SNORKELING TOUR

I decided to take a half day tour of the Caribbean. About 20 of us piled into a boat and the journey began in a maze of mangroves.

We stopped at Cayo Raton for some underwater exploration in the form of snorkeling. The water color was amazing. Vibrant fish were everywhere and all shapes of coral could be seen about 15 feet below. Unfortunately I didn't have an underwater camera.

We drove further up around the tip to the eastern side of the island where the Atlantic (on the north) meets the Caribbean (on south).

We stopped at Isla Catalinita. Empty conch shells completely covered the shores. This isn't a natural occurrence but rather the result of many years of fishermen harvesting the crab inhabitants and then discarding the shell. We were allowed to stroll about for a bit, admiring the amazing mangrove roots that seemed to literally walk across the sand.

We then drove several miles out into the sea, at which point our guide stopped the boat and told us all to get out... which we hesitantly did. But much to our amazement, the water was only knee deep. We were on a giant sandbank far away from any island.

We passed back through another mangrove area which was packed with birds.

We snorkeled again at a very shallow area that was known for its numerous starfish. There were indeed many of them creeping across the sandy floor.

We had one last snorkeling stop at Bayahibe Bay. The number and colors of fish were stunning!

It was a rough, fast ride back, bouncing hard on the waves.

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