Last week in class we learned about marine mammals, and so the girls were thrilled when we came across a small pod of dolphins on our open water excursions this week.
Our trips were sponsored by Northern Coast Diving, and our guides Michael and Jose made it memorable for us. We traveled to a site called “Three Rocks” and to a coral garden where scientists and tour operators are working to restore the local reefs.
The reefs were less than pristine, but still teeming with fish and a few invertebrates. We saw mainly jacks, trumpetfish, blue tang and sergeant majors. It was quite different than the reef in Sosua which appears to be more diverse in terms of fish and invertebrates, though fewer in numbers of actual animals.
The girls were very observant and excitedly pointed out what they saw – both familiar and unfamiliar. There were shouts of “Que linda” (how beautiful) y “que feo” (how ugly). It was funny to learn what they perceived to be such.
It was the first open water snorkeling experience for many. We’ve been to the shallow reef in Sosua, but never using a boat and never in deep water. There were lots of “ooohs” and “aaaahs” and smiles. This was by far my favorite experience with the Mariposas!
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