Soon after the education forum, the Institute of International Education had arranged for us to go snorkeling. Since a group of us are certified scuba divers, we suited up to go diving instead.
Typically when scuba diving, you do two dives. Our fist dive site was called “Kicker Rock.” The boat ride to the site and the camaraderie were great, but the dive wasn’t too spectacular. The visibility was less than twenty feet, and there was a strong surge on the bottom swaying us back and forth the entire dive. We were hoping to see some hammerhead or Galapagos sharks on the dive, but they didn’t show up. Actually, they probably saw us, but we didn’t see them! We did, however, see two huge sting rays. Each one was about the size of four school desks put together! We also saw schools of fish, starfish, and thousands of pencil sea urchins. The visibility on the second dive was the same…lousy! But the highlight of the second dive was the sea lions. They were swimming all around us, playful and curious, getting closer and closer each time they passed. It is amazing how graceful these animals are under the water. I took many photos using a disposable underwater camera. I hope a few of the photos turn out.
