Snorkeling!

So I just got our snorkeling pictures developed from our underwater camera.  We went snorkeling from the beach in Grand Turk and in St. Thomas we went snorkeling in Turtle Cove, which had a beautiful little reef.  Here are the pictures, beginning with Grand Turk:

The ever-so-flattering snorkeling gear!

We explored this strange underwater cage/net thing. We're not sure what it was built for, because it wasn't very effective at catching fish.  There was a cool spotted fish hanging out inside it. 

None of these pictures come anywhere close to what all these things really looked like.  Here are some cool rocks that look like pots.  The fish loved hanging out inside them.   

Snorkeling in Grand Turk was lots of fun, and we were in the water for a long time.  We saw a barracuda there and tons of different varieties of fish.  But the really cool stuff was waiting for us in St. Thomas.  We went snorkeling at Turtle Cove, which was very aptly named.

I think this is my favorite snorkeling picture.

The manta ray with its fish friend.  This fish followed this manta ray around the whole time we were snorkeling.

These are adolescent sea turtles that live here and eat the turtle grass.

Rob holding the conch shell with the live crab in it.

It was raining when we were on our way to Turtle Cove, and a bit while we were in the water, then it cleared up and was beautiful the rest of the day. 

That's Rob and his dad, if you can't tell.

This is a White Indian Sea Urchin (I think that's what it's called).  It has suction cups on the bottom, kind of like a starfish, so when you hold it in your hand, you can feel the suction cups flexing.  It was cool and freaky-feeling.

I LOVE snorkeling, and it's so much better in person! All these pictures have a much bluer tint than what your eyes see.  There's nothing quite like being there to see it and discover it for yourself.  It is truly amazing all the wonders there are on God's beautiful earth.