Under the sea on Christmas Eve

(12/24/17) Snorkeling at Hope Town Harbour Lodge is fairly easy.  The most difficult part for me is getting on the flippers and walking into the water.  No one could call me graceful.  I prefer to snorkel by flipping into the water from the dinghy.  Then all I have to do is swim.  If you haven’t tried walking in flippers on a sandy beach, let me assure you that it is a humbling experience.   Steve and the kids look at me as if I am an alien.  Once in the deep water, I am fine and enjoy the search for underwater life.  

This snapper below can be found in the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico as well as in Florida and as far north as Massachusetts.  The yellow stripe appears to glow on its silvery white body.  

It’s easy to see where the Brain Coral below gets its name as their shape and grooved surface resemble a brain.  It is formed by a colony of identical polyps which secrete a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate.  These important coral reef builders are found in shallow warm water reefs all over the world.  They can live up to 900 years and a colony can grow as high as 6 feet.  They catch small drifting animals at night by extending their tentacles.  Brain coral grows quickly but is highly susceptible to damage during hurricanes.

The Elkhorn coral shown below was once one of the most abundant species of coral in the Florida Keys and Caribbean but it has been depleted by 90-95% since 1980 due to disease, coral bleaching, and storm damage.  Named for their resemblance to antlers of an elk, these coral are actually colonies of several genetically identical animals living together.  Elkhorn coral provide homes for lobsters and parrotfish which we have seen in abundance in the Bahamas

Merry Christmas Eve!

Joy