The internet here dies every evening, so I’m getting my post done earlier today. We just finished a half day snorkeling trip, that was so so. We really wanted to swim in a location with starfish where we have been before, but our boat captain didn’t let us get out there. Not sure why. I have two new brightly colored rash guards so I don’t get burned or hit by a boat.
Last night, Bill did a night dive and I went along as a snorkeler. It was fantastic! They dropped me off in the water and told me to be back by the time the divers got back. It was a little creepy being completely alone in the water in the dark. The boat didn’t have a light so it was hard to find, but I could have swam back to shore if things had really gone badly.
Anyway, it was a spectacular experience. Sometimes a guide is nice because they can find sea creatures that are hard to see, but alone, I can do whatever I want without worrying about following someone else. Initially, I wasn’t seeing much, so I turned my light off and floated in the dark. There are little bioluminescent creatures called sea pearls here that glow in the dark all around you once you turn off your light. It’s magical! When I turned my light back on, a Pacific Reef Octopus was right under me. I startled it with my light and it flared out luminescent sea foam blue-green, then shifted between brown and white and bright blue. I reached my hand down and it sucked onto my finger with one of its arms. Picture below:
I also saw a snake sea cucumber and a serpent star.
It was one of the best snorkeling experiences I’ve had!
I bought a couple of super cute necklace charms from a street vender. The history department secretary and her partner make jewelry, so they are going to make necklaces for me. We also bought a bag of really good, roasted cashews. There is a guy who sells bags of them that he must roast himself. They are the sweetest cashews I’ve ever eaten! I finally found some good mangos too. The fruit selection here hasn’t been great and the first mangos I bought tasted really weird. The pineapples have been good.
A couple of days ago, I found a beautiful sand dollar and with my new freediving skills, I was able to dive down to get it. It’s illegal to take things off the beach, so I won’t be able to bring it home.
We come home tomorrow, but it’s been a really good trip!
Traveling with Emily! 