This trip so far as been such an adventure. I have done so many things for the first time, but there is nothing like going into another habitat and just observing how marine life lives. I have snorkeled so many times in the past five days, it has been unreal. During the day there was definitely more to see depending on the reefs explored. The first dive we went on was my favorite. It was so clear and calm and the color of the water was so pretty.
The night dive enabled me to see sea turtles, rays, rock beauties, and one puddingwife which I did not see during the day. In addition I saw many sea fan, brain coral, rose coral, as well as many fish. The highlight of the night dive was definitely the sea turtles that came up for a breath of air right near me. I was able to dive down and explore the coral reef with the turtle. I passed by a rock beauty later. There was only a little bit of sargassum at night which made it easier to swim around. What was disappointing was how all the colors were washed out and hard to see. I am sure the divers had a cooler experience than the snorkelers.
During the day the colors of the reef seemed much more vibrant. Seeing the queen angelfish in person was unbelievable. The nurse shark site was definitely one of my favorites. I was amazed that the shark swam right between my legs up at the surface and let me swim side by side with them. At a different site there was an abundance of blueheads, bar jacks, and blue tangs. They were darting all around the surface and blade corals below. The scariest part was the barracuda that were chasing other fish around. They did not even acknowledge my presence. Thankfully I never got in their way but there were times other snorkelers had to dodge their sprints in an attempt eat the small fish.
If I were to come back to Florida I would want to be dive certified to experience more of the bottom life, both during the day and at night.
https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/florida/placesweprotect/floridas-spectacular-coral-reef-system.xml
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/holacanthus-tricolor/
Snorkeling for the first time myself was such an amazing experience. I didn't know what to expect, but both day and night dives were amazing. There was so much variety between the two, but I definitely agree. If I ever come back again I would love to be dive certified to really get up close with wildlife.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy this post because it’s about your own personal experience which I enjoyed hearing about because I didn’t know how much marine life you could see while snorkeling but I’m glad you saw a lot it. I agree the day dives especially the first two locations were the best ones.
ReplyDelete