So we haven’t done much snorkeling on this itinerary....we just haven’t been that inspired and it’s been very windy which isn’t great for snorkeling. We have gone swimming a few times and it’s been lovely.
Yesterday we were at Great Stirrup Cay which is the NCL private island. We decided that it was time to try out our new snorkeling gear. So we packed up and took the tender over to the island.
When we got there we walked to the quieter of the two beaches. We found out that we had to wear a life vest which was a super bummer and it chaffed Larrance’s nipples. My nipples were safe because I was wearing a swimsuit top....Larrance goes *gasp* topless. He has no shame.
So the snorkeling was okay. The reef around the island has taken a lot of damage so we were just test driving our gear and enjoying the water. When what do I see but a medium sized very exotic fish just hanging out next to a rock. I swim over to it and realize that it’s a Lion Fish. Now, Lion Fish aren’t supposed to be in the Caribbean so I thought I was wrong until I check out our World Book. According to the World Book, the Lion Fish recently has moved into the Caribbean waters from the Indo-Pacific. Most likely they were dumped there by someone with tank who didn’t want it anymore. ANYWAY, there it was just hanging out in all of it’s spiney glory. As you may know, they can deliver quite a painful sting so we kept our distance. Enjoy the photos.....
We swam around some more and saw a rather large welk shell. Larrance dove down to take a look. The dive was deeper than he thought and his ear plug went way into his ear.
Finally, we saw a Southern Sting Ray. The ray was swimming on the bottom but the weird thing was that a fish (a spotted goat fish) was hanging out right on top of it. As the ray swam through the water, it would disturb the sand and as it did the goat fish would dart forward now and then to eat something....little fish I assume. It was great to watch.
We were in the water about 40 minutes or so. Our gear was great. The masks were clear, comfortable and they didn’t leave those awful mask marks. It was a very wavy day and we didn’t get any water in our new snorkels. Yay!
Today is New Year’s Eve. We have a show tonight. Then there’s the ringing of the New Year complete with fireworks (courtesy of the Atlantis) and then a crew party. Should be lots o’ fun....
Next cruise is a one day “cruise to nowhere” around the NY harbor. We’re doing a late show that night. Then my mom & Ray are onboard for our first 10 day carribbean cruise!
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