CREATIVE, ENTERTAINMENT, NATURE, TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS, Uncategorized

SNORKELING SPOTS

March 29, 2020

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Sunshine, ocean, humidity, tropical temperatures…all mean one thing to our family on vacation…SNORKELING! We are snorkeling enthusiasts! One piece of luggage is always filled with our own gear. WE LOVE IT!

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The beauty and mystery of the ocean, fills our lives with wonders, vast beyond our imagination.
– M. L. Borges

When you are planning your next travel adventure or putting together your (click link to start dreaming) TRAVEL BUCKET LIST, try out snorkeling if you have never tried before. Wear a rash guard for extra warmth if you are going to be in the ocean for an extended amount of time as your core body temperature can be affected. You don’t want the chills later on and it has UV protection!

Snorkeling is a very calming, relaxing experience. The wonders of underwater exploration reveal many amazing discoveries. Creatures you’ve never thought to see in their own natural habitats reveal themselves to you! Be sure to see them! Don’t fog up, be sure to remember your anti-fog spray for your snorkel mask! This is what we use! Keep it right in your snorkel bag, so you have it when you need it!

Some are harmless bright colored tropical fish that you’ve seen mini versions of in salt water fish tanks. Some are harmful that you need to be aware of how to coexist with. Some will startle you and may be shocking! I’ve experienced all three scenarios and remain an avid lover of snorkeling! But overall the vast majority of experiences fall into the first category and can be quite a serene, pleasant experience.

I had my first REAL saltwater snorkeling experience many years ago when in Kauai, Hawaii for the first time and again more confidently when we took our boys on their FIRST FLIGHT EVER! Click on this link to read about that adventure with our boys.

We had decided to spend the day in Po’ipu in the Southern part of Kauai at Po’ipu Beach Park (at the time it was listed as the #7 beach in the world.) It was a MUST SEE on our list! I will say that to this day it remains one of my favorite beaches to enjoy. A feature that it offers that is unusual to other beaches worldwide is the tombolo. A tombolo is a narrow piece of land, such as a spit or a bar, extending from a shore to an island. Po’ipu Beach Park’s tombolo is a favorite spot of Hawaiian monk seals; they are often found napping here in the afternoon.

Snorkeling around the right side of the tombolo can be fantastic. It usually offers calm seas in cooler months on either side of the tombolo. We tend to travel in January-March so this is a go-to pick when other beaches have BIG WAVES. There are numerous places to rent gear on the island too, if you should choose not to pack your own!

It was here that my husband, Galen, and I were snorkeling, holding hands, and swimming around enjoying all the vibrant colorful fish. I happened to look out to the deeper water that we were headed towards to notice a very dark shadow growing larger as it was moving towards me. Being a true novice snorkeler at this point, I tried to get his attention and began pointing, letting go of his hand and surfaced to tell him we needed to leave when I felt a very large SLIMY SOMETHING travel between us and brush against me…I SCREAMED! Galen’s eyes grew very huge as a monk seal swam between us making its way to shore. Continuing, it bobbed its way up on to the sandy shore and proceed to take a nap in the sun. I WAS DONE AFTER THAT for the day! 🙂 He was harmless and probably very used to snorkelers in this popular snorkeling and molting area for seals. Galen’s sense of adventure was sparked! I did continue on to grow into a LOVE of snorkeling!

We did proceed to snorkel there again and other locations on Kauai during this trip and following trips back to Kauai. Another favorite beach, Anini Beach Park, is towards the North Shore of the island. It is protected by a long fringing reef. I always feel like these beaches with surrounding reef protect swimmers and snorkelers from ocean predators, rip tides or big waves, but that is not always the case, so always proceed with caution! Anini Beach Park swimming is amongst the shallowest, safest tourists can find on the North Shore. There is a channel leading out to open ocean on the West end of the beach. It was here that Galen stumbled on sea turtles and octopus near the channel.

The current has a strong pull out to deeper water so a less experienced snorkeler would want to steer clear of this area. Galen followed the sea turtle around the ocean channel area capturing photos of the turtle and again when it came to shore. This is what led him to the discovery of the octopus. As Galen approached the octopus, the octopus changed colors to become brighter probably warning the swimmer to back away. The octopus was not happy to have an interloper in his vicinity. Underwater creatures are so interesting.

Another great spot that we’ve enjoyed for snorkeling on two separate trips was located off-shore in Grand Cayman. We REALLY enjoy it here! Other SNORKELING SPOTS we’ve written about can be enjoyed from this link; however, one of our most favorite spots is Stingray City Stingray City is in the shallow waters off the northwest corner of Grand Caymans North Sound. It is just inside a natural channel that passes through the barrier reef and consists of a string of sandbars crossing the North Sound from Morgan Harbour to Rum Point. Here you can snorkel in shallow water with wild stingrays in their natural habitat. It is a truly exceptional experience. Another great location while you out there off shore is to snorkel the reef referred to as coral gardens.

