Snorkeling

On the third day after breakfast we visited another blue hole

where we got out our gear for a test snorkel.

The blue holes are pitch black and don't provide much in the way

of underwater entertainment, but it was nice to make sure our

goggles fit properly, our snorkels cleared water,

and our wet suits looked fabulous

(please note my awesome 80's wetsuit ... it is at the end of this post)

After everyone had gotten a chance to try out their gear

we loaded into the boat and set off for the reef.

Here is a picture of our ride:

And here are two of my favorite classmates, Naisa and Rachel.

When we got to the island we were diving from

(it was our first coral reef snorkel so we didn't jump from the boat)

we walked around for a while and talked about the history

of the island using fossilized evidence to support our conclusions.

Here are ancient root balls

(evidence of an old sand dune environment):

and here is fracture line:

There were also intersting plants and animals like this sea biscuit:

and these algae balls:

We snorkled around the island before getting back on the boat

for a quick trip to an oceanic blue hole

where we dived in from the boat.

Here I am, rocking my 80's wetsuit, about to take the plunge.

The oceanic blue hole was amazing.

The second you swim over it the whole landscape changes;

all of a sudden you enter an underwater city

with countless varieties of coral, fish, and other animals

(there was a huge shark in there and a sting ray)

It was definitely one of the highlights of the whole trip.

We went on one more snorkel that day, a deeper water snorkel

where we saw large elkhorn corals and huge lobsters,

but nothing could rival the blue hole.