When the weather doesn't cooperate...

We've had a rough week of snorkeling in Grand Cayman. First it was the wind, then it was the chop. The waves at the sandbar were over Terry's head (and he's 6 ft) so, you know I was doing a lot of bobbing up and down!

Then there's the silt. It can really ruin a good picture. Makes the subject look like it's behind dirty glass.

And, things seem to be heading in the wrong direction for some of the reefs that used to be very healthy. The new growth in front of the Tortuga Club has disappeared. We did relocate a spot in front of the Grand that has lots of healthy soft corals, but no fish! This used to be a great place to see spotted eagle rays, but not this year.

The biggest disappointment was Cemetery Reef. Very little live coral. Algae everywhere. No sponges. Very few fish other than sargent majors and Bermuda chubs. No creatures either.

Still we did get some good stingray and moral eel photos, so it wasn't a complete bust. I'll be posting more about those, once they are ready for prime time!

Purple Lace

This is another lovely photo taken by Terry in Belize. He timed it with the waves to show off the beauty of creatures as common as a colony of purple fan coral (gorgonian). This coral is very healthy with no signs of bleaching or algae. I think its a great reminder of why we need to do everything we can to save the oceans coral reefs. Snorklers and scuba divers throughout the Carribean should always be able to enjoy seas full of waving fan corals while searching for more exotic sea life.