Snorkeling in Paradise, while sipping a rum and coca-lite.
I have been snorkeling a few times in the past and each time it was cool but nothing compared to the snorkeling trip we took recently in the Dominican Republic. This vacation was unlike any other for Michele and I because we relaxed and did not venture out of the resort much. This is rare for us as we usually try to see everything we can as we live by the philosophy that you should travel like you will never be in that place ever again.
Anyway back to snorkeling. We boarded a catamaran from our hotel in the morning and embarked on our four hour tour. First stop was snorkeling at a reef where there were tons of tropical fish. The reef was awesome and we saw a many schools of tropical fish. The highlights were a pencil fish and a starfish. We swam around and I tried to take as many pictures as I could. All in all a great first stop and it got us all excited about the next stop swimming with stingrays and a nurse shark.
Stop number two started out great. We climbed into a fenced off area in a shallow part of the ocean and swam above stingrays. Sting Rays are amazing creatures and they glide across the bottom of the ocean so gracefully. It seems like they could be flying when you look closely and watch their bodies ripple as they make their way. As for the Nurse shark sadly it was kind of a rip off. We did not get to swim with the nurse shark but rather stand with a man who held it as another man took photo's that you could buy. This part was sad as I realized that everyday this poor shark was held up as a prop for tourist photo's. But I guess it is all in good tourism as I know this country is poor like so many others in the caribbean.
The next and final stop was at a natural swimming pool. This was the kids favorite stop and may have been mine as well mainly because I had a rum and coca-lite after stop number two. By the way the dark rum in the Dominican Republic is excellent and Diet Coke is called Coca-lite. The natural swimming pool over looked a beautiful beach where people were horseback riding. As for the pool itself it seems to be a place for many boats to stop and for the tourists to keep the party going. Besides the blue skies everyday, the ocean in the Caribbean is amazing. The ocean is deep one second and the shallow the next.
We all had a great time and I have to admit the boat crew was excellent. They kept the adults swimming in rum , and more importantly were very helpful with the equipment. The catamaran was awesome and part of the fun that day was hanging on the boat. If you asked Michele she would say the boat was her favorite part. The four hours flew by, as did our time in paradise. Alas, you have to head back to reality at some point. For us this time its only a few weeks until our next adventure.
