This past Tuesday, Jeff came back from a day at the office [i.e. Sombrero Reef] with reports of a stellar day out on the ocean. The water was crystal clear without a ripple and the moon jellies were few and far between.Come Wednesday, I was faced with a dilemma: get the laundry done or go out snorkeling in near perfect conditions?
All in all, it wasn't a tough decision. I am always game for putting off the laundry. What I am not always game for is getting in the water. I don't like it when it's choppy. I don't want to deal with jellyfish. Bad visibility, swift current - more good reasons for me to stay dry. So even though I'd been out on the snorkel boat, I hadn't actually snorkeled.
But that all changed yesterday.I had dug out my long lost mask and snorkel and took it along - quite possibly another reason I hadn't gotten in the water...I wanted my own equipment. The fins I could care less about, but a mask and snorkel are personal.
I also brought along a long-sleeved shirt to keep the jellies at bay.
I met Jeff and the Starfish at the docks and we made the 20-ish minute commute out to the reef, tied up to a ball, and the pool was open!
And what a pool it is!
Full of fish and a cornucopia of corals, Sombrero Reef is a wonder to behold!
Once I was in the water, it took a few minutes and a couple of mask adjustments to get the hang of it all again but then I was off in search of what I could see. Right off, Jeff threw a handful of oats in the water and I was surrounded by yellow tail snappers. I saw a couple of barracuda, multiple varieties of parrot fish - all colorful and some of them absolutely HUGE, a large southern ray, and a plethora of fish and corals, big and small, that I couldn't even begin to name.
It was a good day to snorkel.
Laundry...eh, later.
