Wednesday, August 16. Happy Birthday, Shannon! Pretty special to get to spend it in the Caribbean!
We got up and at 'em early to get to eat a snack and get packed and ready to go. Gwen brought us some wonderful pumpkin bread that she and Gary had baked the night before. It was wonderful!
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| Our patio |
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| Path leading to our accommodations. |
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| Scooby |
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| Tango |
One last wander around the property, load up into the car and Gwen drove us to Serenity dive shop. I had booked two dives for this am and Shannon wanted to snorkel with us. But she was feeling a little off, so went to the hotel instead.
Harvey was my dive master today. I was the only diver! It has been 2 years since I was diving, so I had my refresher then off we went! We did a shallow dive first, behind Young Island.
We started out in grass then followed the sea floor to some coral reefs. The reefs are not as pretty as many that I have seen, but lots of neat fish.
I did not have a camera, so I have using photos from a dive shop site, Bill Tewes Dive St Vincent website www.divestvincent.com . These are just a few of the sea life that we saw.
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| Banded Butterfly fish |
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| trumpet fish |
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| cornet fish |
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| trunkfish |
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| banded lobster |
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| spotted moray eel |
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| flying gurnard. Note that there are little pectoral fins used like feet to travel along the ocean floor. |
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flying gurnard
When startled these fish spread out their pectoral fins like a cape! |
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Lionfish. Terrible invasive species. (photographer unknown)
Invasive species are capable of causing extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats. |
Following is information about lionfish from the noaa website oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lionfish
Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific, but are now established along the southeast coast of the U.S., the Caribbean, and in parts of the Gulf of Mexico. Since lionfish are not native to Atlantic waters, they have very few predators. They are carnivores that feed on small crustaceans and fish, including the young of important commercial fish species such as snapper and grouper. How lionfish will affect native fish populations and commercial fishing industries has yet to be determined. What is known is that non-native species can dramatically affect native ecosystems and local fishing economies. Experts are carefully studying these invaders to better understand their role in, and potential threat to, Atlantic Ocean ecosystems.
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| Frigate birds. They are awesome to watch soaring on the thermals. |
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| Stacy and Harvey, the dive master. |
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| The boat we took to the dive site. |
After the two dives, I gathered my gear and went to the little restaurant for a nice meal and relaxation. Gwen picked me up and took me up to our next lodging, the Hotel Alexandrina. So glad I got a ride, it is located way up the steep, windy roads on a steep hillside. Very pretty facility with nice rooms. Our group has one entire "house" with a kitchen, den, dining area. The rooms are on each end, like a house that has been converted. It is not typical Caribbean, but it is nice. Thank goodness there is hot water and air conditioning!
Shannon had rested and felt much better. We relaxed for the afternoon and met team members as they arrived. Super neat group! Then we had a super nice dinner with the rescue organization, a very late night return to the hotel, and a much needed sleep for everybody!
More fun tomorrow!
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