Today was the first port of the cruise, Cabo San Lucas. I signed up to snorkel….a choice that probably surprises no one since it’s usually what I choose to do when it’s available. June did not do an excursion so I was solo.
I met a nice couple as we waited for our tour to be called to a tender to get from the ship to the shore. The wife was a nurse so of course we chatted shop (no, I’m not a nurse, just worked closely with many nurses in my career). We ended up next to each other on the snorkel boat as well.
The demographics of this cruise are considerably older than others I’ve been on. Three weeks with only a few ports means it’s generally a cruise for retirees, and it would appear there are very few young retirees here….though surprisingly I’ve met several people who are still working. We’ve debated which side of 80 the median age is, and there are certainly plenty of scooters, wheelchairs, canes, and other mobility devices. Needless to say, the snorkeling crowd was considerably younger, probably a median in the high 60s….though I was one of very few Gen X people (and possibly the youngest).
On the way to our snorkeling area we got to see some local landmarks, including an impressive arch on some beautiful rocks. We also got to see a mother and baby humpback whale — definitely a treat, especially so late in the season when the whales should be headed north.
The water was a bit chilly, 68F/19C. For the first minute or so it was downright cold, then it became tolerable and even comfortable. Besides, I was in the water with fish and coral and other friends. I’m not sure what the school of fish was that I saw almost immediately, though they were almost a translucent light gray. I also saw some cobalt blue fish, some vibrant purple fish, and some old friends — a large green sea anemone, lots of sea urchins, the sunset wrasse (translucent greens, blue, and other jewel-tones)m three-banded butterflyfish (yellow with three vertical black bands), black nosed butterfly fish (square-ish yellow with a black nose and a diagonal black stripe near the top of its back), brain coral, other types of coral, etc.
Also some new friends like yellowtail sturgeon which are a yellowish gray with small black dots, a vibrant yellow tail, and three “parts” near the tail that look almost like rhinestones though clearly are not. Another new friend was the king angelfish which is a deep purple with a vertical white stripe, goldenrod fins and tail, and a narrow cobalt blue stripe on the back half of its top and bottom as well as the vertical part of the backside above and below the tail. There was a brownish fish with small white dots that reminded me of a pufferfish but I don’t know for sure.
We were in the water for about 40 minutes. It was good but not great snorkeling — plenty of fish, rather disappointing coral, and the guide wanted us to move more quickly than my taste so there wasn’t enough time above and near the reef. But snorkeling is one of my happy places, so it was delightful even if it wasn’t ideal conditions.
After snorkeling I texted June that I would be heading toward the event cache hosted by someone from our ship. We then meandered back toward the ship, stopping by the two caches that June had already found. After a refreshing shower, we went to dinner where we were at a table with 6 other interesting people.
A very nice day. Looking forward to the eclipse tomorrow!
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