Part 14

Tuesday (July 24)

Snorkeling

 

Above is the national flower of the Turks and Caicoas.  It is a Turks Head cactus and was planted in a small garder on the way to the pool area.

A ritual in the Dodson household is the repeated administration of sunscreen.  Sarah and Jeff had gifted me with a couple of UV rated shirts.  They worked great in preventing sunburned skin.

Tuesday morning was devoted to snorkeling.  Sam did marvelously - as did Grandma.  We saw Sargent Major  fish, Parrot Fish. small angels, snappers, a large puffer,  and many small unknown critters.

Nate worked hard on the beach building castles and moats.

Sam's snorkel fit well.  He was ready to travel with his Dad to the reef.

The Dodson Snorkeling Exploration did a systematic exploration of the reef.

The Grandma and Grandpa Team may not have been so competent in their snorkeling, but they were certainly enthusiastic!

Here is Grandma Judy in action!

Sarah had an underwater camera.  Here are some of her shots of the fish we saw in the coral reefs.  You have to love the Parrot Fish.  (Along with other fish seen below.)

The Parrot Fish plays a very important role when it comes to the issues of bioerosion due to their feeding habits. They use the sharp beak to be able to remove algae from rocks. This helps with the production and maintenance of the coral sand for the reef biome as well. They grind up small rocks while eating and when they excrete it, they create sand.

They form very large schools that can be found moving about in the water. The smaller fish are on the inside of the school with the larger ones around the parameter of it. The males are dominant and they will have the females fighting over being around them in the school at various times. The males often challenge each other for overall dominance of the school.

For protection the Parrot Fish covers its body at night with mucus. This allows it to become attached to something in the corral areas for protection. The mucus also prevents this fish from having scent that predators could be attracted to. Experts believe that mucus can also help to prevent parasites from using this particular fish as a host.

We had lunch in the condo   Judy and I rested while Sarah and Jeff went for groceries. There was a Disney film being shown downstairs in the resort so we all went before supper.

Tomorrow's blog - Where did we have supper?