Day four was another water day - snorkeling! Both Mommikins and I had worn masks before in Hawaii but haven't actually officially tried it with the whole fins/flippers. We headed back to the same dock where we went parasailing to hook up with the folks from Total Snorkel Cancun. Not sure if they are owned by the same folks as Parasail Cancun or if its the same company but we received a very hearty welcome when we hopped out of the van.
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| Underwater Selfie! |
We had a quick test of the equipment and to ensure that we understood all the basics (kick your feet, breathe through your mouth, etc). There was a lovely cool breeze to take off some of the heat of this gorgeously clear day but it meant waves kept pushing into the dock steps. Who cares! This is going to be awesome!
Our group again was relatively small (the theme this vacation continues!) with Mom and I, another Mother/Daughter duo from the US and three folks from the Ukraine. We headed out to open water lead by Captain Willy (Mitel), our main snorkel guide the extremely handsome Arturo (Mmmm, Latin Men...), the somewhat shy Luis who did all of the photography, and PEDRO! Pedro was part of our crew when we went parasailing - he had picked us up and took us back into shore when we were done and recognized us from earlier in the week.
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| The gang snorkeling at site 2 - Turtles (Tortuga!) and a manta ray I think? |
I had bought a new underwater camera to bring with me on this trip because we were going to be in the water pretty much every day. Cue the disappointment. The pictures it takes were horrible underwater - the video wasn't bad but I barely used it. The remaining pictures in this post were part of the photo package Mommikins purchased (Great job Luis!). Rant over...mostly LOL.
The first location was mixed with some vegetation and LOTS of fish. Perfect to get used to snorkeling. There were also a few underwater statues of hands in Punta Sam, one of the underwater sites by the Underwater Museum of the Arts (MUSA). The waves were taking their toll on me but I did pretty well until a big wave slammed in my face and dislodged my mask and snorkel, making me swallow a bunch of salt water. Arturo, bless him, noticed I was starting to struggle a bit so he let me be towed on the floaty donut thingy he was dragging around in case anyone needed help. And he took my camera and took a couple of photos of the hands for me.
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| So long and thanks for all the fish! Photo from the video/photo package shot by Total Snorkel Cancun |
Getting back onto the boat was an adventure - the boat is swaying back and forth, the wind is making it rock quite a bit and when you start to climb the ladder, the boat tends to dip lean into you, occasionally sending you off balance even more! There's a funny store about Mommikins almost squashing poor Luis after the final stop but that's for another day...
Once we were all safely back on the boat, we headed off to our next stop which was a grassy area favoured by turtles and other underwater creatures. After the first excursion, I was exhausted so I opted to stay onboard for this stop. Sure enough, shortly after everyone was back in the water, Arturo and Luis started shouting "Tortuga! Tortuga!" TURTLES! Dammit. A little bit later - sting ray (or manta, not sure but some sort of ray).
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| TORTUGA! Photo from the video/photo package shot by Total Snorkel Cancun |
Back on the boat and we were off for the final stop - an abandoned shipwreck with sea birds on the part above the water line and fish practically engulfing it below. Still tired and now feeling the sun (I couldn't wear a hat with my snorkel and mask so I only had a bandana on my bald noggin, I opted to stay under the small tarp covering part of the seats on the boat. Mommikins though jumped (or rather was dumped like most of us) off the side of the boat and back into the water. Arturo borrowed her camera too and took some pics for her so she could focus on enjoying everything about her experience.
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| Mommikins getting her snorkel on! Go girl! Photo from the video/photo package shot by Total Snorkel Cancun |
Snorkeling was one of Mom's activities so I'm glad she really enjoyed this day!
We were wiped by the time we got back to the resort. After relaxing a bit, we headed over to Los Lirios - the steak and fish club at the resort. Its part of the elite section of the resort but anyone is free to visit the restaurant. Naturally, steaks all round! After our experience in Hawaii a few years ago, we were naturally wary about ordering steak on vacation. Let's be honest, living in Alberta, we're spoiled when it comes to quality beef. The waiter brought us our food and left without leaving a steak knife for either of us. However, I was so hungry by the time it arrived, I didn't care and said I'd attempt to cut it with my butter knife.
My knife went right through it. TEN-DER!
The steak was cooked perfectly (I love mine well done but minus Trump's ketchup) and it was delicious. While it was fattier than what we're used to being served here, it was a delightful treat after a fantastic day on the ocean.
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