Tip #9

photo by Zsus of the Woodwind, since I don't own an underwater camera....

Bring a mask and snorkel.

Though he won’t openly admit it, growing up, my McDreamy’s favorite Disney movie was ‘The Little Mermaid’.  

It has only been since moving here, that I have realized how well this movie suits him…us, really.

There is a world here that is completely different from what we know back home.

You get sucked into it. It’s magical, really.

Carrot-orange Elkhorn coral stands erect and unfaltering, in huge castles, towering over rigid hills of amber fire coral. Violet sea tubes trumpet out from the sand in a harmonious pipe symphony. Iridescent emerald and amethyst sea fans, with wide-stretched, vein-ridden fingers, wave, regally, as you pass.

And that’s just some of the coral.

What really rivets your attention is the bright aquamarine parrotfish, noisily crunching on the reef, and the graceful, elegant angelfish. Spotted cowfish, filefish, and trunkfish, all who look like they’ve been painted for some ancient Indian war, ironically lazily and absent-mindedly swim nowhere. Long, skinny trumpet fish swiftly skim the surface of the water, speeding away from you, as you shy away from a menacing open-mouthed moray eel. 

And then there are my favorites: the fat, Muppet faced puffer fish and the unicorn zebra fish (I think these are actually called spotted drums, but unicorn zebra fish is a much more fitting name).

But it is the special occasions that you remember most: the times when you witness several playful turtles surfing inbound currents, and quietly observe stingrays burying themselves in sand to lure future prey. Or the singular occasion when your mind is feverishly fixated on following a six foot long reef shark, despite the nagging trepidation in your body, willing you to escape in the opposite direction.

The seaweed really is greener here.

And all you need to have to see it is a mask and snorkel. 

Well, and you may want a fish ID card, so you don't have to make up the names of the fish...like I do.