Starfish in Paradise

Friday 7^th January

This morning we were entertained by a pod of Dolphins swimming around the reefs in the anchorage.  They were fishing and showing off their acrobatic skills by leaping out of the water and performing incredible aerial acrobatics.

After breakfast we took the dinghy across to one of the small neighboring islands that Katherine had recommended for snorkeling.  The water here is Gin-clear and the reefs multiple and shallow, we paddled over the shallow areas and dropped anchor in a sandy spot.  The ocean bed is literally littered with beautiful cushion starfish the size of dinner plates. 

A cushion starfish, this photo was taken through 3 feet of water, its this clear.

We found a great snorkeling area, and Danni found a giant puffer fish, the snorkeling was good, but it doesn’t compare with Bonaire, although the islands make up for that with their natural untamed beauty.

Most of the boats have left now; leaving only 4 of us in the anchorage so it’s blissfully quiet.

The water was very calm in the afternoon so Danni and I swam to the island and walked all the way around, climbing over the occasional fallen palm and carefully avoiding all the starfish at the waters edge.  The sand is pearly pink, spotlessly clean, and soft as talcum powder; the lovely palm fringed shore and turquoise water create a real glimpse of paradise.  There are no mosquitoes, the water is perfect for swimming, it’s cool bath temperature and seemingly free of jellyfish.  It would be very easy to spend a month here on Green Island.  The constant breezes keep you cool day and night.  Swimming back to the boat Danni and I came across a floating coconut, which provided a convenient float for me to hold on to while I paddled lazily back to Daisy.

One of the pristine beaches in the islands

I did some more painting this afternoon, and joked with Bob about making lots of paintings and selling them to the other tourist boats!  Unfortunately I don’t think I would make enough money to keep Daisy afloat, nice thought though!