Recently we went to Akumal.  We waded into the ocean immediately. Of course we put our sun tan lotion on first, I must admit.  It’s very important though I must say, I don’t like waiting for the sun tan lotion to melt in before I can get in the water. Oh well.

We saw many things there.  First of all we saw turtles!  Yes and they were amazing.  The way they weren’t scared and the way they look; it just amazes me.  I loved being with them because we were able to take some good photos, and get close.

Turtle at Akumal with Sucker Fish – Photo by Kathryn Gainor

The thing that frustrates me is that I saw two people touch the turtles.  You’re not supposed to do that.  The first time, it was a woman, a fully grown woman, who dove down and swiped her hand right across the shell of the poor turtle.  It fliched and swam away. I was saying in my mind, “Argh!  Seriously?  You’re not supposed to touch them!”  Yep, that was me, and I couldn’t help the poor turtle.

Now, the second time was worse.  This teen-age boy approached the turtle as it came up for breath, as turtles need to breath just like we do.  The boy reached out and touched the turtle before it reached the surface, preventing the startled creature from getting the breath it needed.  Seriously?  So the turtle had to dive down again and come up a second time only to just barely manage to slip past the boy’s hand YET AGAIN!  I was so angry, though I know I probably shouldn’t have been.

Turtle Going Up for Air – Photo by Kathryn Gainor

Afterwards, I got out and went back in 4 times after that.  We also went together as a family to see all of the coral and fish further out.  It was beautiful!  Before that, Ryan, Dad, and I went out alone.  We saw so many beautiful fish of so many different colors.  Although the coral wasn’t as colorful and bright as the fish, it was massive!

There was a little bit of yellow and red time to time, and the fish helped the scene.  So, all in all we had a wonderful, amazing experience.   Oh, I also wanted to mention we saw 3 stingrays.

Sting Ray at Akumal – Photo by Kathryn Gainor

We also met our friends from church in Akumal, and shared the beauty with them too.  The parents talked, and Ryan, Danny, Mikayla, and I played with the ball we’d brought in the ocean.  Our friend’s wife came and played ball with us for a little while and we pretty much just spent the day at the beach.  We also got to play a little volleyball in the water with our mom.  I am excited to explore other snorkeling areas, and can’t wait to see new creatures!  ~Kathryn