Thanks for the comments everyone. The dives were such a wonderful experience.

Diane - They kept calling them "Nemo Fish" for all the tourists on the boat, and I couldn't help but post that pic immediately for my family on my personal FB page with the status of "Found Nemo", however I was able to see 4 other varieties of clown fish as well, with different oranges and stripe patterns.

Sunstruck - The turtle and the reef shark were my favorites to see in person. They warned us the turtles are really sensitive and to not get close. This guy worried me cause I saw him initially about 30 feet below me, and he started to come towards the surface. He insisted on swimming in whichever direction I was moving in, so no matter what I did, I couldn't get out of his way. Luckily, I was able to move away from him, but not till he was 5 feet away :S

James - The sea cucumbers and some of the anemones are the only things you're allowed to touch in the reef. It's really hard to describe how they feel too. The anemones that are in my clown fish pic feel like a big koosh-ball toy that's been in the hands of a kid who had messy candy all day and smeared until every little strand was sticky. The cucumbers felt like giant, sticky, squishy, flexible corn on the cob.


It doesn't show in the picture very well, but in #7 the coral formation was the brightest green I've ever seen. I had a few moments during the dives I had to stop and say "Wow", but none bigger than when I saw that. It was like a coral sandcastle the color of AstroTurf.