Day 4 - Friday 3/21/14 Dolphin Cove and Coral Reef Snorkeling

Our day started at 6:30 am and everyone was thankful for the extra two hours of sleep!   Our first activity for the day would take place at Dolphins Cove where we all swam and interacted with dolphins.  We had an instructional session before our group was divided into two smaller groups.  One group headed for the classroom to learn how to train animals and the other group was suited up with flotation vests to go swim with the Dolphins.  Those that were swimming were asked to divide into smaller groups of 4 or 6 before going into the water.  Each small group was able to interact with 2 dolphins.  We rubbed their bellies, scratched their backs, did hand shakes, kissed them and held hoops for the dolphins to jump through.  We also were pushed on our backs and stomachs by the dolphins and finally go a ride back to the dock by holding onto their dorsal fins.  This was probably by far the most exciting activity we have had all week!  The students were full of “That was awesome” and “That was so cool”!

Around noon we loaded the bus and headed to the Pilot House for lunch.  While there we celebrated Tristan’s birthday with cake. We got to sit down and enjoy a wonderful lunch of cheeseburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken tenders, fish sticks and chicken salads. The atmosphere was cool and the service was great. After lunch we headed to a Bird Wild Life Sanctuary where we meet two very funny parrots - Pickles and Fredricka - along with lots of other birds. We also found crab spiders and tasted an edible plant called purslane. The area by the water was beautiful.

We now had about 30 minutes to go back to the hotel and repack our bags for our afternoon activity – Snorkeling at the White Banks Dry Rocks Coral Reef about 7 miles off of the coast in the Atlantic Ocean. Again we got fitted for wet suits however this time they were short sleeved and everyone agreed that they were much easier to put on! During the boat ride to the reef everyone was given their floating device, mask, flippers and snorkel gear along with instructions on how to snorkel, what to do and what marine life we could expect to see.  The first mate and captain stressed to everyone how important it was to NOT touch the coral. Once we were in the very clear and calm, very aqua blue and somewhat warm water, the short swim to the reef proved to be extremely rewarding.  Since this was an Atlantic Ocean reef the colors were somewhat subdued with more gray, brown, green and some purple. What color the reef lacked was easily made up in all the many different species of tropical fish – Smooth Trunkfish(black and yellow). We also saw sea turtles, barracudas, brain coral, stingrays, sea urchins, sand dollars and a group of squid.  The 90 minutes in the water went by very fast and before we knew it the siren went off and it was time to return to the boat. What a spectacular time we all had. 

We all enjoyed a quick shower and a wonderful dinner of pizza, pasta and salad from Tower of Pizza before we boarded the bus for our evening excursion – A Night Walk in the Everglades. This activity required us to use our senses of hearing and night vision (with some help from flashlights) to make observations of the wildlife in the park at night. It’s amazing what you can hear if you just stop talking and listen - fish jumping, crickets, other insects, and every now and then an alligator feeding.  If you stopped and shone the flashlight out over the water we could see sets of red reflective eyes in the distance.  At one place there must have been at least 15-20 alligators hanging out.  Gradually they began moving closer to us.  Most of the alligators probably were 6-8 feet, but we saw an alligator that must have been at least 12-14 feet long.  He is probably a pretty old guy.  We also took some time to observe the night sky.  With such a clear night we were able to see lots and lots of stars and we enjoyed locating a few of the constellations.  What a cool experience.

Back on the bus we settled in for the ride back and continued watching Finding Nemo – an all time favorite.   What a great end to such a great day.  It is so hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day here.  Tomorrow we will enjoy some kayaking in the Mangroves and also take a ride in an air-boat in the Everglades.