Monday, July 28, 2014

Barracudas, a coral reef, and a MASSIVE sting ray


My favorite day in Puerto Rico was when we traveled by boat to the island of Icacos, swam there, and then traveled closer to the Dominican Republic to snorkel over a coral reef.  It was about a 30 minute boat ride to the island, and upon being there; I jumped in the water and began swimming immediately! I have always dreamed of swimming in clear waters, and that island had such aqua clear waters it felt unreal. I snorkeled a little bit on that island, but I mostly enjoyed the views around me and the fish I could see swimming around my legs.

Sailing on our way there!



Welcome to my office for the day!



Come sail away...

The water there was so warm; it was like you were taking a bath. It was also exceptionally salty, which is probably what makes the water so warm. After swimming there for a while I enjoyed a lunch of some yummy homemade bread and sandwiches while drinking some ice cold Coke. After that we sailed towards the Dominican Republic, and anchored to enjoy some coral reefs. I have always wanted to see a coral reef, ever since I was a little girl and saw pictures of what one looked like. I remember hearing about how incredibly delicate the ecosystem was, and I was scared I wouldn’t live to see a coral reef. Boy was I in heaven when we anchored! I got my scuba diving gear on and quickly jumped in the water!





Captain fed the fish leftover bread to get them to come up more.


Snorkeling over that coral reef was stunning; there is no other way to describe it. I saw lots of different types of fish, including Dora from Finding Nemo! I saw a Barracuda and a beautiful rainbow fish. Someone spotted a large sting ray, and I quickly went up the ladder on the boat. I let the others that were daring enough to get closer to it get as close as they wanted, I was not getting stung by one!

Dora don't forget to keep swimming!

Brain coral? Can't remember what it is actually called.

This is what a Barracuda looks like...they are FAST!

I didn’t wanna leave; it felt like we were only there for five minutes, when we were really there for an hour and a half. I wish I had purchased an underwater camera, to capture its raw beauty, but I stole a few pictures from Google that captured what I saw that day. Just to give me an idea of what it looked like when I try to picture it later. I was at complete peace, all my troubles drifted away and I felt as though I were the only one there, exploring unknown territory like a God beneath the ocean. It was beautiful.



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