Day 3 - July 24
Day 3 we decided to go snorkeling at Spotts Beach. This is a nice beach but is best known for being a great location to find green sea turtles. We got around in the morning, made some breakfast, gathered our newly purchased snorkel gear (from Cost U Less) and headed out. When we got there, it was breathtaking. Like something out of a movie.
Those of us that wanted to snorkel headed out. The ocean floor was covered with sea grass. We swam out fairly far and found some coral - but not much. There were a few fish but actually not much to see. We were holding out hope for a sea turtle. After a couple hours of battling the rough currents and seeing no turtles we decided to head in. We did find a cool conch shell lobster type creature - that we could not really see well because it was hiding back in the coral.
Brittany had a full mask snorkel.
Josh jumping in off the dock.
Triniti exploring the ocean floor.
Shawn Jr. with the conch shell.
We were not exactly sure what this is but it looked like a lobster. It would not come out of hiding.
This was some kind of green fish that looked exactly like the grass and sand.
Look at All Those Chickens
There were (seemingly wild) chickens all over the island, including many at Spotts Beach. We have tons of pictures of chickens. See the famous viral video of "Look at All Those Chickens."
Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus Day
The next day was our beach and scuba day. We got ready in the morning and walked over to 7 Mile Beach.
Skylin Cuts Her Toe
While Misty and the kids were walking to 7 Mile Beach, they walked through the Seafire resort parking lot. Skylin managed to get the front of her flip-flop caught on a cement parking block. It folded under and he jammed her big toe right into the block. It cut the end of her big toe and blood started flowing. She had managed to cut a big chunk of skin off the end of her right big toe. Noelle took her back to the house and got her bandaged up. She was fine. We don't think her career as a ballerina is in jeopardy. :)
Scuba Trip
Brittany, Shawn Jr., Triniti and I then went to The Cracked Conch to do a shore scuba dive with Patrick. We arrived and got fitted with scuba equipment. The tank was heavier than I expected. Patrick took us through about 15 minutes of instruction on the shore. We learned all about the equipment and a few basic hand signals. We snapped a few pictures and then headed into the water. The first thing we did was go to the bottom, at about 15 feet, get in a circle and go through some basic skills. Taking the respirator out, breathing out of another persons tank and doing some other basic movements. It was easier than I expected. All the kids got it quickly. After just a few minutes we headed out to the "wall." This was an area where the ocean floor went from about 15 feet to 60 feet deep. All along the wall was beautiful colorful coral and marine life. It was really incredible. We went swimming along and came across a large school of tarpon fish. They were huge. It is hard to tell in the pictures, but they are about 4 feet long. We also saw a stingray, a huge puffer fish and hundreds of other beautiful fish. It was amazing to be standing on the ocean floor at 60 feet deep looking up at the surface. The sound and movement was mesmerizing. After about 45 minutes we headed up. As I came out of the the water I felt a rush of energy knowing that was seriously one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had in my life.
Paddle Boarding
After we got back to the house the kids decided to try some paddle boarding. Patrick brought over a paddle board that we could drop off the back of the deck and into the ocean. Josh wanted to go first. We dropped him on the board and off he went. He was getting instruction from nearly every member of the family as he struggled to learn the basics. But he was getting it. He was able to move around in the bay without much trouble. Next was Triniti and Skylin. Then Skylin and Triniti. Finally, Noelle wanted to try it. She started by practicing in the pool. She then felt confident enough to try it in the ocean. Noelle got in and had absolutely no trouble. They seemed to really enjoy it.
No comments:
Post a Comment