25 Apr, Fri -- Afternoon

AFTERNOON:  SANDY BAY

i got in touch with Katie who was ready, and we took a taxi to Sandy Bay ... it was strange weather .... and the water was bathtub-calm ... very unusual !  ...
i didn't realize Katie is so tall ... or i'm so short until i saw this photograph  :(

the Super Snorkelers

we headed through the grasses in the shallows towards the reef ... and saw some beautiful Cushion Sea Stars   :)

Cushion Sea Stars

then Katie spotted this Moray Eel ... i've looked on line for this eel, and i don't have 'the' reference book ...... but i'm calling it a PurpleMouth Moray Eel ... i've never even heard of this eel, much less seen one ... whoo hooo ... a new one to add to my 'list'  :)

PurpleMouth Moray Eel

PurpleMouth Moray Eel

Katie took a couple photos of me snorkeling  :)

Donna Duck-Dives

i need to buy a new mask that is more 'flattering' ....

Snorkeling

we snorkeled outside the reef ... i kept feeling little needle pricks on my skin ... i asked Katie if she was getting stung by JellyFish .... she said she was not ... but eventually she felt them too ... we got back inside the reef where they weren't so bad ... it was irritating, but neither of us had any marks on us ...

i took some photos of some of the fishes we saw ...

Queen AngelFish

fishes look so funny seen full-face-forward .... :)

Queen AngelFish - Funny Face

this little coral reef was alive with all kinds of small fishes ...

Various Fishes over Coral

i tried to get a good photos of this Juvenile Banded ButterflyFish ... but he was too fast for me ..... :(

Banded ButterflyFish - Juvenile

this Juvenile Four-Eye Butterfly Fish was more accommodating ...

Four-Eye ButterflyFish

 

and you may remember all the 'fuss' i made over a RedLip Blenny when i was in Utila :)

RedLip Blenny

Cleaner Fish and Anemone

we started to head towards shore and passed over a lot of sand patches and found this Hermit Crab in a Conch Shell ...

Hermit Crab in Conch Shell

and this Sea Biscuit, which is a type of a Sand Dollar, but oblong shaped and 'fatter' ....you can see that it is/was moving through the sand eating ... slowly, very slowly ...

Sea Biscuit

and of course, lots of Cushion Sea Stars ... they are so big and colorful and mysterious ...

Cushion Sea Star

Cushion Sea Star

Cushion Sea Stars

then i saw this old Conch shell with an Anemone living inside it .... when i went down to get a closer look, ... i saw this little Juvenile DrumFish, on the left...

Juvenile DrumFish and Anemone

Juvenile DrumFish

Juvenile DrumFish

and then noticed the tiny red crab inside the Anemone ... i almost missed that one ....

Tiny Red Crab in Anemone

Katie had to go in and check on something, so i stayed out a little while longer ...

Sea Anemone

Cushion Sea Star

Healthy Coral

this is a Sea Cucumber called a Tiger Tail ... for obvious reasons .... most Sea Cucumbers are snort and thick .... this one is long and skinny ... but if you touch it ... it shrinks up really short ... i did not do that ... so he's still skinny ....

Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber

we got a ride back home with a friend of Katie's ...
later, i met the Marine Park Staff at the SunDowner to say farewell ...

Giaco is the RMP Exec Director; ...Veronica is a Volunteer from the capital city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras and is leaving tomorrow also; ...Christi is Director of Community Development ...

Giaco, Veronica, Christi

Nic is Director of Communications and Marine Infrastructure; ...Caroline is his partner; ...Heather is doing a study on Roatan, i met her the first time i volunteered here 4 yrs ago; ...and Marta is the RMP Administrator ...

Nic, Caroline, Heather, Marta

Veronica, Christi, Me

so that's the group, except for Tasha, the Eco-Store Manager, who i didn't get to say my final goodbye to   :(

when i got back home i started organizing and packing.   ... it was wonderful to be able to stay in one place for 7 weeks, a place to call home where i could put my things in a 'place' where i could find them ... the downside is that my 'things in a place' were everywhere! .... i was up until 1am, i didn't want to leave this to do in the morning ....