Playa del Carmen III: Snorkeling Adventure!

The next day, we decided it was time to do some snorkeling -- well, we also hauled a bunch of diving gear to Mexico so we were going make sure we USED it! The boat was super cool and only 4 other passengers were aboard, making our group small and quite manageable (read: won't be bumping into each other in the water). Pablo was our divemaster and he was awesome...he knew exactly where to look for critters and natural curiosities.
Here are views from the topside as we went to three different locations: an older underwater coral reef, a newer coral reef with cenote and sea turtles, and a lagoon that was oh-so-peaceful. In all three areas we were the first to arrive so we had the entire region to ourselves.

The critically endangered hawksbill turtles are so beautiful - and I fed one as we swam with them:

These turtles are so graceful in the water -- and very friendly as they are used to people coming and feeding them. Naturally inquisitive, they seemed to check us out as we did the same to them :)

At one point, Pablo moved a rock out of the way and pulled out a Brittle starfish, Ophiuroidea. They thrash about and are not as brittle as I thought - though very different in appearance from their cousins the sea stars.

(Note: pictures above taken from internet as I don't have an underwater camera...yet :)

It was an amazing day, filled with new discoveries and so very enjoyable. I have missed seeing life at the reefs - and definitely plan to include more diving in the very near future. The marine life underwater is a world unto it's own, filled with tranquility and beauty and, sadly, disappearing at an alarming rate.