The weather forecast was pretty good for Monday so we decided to go diving. Sunday afternoon we had signed up with the dive center every one seems to like here. We were told the dive van would pick us up from the street closest to our cottage at 7:15. (We’ve never had a dive shop offer to pick us up before). We made it to Splash Dive Center around 7:30. It was one of the more modern buildings I’ve seen here. We tried on equipment and Kirk, our divemaster, checked it all out and took it to the boat for us. We waited in the lobby with the cookies and juice provided until it was time to go. The owner escorted us outside to dock and the dive boat we would be on that day. It was probably one of the nicest dive boats I’ve ever been on. There were about 8 divers and 8 snorkelers. There was a large crew, all very friendly and helpful. We would be going to the Silk Cayes (pronounced KEYS), which were a group several small islands held as a marine preserve by the government but available for diver use. The 22 mile trip took a little over an hour in sometimes rough seas, but our large dive boat handled it easily. The further we got from land, the more shades of blue the water displayed. It was breathtaking. By the time we reached the small island that would prove to be our home base for the day, I thought I must be dreaming. Here was this picturesque little island that, as the captain told us- had a population of 16 Palm trees, 10 picnic tables, a grill, and 2 bathrooms. We let the snorkelers off onto a smaller boat because they would snorkel around the island (the large boat couldn’t get close enough because of the shallow water around the island). The boat continued another 5 minutes to the dive site. The divemaster told us the name of the site, and as much as I tell myself I’m gonna remember it, I rarely do. When everyone was ready, we took turns stepping off the back of the boat. We were immediately facing a sheer drop-off of coral. The wall disappeared into the depths below us. The entire wall was covered with coral or every size, shape, and texture imaginable. Swimming among the coral were fish of every bright color. We even saw an eel swimming freely (they are usually hiding in holes) and when the divemaster approached it to point it out to the group, it swam directly at him. Needless to say he didn’t waste any time getting away from it. He later told us that was a first even for him. The Lionfish (a poisonous but beautiful invasive fish) were hiding among the rocks. They are magnificent looking fish, but having heard the divemaster’s story about being painfully stung, I didn’t want to take too close a look. Sharks lurked in the shadows below us, and we caught a glimpse of a few as they rose from along the wall below us. We were familiar by now with nurse sharks because we had seen so many, even large ones were in no way aggressive. But this dive was the first time that a reef shark was spotted. Christian calls it a “real” shark, I guess the more docile nurse sharks don’t count as sharks to him (although they certainly do to me). After the first dive we returned to the small island for lunch. I was completely enamored by this tiny island. The crew had lunch for us of pasta salad, BBQ chicken, beans, garlic bread, and watermelon. We ate on picnic tables perched under huge coconut trees. The lunch was good, but I could hardly wait to finish to start exploring and taking pictures. While we were eating we discovered there were hermit crabs all around us. There was one trying t climb the leg of our picnic table. The shells were beautiful, but the crabs inside had huge red pinchers. After lunch, we walked around the perimeter of the island. The neighboring island (also one of the Silk Cayes) reminded me of the island I drew as a child. A patch of sand with several Palm trees sticking up off of it. It was beautiful! I think Christian was getting tired of me taking so many pictures, but I couldn’t help myself. The beach, the water, the birds- they were all subject matter – until my battery died. Oh well. The shells that wash up on the shore here were large conch shells mingled with pieces of broken coral. Amazing! In case you can’t tell, I was loving the Silk Cayes, I could have stayed on the island all day, but the time came to go on the next dive. It was again only a few minutes away. The coral this time was in a gentle slope instead of a wall that dropped off. We swam just above it where we could get a good view of the marine life swimming among the formations. We were drift diving today, which meant no hard kicking or swimming, the current would just carry us along for a relaxing and beautiful view. The views and the multi-colored fish never get old. After the 2nd dive, we were getting tired. The divemaster informed us we were going to get a “BOWnus snErkel” in his creole accent. We were honestly thinking, we dove twice, could a snorkel be worth seeing? But then the divemaster told us we were going snorkeling to see the big turtles, Rays, and sharks who come to feed here. Well, that didn’t sound like something we could pass up. We were in a spot near the Silk Cayes where the water was not very deep (no more than 100 feet) and there was no coral. This spot was where the local fisherman brought out their sailboats to free dive for lobster and conch. We saw a small wooden sailboat with 6 tiny boats tied up behind it. The divemaster told us that the fisherman will live out here for as long as 2 weeks at a time and take the tiny boats out during the day to free dive. At this time of day, the fisherman toss all of their scraps overboard and it attracts all kinds of large fish including sharks, sting rays, eagle rays, and large turtles. He warned us to keep our face in the water so we could see if any of the large predators were near us. What?! We jumped into the somewhat rough water and immediately saw a huge turtle. Tame enough I guess. The water was a little murky because of all the sharks and rays fighting for the discarded scraps. I have never seen so many huge sting rays. There were enough sharks that I knew I had seen enough and turned to head back to the boat. Just then a giant spotted eagle ray glided past probably 20 feet below me. I tried to take a picture, but his speed and the murky water made it blurry. I returned to the boat but of course Christian stayed and moved closer into the action than I had dared. I’m sure he got some great gopro footage. We won’t really be able to see that until we get back to the states. When the last of the snorkelers got back on the boat, we began the trip home. I must say the Silk Cayes (and Splash) really exceeded every expectation I had for this dive. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a beautiful place.