Day 42: Snorkeling at Luis Pena...and a Party!

Just in case you missed yesterday's blog or thought I was telling fairy tales about the protest at the ferry dock, here's a link from ABC News about our island upheaval!!!

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory/ferry-service-puerto-rico-island-paralyzed-14537572

This morning we slept in a bit, but I got a call from Abbie letting me know that her husband, Billy, had put the boat in the water and she asked if we'd like to go out with them. She said to be sure and bring snorkeling gear...in case!! So Hannah and I grabbed our suits from yesterday's school swim and threw on our clothes over top. We grabbed breakfast, grabbed water bottles and some crackers and headed out! We were NOT disappointed!

Note the Pelican "Guarding" the Boat...
(Not that anyone would want this boat!)

Billy has a great boat and he took us from Ensenada Honda through the beautiful mangroves along the water's edge,  around the southern tip of the island. As we traveled we could see Vieques about 12 miles south of us and the main island of Puerto Rico about 15 miles west. We also saw several other boats, including this picturesque boat with a pelican standing guard. I'm glad we were on Billy's boat and not on that one!! 

Hannah and Abbie....Ready for the Waves???

At one point, our captain really turned on the speed and we laughed as Hannah and Abbie bounced up and down in the bow, crashing and the flying as we rode the waves. Eventually he slowed back down and headed across to Luis Pena island, a beautiful, uninhabited island about a mile from Culebra.

Our Snorkel Spot at Luis Pena...Sweet!!!

Captain Billy

 As we approached the island, our captain took us around the rocky point and in to a small bay where there is a beautiful sandy beach. We spied some mooring bouys and hitched our boat to one of them. As we were gathering our equipment, Billy announced a sea turtle that surface just yards from the boat. I missed the siting, but it was certainly a motivator to get me going! After putting on our fins and grabbing our masks and snorkels, the three girls took to the water, where we spent over an hour snorkeling in the crystal clear turquoise waters, undisturbed by any other humans!

Trunkfish...Very Cool!!!

During our swim, we were fortunate enough to see so many wonderful sights. Billy had brought us to an ideal place and we saw all kinds of beautiful fish, including some very large parrot fish, a tiny trumpet fish, a trunkfish, an amazing jellyfish that we were able to just sit and observe for a couple of minutes and a couple of beautiful sea stars. That doesn't even name the half of it, though, as with each moment we were treated with some new morsel of beauty and wonder. We were even able to see green sea turtles feeding on the sea grass. It is truly wondrous to be in the element of the underwater creatures and to be hit in the face with a reminder of God's creativity. 

Two Excited Girls!!

Hannah and Abbie

The beauty was such that our time passed unnoticed and we didn't even realize how much effort we were exerting! By the time we got home, Hannah announced she was ready for a nap!!! 


We both took a short nap, had some dinner, and then prepared to go out to neighbors of Abbie and Billy's for card night. This is a group of mostly couples from the States who get together on some Saturday evenings for a game of cards called Hand and Foot. I'd never heard of before being invited to one of the "parties" but the game is lots of fun and they set it up so it's always that guys against the girls. Such a rivalry...and so much fun. The home we were in this evening was palatial, so Hannah was able to spread out in her own spot and watch dvds on their television nearby, happily snuggled up with their sweet old dog.


We came home late for a second night in a row, so hopefully she'll sleep late tomorrow and I'll go into school and work for a bit before we watch the video stream from Westwinds at 11:00! 


Thank You, God, for the absolutely breathtaking experience we had. Thank You for putting people in our path who offer us these unique and wonderful opportunities!