Stingray!
A spotted eagle stingray, gliding along
I snorkled for four days in the waters of Utila, northern Honduras. Day one was a three hour introduction along the lighthouse reef. Day two, though I never meant to when I began, I ended up swimming approximately eight kilometers over seven hours, from Oyster Bed lagoon to the cayes, seeing about half the southern coastline-reef of the island. Day three I swam around five cayes (small islands) for another seven hours. Day four was four hours in pouring rain and high waves -- quite the experience!
During my swim on day three I was shocked to spot seven Hawksbill turtles of varying size. The first tortuga was the best as we startled each other when I came around a coral ridge. Staring at one another for a few seconds, a mere four to five feet separating us, he/she let me swim along side for a few meters before putting on the nitro and disappearing into the shadows. This picture captures the moment.
Below is (1) my swimming route -- the black line -- along the island's southern coast and around the cayes, with the red flags being diving buoys; (2) an aerial view of Utila town and main harbor.
Caye Tobacco, Belize. Out of the boat, threw my backpack in a room,
and I am not even 15 minutes in the water. It probably looked funny
to see me snorkling in two feet of water over the turtle-grass. But
there they were: three sharks, four to five feet in length, long and
slender, circling the same turtle-grass patches. I watched them, on
and off, for days.
in the waters of Utila, Honduras.
The Greatly Feared Mini-White