Friday, Boat Day

We rented a boat. A 21 foot Parker. The kids and I were super excited! SK took us out to the reef that we would have paid to go to through the park.
We went at our own pace. Stopped to check out a seas turtle(the what is that photo of the ocean). We saw flying fish too on the way out to the reef.
SJ's official first saltwater snorkel adventure!
He didn't like it...HE LOVED IT.
I think the midnight parrot fish sealed the deal. It is a huge(seriously as big as SJ) deep blue sparkling fish. Every fish from his fish identification chart was there...swimming around. I loved to hear him try to yell out the various fish he spotted through his snorkel. It sounded a little mumbled, "AAAAAMARRAWHODA!!" A barracuda...he was slightly disappointed not seeing a shark. I was fine with it!
Sophia was an old veteran. She jumped in first and started yelling out names too! Love it. She did really well keeping close, but not on top of us.
An amazing world down there.

Fish Runs Out

Just because you're out of fish in your bucket, the fun doesn't have to end! Use your hand to fake out the fish...SK taught Soso. Soso taught SJ. I actually held a fish down there this time! Entire hand went into its mouth. 😳 Checked that off the list...
Easy fun.
We ate breakfast and people watched while sitting at the rail. We could have stayed all day!

More from today

Flowers at Robbie's, and everywhere down here, are beautiful. The sun was high and showcasing the aquamarine and turquoise of the water today.
Sophia and SK snorkeled upon return with new net and tools. Spiny lobster hunt a foot! (We had tacos for dinner. Lobster 1-;SK2s-0)
They saw moray eels, spotted and green. Spiny lobsters. Stone crab-HUGE ONES. Spider crabs. Brittle starfish. Stingrays. Barracuda. Juvenile spotted drum. Hogfish. So many little fish, Sargent major. Banded clinger shrimp was the coolest.
SJ and I went to the beach, then to town to run an errand. He always finds things on our walk.

End of the Day

One last look in the tiny crab critter honey hole. Then watched and amazing sunset. A guy was cleaning fish in the harbor. SJ and Soso were excited to see the nurse shark and two green moray eels!
Everyone is going to sleep well tonight!

Today-Tarpon again

We awakened to rain. We hit the road north to get a net and "tickle stick". SK wants lobster for dinner!
First stop was Walgreens. SJ and Soso bought new journals. SJ loves to sketch everything he sees on trips.
Next stop, Robbie's...because we were there! Lol feed the fish one more time!
The kids found the ring toss game. Soso had a ding, but no hook!

Critters

While SK was snorkeling not catching spiny lobster for dinner, the kids played in the puddles with all the critters. Little crabs. Little fish. Shrimp. Hermit crabs.
SJ while showing me one of his crabs...the crab won. The first photo is mid pinch. The second is when he was laughing about it! Sophia caught a teeny fish! The other side is a not a keeper spiny lobster.

Hermit Crab

A huge hermit crab that played hide and seek with SJ. No crabs were injured...kids either.
We think the next thing is a bristle worm? Maybe? It was freaky and we let it go!