Michael had a birthday, and oh, did we have fun!
The poor darling was ill for days, so no snorkeling or much of anything else until the 26th, when we dinghied over to the north side of the bay to snorkel among the rocks. Schools of yellow tail and something that looked very trout-like (sorry, folk, I am woefully ignorant) darted beneath us. I couldn’t believe how many foraged on the sand or at the rock, a mere hand-breadth away. I longed for a way to take one home to dinner. A moray eel lay tucked near a rock: I did not linger there. And then the angelfish, schools and schools of angelfish, not the little ones we saw last year, but foot-long black/orange/and purple beauties feeding at the rocks, more than fifty of them. Michael and I hung there, watching, enthralled by their proximity.
Finally, we swam back to the dinghy. Michael set the anchor in the shallows so the water would clean off the sand. When we had stowed our fins and masks, he reached to retrieve the anchor, then paused. How had it gotten under a rock? Or was that a huge starfish, all rust-red and clinging? As he bent to look, the octopus let go and fled.
We dinghied back toward Sea Venture, ready to explore the beach area on the south side of the bay in case we wanted to snorkel there tomorrow. In the crystal water, four rocks took off in perfect formation. Michael circled and herded the rays, amazed that they remained together as they traveled.
It was a glorious day. I just wish we’d had an underwater camera. I’ll try to get more pictures (via Michael) when we return from a few days away (Loreto and Puerto Escondido for fuel and a book drop). The one above shows the view of the beach where we saw the rays.
