Tuesday morning started off with a surprise thunder storm on our side of the island. I was afraid for a little while that the rain would interfere with our ability to dive. Luckily a short bus ride to another dock with clear skies allowed us to continue as planned. The morning dives were good. On one I was able to garden eels, tiny eels that stick out of the sand but shrink back when you get to close. They live in large quantities on the sandy sea floor, and we learned that they gather nutrients from the water as the current carries it past. After lunch we drove over to the turtle rehabilitation center. We saw a green sea turtle breeding pond which was filled with very large turtle all swimming around each other against the walls. We saw some smaller turtles in some smaller enclosures. One of the coolest experience at the center was holding a baby turtle. I felt bad picking them up out of the water but they were so cute that I did it anyways. The turtle rehab center was a good example of humans trying to do something about the injustices towards wild life. The center educates people about the turtles as well as takes care of ones that are hurt and also encourage their reproduction. After the turtle center, I rested then went snorkeling. This time I saw a barracuda, pufferfish, and a lobster. The pufferfish was very cute with its large round body and big black, wide eyes. It remained docile as they do not get threaded by humans but rather are more curious. Later that night, we did a night snorkel. This was very different than daytime because without a flash light, you can see nothing. This dive was actually very calming and Ben and I got to see a lot. There were tiny fish about the size of my pinkie finger nail which I could almost scoop up into my hand. We saw a squid and later saw four tiny baby squid who just hovered in one spot. Doc found a transparent shrimp like creature that could only be seen if a light was shined on it. Ben and I saw a large tarpon with its shiny, silver scales and creepy stare. It swam very near us but never flinched. We also saw a massive barracuda who swam away very quickly. Today was very busy once again but the water felt great and I enjoyed all it’s activity.
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