The day began with the beginner divers rising early enough to make it, all suited up, into the water by 7:00am.  A storm was off on the horizon steaming up a beautiful bluish grey, but it was no concern because it was heading away to the west.  The water greeted us with rippled glass calmness and a brilliant light azule only found in the tropics, that is, until the divers all jumped into the tepid bathwater creating their own private dust storm. While they waited for each other they may have been lucky enough to have the damselfish that lives by the jetty wall, desperately attempting to protect its domain, attack their wetsuit. I know all of this because I was beginning my snorkel into the lagoon known as Discovery Bay. 

The mornings here are the calmest water and therefore the easiest to maneuver into the more difficult places.  It also is the time when many of the creatures have not been scared away by the 30 some odd people that get to snorkel around in these waters.  I haven’t quite reached the point when I can identify all of the species, but suffice to say packs of small fish congregate early in the morning, the odd bigger creature still lingers after snoozing in the safer lagoon waters,  the shyer critters are still around feeding and the waters are clear enough to see it all.  Tomorrow we will all be up before 7:00am to experience the morning dive/snorkel and capture glimpses of some of the most extraordinary things people can see. 

Most of my family tells me that I’m on vacation here, but we’ve had three lectures today and three   yesterday and will have another three tomorrow.  After all of that we will have a scavenger hunt exam where we’ll need to know the scientific names of species AND be able to find them.  Plus complete a project before the time is out.  However I can’t think of a better place to learn so much and we’re served excellent food as well. Excuse me now because I’m about to go out for the night dive where the corals are feeding, the bioluminescence are out shining and there’s a whole new list of species to see.   

Jen