Snorkel Adventure

Sunday dawned cloudy with looming grey clouds, the complete opposite of the day before which was bright and sunny. We had bought a day of snorkeling in the Kerama Islands and it wasn't looking good weather wise. As we pulled up to the meeting point we recognized Gabriella's school friend Carlie and her family. They were going on the same adventure we were. As we waited for the bus the kids played on the playground. Once the bus arrived we loaded ourselves and headed to the port. Getting on the boat was pretty easy however the trip across the ocean to the islands was slightly more of an issue. The seas were choppy and the boat was rocking up and down on the waves, not an ideal situation for a pregnant woman prone to seasickness. I did manage to hold on until we actually arrived at the first stop, where I tossed my breakfast over the side of the boat. The first stop was full of beautiful coral which unfortunately we all got a little too close to earning ourselves a few scrapes and scratches. Gabriella loved using the mask and snorkel, she was able to talk around the mouthpiece and was often heard exclaiming excitedly at the sight of various fish. We saw parrot fish, clown fish and even some blue tangs. Once we were back on the boat it was lunch time, we opened our lunchbox and extracted our delicious sandwiches and I made a tasty salad for myself. Greg hopped in the water at the second stop but Gabriella and I stayed on the boat enjoying a leisurely lunch and a bit of a rest. Once everyone was back on the boat the captain told a few of the marines on our trip they could jump off the roof of the boat into the water. Once Gabriella saw that was an option she immediately wanted to try it. She and Greg jumped twice and it was only Greg's ear pain that prevented them from doing it again and again. At the third snorkeling stop Gabriella and I played in the water just next to the boat. She practiced her jumping off the back of the boat while I treaded water in the cool ocean water. All three of us napped on the way back to Naha, which probably prevented any of us from getting seasick. It was a great adventure and I would highly recommend it to anyone in the neighborhood.