself, but don't seem to have trouble asking for someone else :~ then found my veggies and started home. on the way i realized that i don't have a knife, cutting board, table, nor containers to mix my salsa and quacamole in ... hummmm, i should have volunteered to bring cookies and ice cream!!!!!!! so i took all my stuff to Marti's and asked if i could use her kitchen and containers to prepare my salsa. after i finished there, i went home, it rained off and on for 2 hrs while i took a nap :) then met Marti and we made our way to Patrica and Ron's place for our Super Moon Party. they have a great little place overlooking Half Moon Bay. Philia and little puppy, Chiquita, joined us while we had cocktails, my salsa, guacamole and chips. Chiquita is a really sweet puppy and is proving to be very smart and quite obedient .... so cute ! it was cloudy, so there was no sunset, and there wasn't going to be a Super Moon to snorkel under; .... but Patricia and i still wanted to do a night snorkel ... no one else did ... so we got ready and went out. aren't we something ? visibility wasn't great, but the air and water were warm and we enjoyed ourselves. i tried to take photos, but night underwater photography is tricky because you have to use a flash,,, ... and all the particles floating around in the water pick up the light of the flash. but i tried anyway, with not so good results ... lots of HUGE lobsters out at night. a sleepy-eyed Parrotfish, .... sleeping ... that's what they do at night. and this ... i think it is a Broadbanded Eel ...my story, and i'm stickin to it :) and a Moral Eel. but we really had fun, finished our snorkel, showered, and had great spring rolls that Marti made, and wonderful dinner with veggie rice, shrimps, and fresh pasta that Philia made that morning! ... and finished it off with some tequila that Ron bought, ...just a little ....