The Calm After (And Before) The Storm

Bell Island     

The wind blew itself out over night and the morning arrived with nearly flat water across the anchorage. I read for a couple hours in the sun and had the opportunity to watch Richard breaking in his new Fliteboard. Nothing but cheers go his way for trying something new and adventurous. After lunch we loaded our snorkel gear into the dingy and headed to Rocky Dundas. We arrived, secured the dinghy to the mooring ball, and hopped in. Coral heads and sponges line the length of the island. The purple sea fans waving in the current were the first thing that caught my eye. Soon I spotted two parrotfish and later a large barrel sponge. 

There was a good amount of activity, but not as much as I remember from our last visit. Barry and I snapped photos of every colorful thing we saw as we floated above it. 

I made it to the south end of the island before turning back to the dinghy. Another parrotfish was munching on the bottom. These fish are special because they have teeth in their throat that break down coral bits into sand (bioerosion). A single fish i one species of parrotfish can "process" more than 2,000 pounds of sand a year. Somewhere along the way the battery in my camera died. I was excited to see a turtle, but have no proof did. 

After more than an hour at Rocky Dundas, we relocated a few miles north to the Sea Aquarium. This afternoon the water was much calmer than it was yesterday morning. With the flat water came a flurry of activity. There were multiple boats moored and more than a dozen folks already in the water ... for good reason. The first sight after sliding into the water was of a giant school of sergeant majors circling around the mooring anchors. It was surreal to have all the fish swimming around me. 

Eventually one swam into perfect photo position. Other species were also present along the rocky ledges. There was another parrotfish, what I think was a blue tang, and then a very interesting triggerfish. 

There were more parrotfish, a few sergeant majors swimming away from the group, and also several brightly colored angel fish. We spent an hour at this reef and then headed back to Crossroads for showers. 

A little later, Kelly and Richard picked us up for a sunset cruise through the anchorage. Special guests on this dinghy ride were several large (4-foot wingspan) spotted eagle rays that glided around and under us. The sun quickkly dropped behind the island, but the orange glow in the sky remained for about an hour. We marveled at the calmness of the water and all commented on what a difference a day made. Unfortunately, that holds for the future as well. Our attention has turned to how to seek shelter from strong westerly winds blowing in on Tuesday. It is a difficult decision to leave this space with such good protection.