Many brightly colored fish and coral can be found on the inside of the reef. The depth of the ocean on the outside of the reef is daunting and we did not cross that barrier. Another truly neat experience while there was to dive for conch. Our guide allowed us to dive down into the depths to retrieve conch and made us a ceviche for an appetizer for lunch that was truly amazing! Watch the video posted below for a detailed account of harvesting the conch as well as vast information about the unique situation of the stingray in this curious environment. Plus enjoy our giggles as we encounter this amazing place for a second time and enjoy sharing it with a group of family friends.

Stingray City, Grand Cayman

Snorkeling in Cozumel is equally interesting! The ocean bottom is more granular sand and the ocean bottom near shore was more rocky. The beaches are all fine powdery sand though. We have snorkeled here on two separate occasions and enjoyed the same area both times. CRUISING HAS BEEN A GREAT WAY TO EXPLORE THE CARIBBEAN. Click this link to read about 10 reasons to cruise on your next vacation.

Cozumel waters are calm on one side of the island and rough on the other depending on how the wind is blowing. The side of the island closest to the mainland is obviously calmer and more accessible to travelers.

Cozumel’s west coast (the side facing Playa del Carmen) has calmer beaches and better snorkeling (the coral is protected from the waves, so it can thrive). The beaches on the east coast of the island facing the open sea are often more scenic and sandy with a completely different habitat vibe with less foliage growing, but usually have rougher waves and stronger currents not the best for snorkeling. I am interested in upgrading to a full face snorkel mask like this one for my next snorkel adventure.

We’ve watched kite surfing and windy, wavy, water sports from this great restaurant for lunch here on this side of the island.

Snorkeling in Ochos Rios, Jamaica was also a great experience. The world underneath the ocean surface reveals the experience of traveling to different destinations above the surface. Each areas habitat is vastly different. The marine life underwater is vastly different as well. Notice the differences in the photos. Jamaica was very grassy underwater on the coral.

Snorkeling in St. John’s, Antigua was fun too! We took a catamaran out of the harbor (cruise ship excursion with TRUSTED FRIENDS THAT TAUGHT US THE TRICKS TO CRUISING) to a snorkeling reef to snorkel and explore for a morning. The water’s were exciting to explore with their own unique personalities as we have discovered at each snorkel location. Then we were taken to a private beach to relax in the sunshine with all-you-can-drink rum punch for the afternoon. Local merchants came to the beach to sell us beautiful sarongs and necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Antigua was very beautiful. It was so interesting to explore the West Indies! Apologies for no photos of this adventure. It is a long story, but the crux of it is that Galen deleted those photos accidentally. 🙁 You will have to take our word for it and go take your own photos! OR…we will have to travel back and take double the photos next time!

Daily while traveling and exploring each new adventure snorkeling, God’s amazing presence reveals itself to us in unexpected ways. A moment of tranquility watching a beautiful fish zigzag along the ocean floor, or observing a monk seal hopping and bobbing to shore to lie in the sun to molt, or sitting quietly on a sandy beach with your eyes closed just listening to the surrounding sounds filling your senses with many new wonders all at the same time. How about capturing a sunrise early morning with the promise of a new day laid out before you? However you find God’s inspiration each day, allow it to serve as a reminder that He is in control. Trust in Him, fear not, and replace any doubts you have in Him with prayer, asking Him to teach you to trust more and more each day. The God that created the heavens and the earth and the oceans and the sun will watch over, protect, and guide you each day if you only ask for Him to be a part of your life. Grow in your faith and trust in Him. He awaits you. He is willing to walk beside you through all of your life adventures…even snorkeling!

We hope this has inspired you to discover snorkeling as we have discovered. I am interested if you have favorite snorkel locations to share. Please leave a comment below to recommend a snorkel adventure that you’d like for us to try out on our next Inspirational Travel Adventure!! I am so excited to hear from you!

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Inspirationally Yours,

Barbara

BIO: https://www.inspirationaltraveladventures.com/about-us/

ABOUT ME:

A 1993 graduate of Michigan State University, Barbara earned a BS in Social Science Pre-Law. She is a Business Manager/HR Director. Her passion is travel, discovering new places, experiences, cuisine, cultures while enjoying temperate climates. Barbara is a newly transitioning empty-nester who became a travel blogger. She’s a great photographer, talented writer, and has a great family to highlight in her high school/college athlete football sons.

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