It’s dark, the moon is full, and the water is clear. It is a perfect night for night snorkeling. Since we only have two days left Nutter Butter Neil, Linguini Lillian, Egg Bagel Emma, Lemonade Lauren, Avocado Ariana and I all head out to explore what mysteries Discovery Bay has to offer. Thank goodness we did, despite feeling exhausted, because among seeing various wonders such as the Caribbean lobsters (Panulirus argus) and the beaded sea cucumber (Euapta Lappa) we came across a spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) making its way gracefully through the water.

The ever so graceful eagle ray swimming through the water.

After leaving us behind in awe we continued on our swim right up to the reef crest. Once the water was much too shallow for our taste, and a way too close encounter with a long spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum), we made our way back to the docks. It was then that Egg Bagel Emma alerted us to the presence of the Lesser Electric Ray (Narcine brasiliensis) resting in a sand patch nearby.

Lesser Electric Ray resting in the sand as we came in disturbing his peace.

Finally, I had seen the long awaited lesser electric ray which had been at the top of my list since the day that I got here of sea creatures I wanted to see due to its ability to generate electricity. Like its name suggests the lesser electric ray can deliver a shock of electricity often used to stun prey. It was truly an incredible moment. As we made our way back to the docks, we spotted a few more yellow stingrays (Urolophus jamaicensis) and a baby octopus (Octupus vulgaris) who was utterly adorable. All in all, a very important lesson was learned by all of us that night, don’t turn down an opportunity for a night snorkel.

Signing off,

-Guava Gaby