9:30 AM we were RTG (ready to go) at the dock to embark on our very first snorkel + dive boat ride of our trip. We were passengers on two boats, The Seahorse which I and most of the other snorkelers were on, and the other one whose name I forgot [Ed note: Panulirus is the other boat]. Our captain was Jack Sparrow (yes for real), while the other boat was driven by Captain Snow. Our captain was so kind to allow me to sit on basically the only seat on the boat and turn on the tropical AC however I felt it was just a little too strong. We ventured to “Dairy Bowl” [Ed note: it’s actually Dairy Bull]. Imagine my surprise when we got there, and it was just more water, not a single bowl of milk in sight (jk jk). Since I was struggling to get used to the boat, I used the door to get into the water while everyone else jumped over the side like madmen and women. It was so beautiful; the divers were further away while we were closer to the island. There were many things that we wouldn’t see at the bay. For instance, soft corals like the Gorgonia ventalina AKA the common sea fan, some of them have an amazing purple color. We also saw Bothus lunatus AKA the peacock flounder. I used this as an opportunity to study by pointing things out and doing my best to name their scientific and common names plus their phylum, class, and other facts if I knew them. Our professional mermaid Tomato T. was diving down to get so many amazing photos. It was an enjoyable time for me at least until we had to get back on the boat. Since I knew what to expect I wasn’t too panicked, but I was still traumatized. 😊

This is me trying and failing to keep my composure on the balance boat named the Seahorse. All while KitKat K. and Lime L. are in the back enjoying my misery. Picture taken by Tomato T.

Can you spot the sharptail eel AKA Myrichthyes breviceps? Bet a penny that you can’t. Picture taken by Tomato T.

A big ole sea star (Phylum Echinodermata Class Astroides) that was chilling on the ocean floor. Picture taken by Tomato T.

Kiwi Kiyanni <3