From Sharks to Shrimp

Today was a day quieter than yesterday. Most of the people were out on dives, so Montana and LuRue photographed things around the island and played some games.

After lunch we were on the boat heading out to look for whale sharks. A very bumpy ride, but just when we thought there was nothing to see, Snake (the boat driver) spotted the signs he was looking for…a bunch of birds circling close to the water & diving in. As we approached, we were told to get ready to jump in off the edge of the boat. We all jumped when we were given the sign,,,all 11 of us, so we made quite a splash. Montana and LuRue had to orient themselves after they surfaced to see which way to go. We followed the main swimmers and LuRue saw some spots disappearing into the deep, but no shape of anything. Montana was a couple of feet behind me & didn’t even get to see the spots. We got back onto the boat & several more times Snake said to get ready, so we were all ready to spring, but each time the whale shark we were creeping up on outsmarted us and dove right away. We had to head back so that the divers could stay on schedule. We did get to see a couple of photos taken by the front swimmers, but even they weren’t as great as what we were hoping for. Lots of excitement & anticipation, but both Montana and LuRue have decided that it’s not worth a second trip if they go again tomorrow. Neither of them got pictures too.

A short time after lunch, Simon took us scuba diving again, this time around the other half of the island. We saw lots of colorful fishes & corals. Simon had to help LuRue one time with the buoyancy release valve because she was beginning to float to the surface. Both Montana & LuRue felt pressure in their ears, very similar to ascending or descending in a plane, but it was just more annoying than anything. We stayed at about 9 feet in depth, but it is amazing what a different feel there is compared to snorkeling. You kind of feel like you are flying--going in, around, & through coral formations.

At around 6:30, Montana and LuRue went out for a night snorkel. We had to stay around the grassy area, and didn't see much until we got to the dock. We saw lots of sea urchins, brittle stars, red and white shrimp, lobsters, an eel and much more.