Photo: This is the little cove where we snorkeled.
[Hilde’s log]
We finally went snorkeling today. There’s a little cove on the Sea of Abaco
The depth in the cove varies from a few inches near the shore to about 10-12 feet near the entrance. The bottom is covered with rough grass, about 6-8” long, with sandy patches scattered throughout. We anchored the dinghy in the shallows, donned our flippers and masks and snorkels, and hopped over the side. I abandoned my flippers almost immediately. They felt so weird on the ends of my legs, heavy and awkward, and I was panicking enough about breathing through the tube of my snorkel. After I took off the flippers, I felt much better about the whole thing. I discovered I could float along, propelling myself forward with my arms at a leisurely pace, and not run out of air.
I’m nearsighted as can be, but I could see everything very clearly through my mask.
The first creatures I discovered were cream colored, spongy, and puffy-round with scalloped edges. They had ruffled slits in their sides, like pita bread, and were rhythmically sucking water in and blowing it out as the water flowed past them. There were a lot of these little beasties scattered over the sandy areas. Some were small, 3-4” across, and others were more like 6-8”.
There were schools of teeny little striped fish, about 2-3” long, that darted this way and that in the grass. They were clear with brown stripes and blended in completely with the light glinting off the waving grass.
There were schools of really tiny little clear blue fish, maybe an inch long, zig-zagging through the water near shore.
Close to the entrance, in about 8 feet of water, I saw a really big fish, maybe 25-30 pounds, floating along sticking its head in the grass every once in a while. It was a non-descript grayish color with big yellow eyes. I paralleled it, moving slowly and trying not to look hungry. It kept a big yellow eye on me, but wasn’t overly alarmed. It moved off toward the bay and I was too chicken to follow it.
We saw a big, squishy cylindrical fellow with loose, rippling skin, yellow with purple markings. It wasn’t a fish or a jellyfish and no discernable parts – a sea slug, maybe?
There was also a very large sand dollar, the puffed up kind, not the flat kind.
The fish with the most personality was about 4” long, yellow and purple. It was hovering above a rock with some craters in it. When I came upon it, the fish was pecking at the craters, eating something invisible to me. It stayed right there on its rock, even when I moved away and came back with David.
The biggest and brightest find of the day was a huge sea star, about 15” across, light orange with dark red markings. Sea stars look like they would be so soft to touch, but it’s like petting rough concrete. I know that from touching one in the aquarium in Seattle
I looked in vain for the turtle we saw yesterday from the dinghy when we first discovered the cove. The turtle was after minnows and it zipped this way and that, scooting along just under the surface of the water at a high rate of speed. I really want to see one of those fellows close up in the water. No luck today.
We weren’t out that long. Even in the bright sunshine and the shallow water, we felt chilled. I bought bottled water and some snack crackers with us and we munched those and stripped off the wetsuits. Once we were dry and the gooseflesh had gone down a bit, we motored back to the anchorage. I sat astride the bow of the dinghy with my feet dangling into the water, laughing, as we bumped over the swells. The water is so clear, it’s like a gigantic swimming pool. I could get used to this place.
No comments:
Post a Comment