OMG this is funny!!!! I'm at work secretly looking into Canreef and I'm reading about this little stunt - Gees, can't stop laughing - I have to go to the bathroom! That was good guys!

Laurie, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. This was the first time for me to the Carribean side. I've been to Acapulco, Puerta Villarta, Cabo San Lucas, Ixtapa and Xihuataneo, and I have to say I don't think I'll ever go back to the Pacific side again.

I stayed at that resort back in the year it first opened. Some of the best snorkeling I did down there was off that beach! Lots of gorgonians, sea whips and sea fans ... great to see them again, thanks for the pictures to rekindle the memories!!

Came VERY close to booking down there this winter but decided against on account our one year old has a bad tendency to drink any water that he can find - bathtub, shower, etc. .. maybe when the rugrats are a bit older ..

Looks incredible! Super Jealous!:mrgreen:

Tony, I can see myself going back again. How about next year? :biggrin:
The snorkling off the beach was indeed very good. Even in very shallow water there were huge sea fans and large brain corals, as well as Atlantic Blue Tangs that were easily 8" long swimming about in less than 4 feet of water.
Was the pier in when you were there? Huge schools of fish hung out there because people were feeding them. I took some pictures of them with a cheapo underwater camera. The wet bag we had bought for one of our cameras failed after only one day of snorkling, so I bought the other from a store on the resort. Hopefully they turn out. Will know tomorrow.

Finally got the pics back from the cheapo $12 underwater camera I bought down there. (The wet bag we bought for our camera failed after one day of snorkling.) Picture quality isn't very good. Next time I'll be more prepared: either a better wet bag or buy a decent underwater camera.


Pics of the schools of fish under the pier at our beach.
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...cs/027_00A.jpg

http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...cs/011_15A.jpg

http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...cs/010_16A.jpg

Tangs
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...cs/012_14A.jpg

http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...cs/013_13A.jpg

Gorgonians, etc.
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...cs/014_12A.jpg

http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...ics/017_9A.jpg

My little snorkling mermaid. (She had such a good time she even forgives me for my tank cleaning blunders.):mrgreen:

http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...ics/022_4A.jpg

And this is the rubber tube she got her ass stuck in.
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...cs/001_25A.jpg

<gasp> See, I know I've said it before but I'm compelled to say it again .. THOSE GORGS!!! Ahhh! Love them.

It was, in fact, staying at Barcelo Maya that really turned me onto Caribbean gorgonians and thus begat a 5 year obsession to locate some. It is a pity that they are so rare, because they thrive in captive conditions, no comparison to their Pacific counterparts (most of whom, at least of those available to the hobby, are non-photosynthetic).

Look at those Gorgonia ventilana stands!!

Awesome, just awesome.

I see the pier has really gotten reef and coraline encrusted in the last ten years! :lol:

I am sensing another apology trip being booked pronto. :lol:

Tony, I was just looking at the Live Aquaria web site and they have quite a good selection of Caribbean gorgs, both wild and aqua cultured. I wonder why they are so far and few between up here.

I think interest in these is growing. It makes sense, they actually tend to do quite well in aquaria and are more forgiving than other corals. At least we see them from time to time nowadays up here ... if not all the time, yet. Oh well, gives us something to hunt for at the LFS's I guess. :)