Leaving Warderick Wells

Well, we finally managed to tear ourselves away from Warderick Wells this morning. It was not easy to leave such a beautiful place!!
Our days there were filled with many of the same activities: swimming, snorkeling, hiking and hanging out with friends. And yet, every time you are out exploring you see something new. There were always different fish on the reef, sometimes sparkling trigger fish, other times an angelfish the size of a dinner plate. And the continuing mix of colours and movement is always a bit surreal.

Saturday nights there is a standing date with cruisers for a happy hour on the beach. Sure enough, by 5:30 the dinghies began to arrive carrying an assortment of munchies and people from all walks of life. Mostly retired folk, but at a venue such as Warderick, the lure of varied physical activities also draws lots of younger cruisers, many with kids.
The kids play on the beach, the adults chat and everyone has a good time. We were lucky enough to meet the crew from Syrena, a sailboat whose owners live in Oakville. I got chatting with their daughter who now lives outside Calgary and was visiting with her husband. We enjoyed their company and decided to have an impromptu Sunday night happy hour with them.
Turns out Veronica and Neil are both veterinarians and so the girls were very fortunate to have their Monday morning science lesson in the form of asking questions about their work and the animals they have treated. By the end, the girls had seen pictures and video of their work in South Africa including surgery on a rhino and an elephant. These are the opportunities that we are so glad this trip can provide to them.

We got our sign up to Boo Boo Hill, snorkeled on the bank, and on the ocean side of the island. Greg saw a few lion fish, which he found quite infuriating because he knows the havoc they are wreaking on the reefs, but all living things are protected in the park and there is a no-take policy firmly in effect. At the happy hour the game warden called him a coward for not spearing them in the park, but we're not sure he would back him up when push came to shove and Greg was being fined, or worse, for killing animals in the park.

This morning, just before we left, we were treated to a school of 7 stingrays passing by the stern of our boat. Quite a sight.
Today we sailed (yes, actually sailed!) 15 miles north to Shroud Cay. Shroud is still in the park, and is known for its creeks that meander through it, eventually putting you out to sea on the east side. That will be tomorrow's dinghy adventure.