This afternoon’s dive in sunny, tropical Roatan was called “Valley of the kings”.  This was a wildlife filled dive.  Most notably we saw a sea turtle! I didn’t see it until the guide pointed it out and then I swam over to it a little closer to take a picture and check it out.  They are very large and majestic.  This one in particular seemed annoyed that I was following it, which is fair I suppose!  We also saw three sea horses! I had always assumed that they were tiny things like an inch long, but apparently out here they’re normally 5-6″ long and very colorful. So that was neat to see them in their natural habitat. Another critter they have out here is the puffer fish.  Again, I assumed that they were all pretty small fish, but we saw one today that was like a foot long! If that thing puffed up he’d be the size of a big beach ball! One aspect to tropical diving that I’m really enjoying (besides the sunshine and elevated water temperature) is the diversity and beauty of the fish.  Our fish in the northwest are big, brown, ugly, and full of teeth. Some are downright terrifying. (google pictures of a lingcod, if you dare!) However out here all the fish are colorful and dainty as they playfully dance around the coral. I could just float there and watch them for hours.

Majestic sea turtle
Majestic sea turtle
Please stop following me
Please stop following me
Yellow snapper? good eats!
Yellow snapper? good eats!
Blue fish
Blue fish
Not a very pretty fish
Not a very pretty fish
Little orange fish
Little orange fish
Lionfish
Lionfish
Tiny yellow fish
Tiny yellow fish
Striped fish
Striped fish
Moray!
Moray!
Another eel!
Another eel!
I love lionfish. They're so freaking pretty!
I love lionfish. They’re so freaking pretty!
Baby eel
Baby eel
baby eel
baby eel
strange looking little fish
strange looking little fish
Dot fish with purple anemones
Dot fish with purple anemones
Feeling crabby?
Feeling crabby?
Parrotfish
Parrotfish
Another yellow fish
Another yellow fish
Tiny fish
Tiny fish
In a line
In a line
Spirals against green dots
Spirals against green dots
School of fish in the blue
School of fish in the blue
Shitty photo of people heading out for a night dive
Shitty photo of people heading out for a night dive