Melinda Riggs from the Bahamas took these pictures on one of the dives I was on with her and Fred. http://grandbahamascuba.com They are the most awesome people to dive with. You feel so safe and you get to see ....so many beautiful and amazing sea creatures, fish and corals.
These pictures were all taken by Melinda Rigger....she's a great photographer.
Parrot fish. Aren't the colours amazing? We have one of these under our boat. I love just snorkeling off the end of our boat too, right in the canal.
I have some reference books to identify all of these fish, corals and creatures but I have a long way to go with the identifying. Fred and Melinda know most of them. I'm still learning and will be learning for a long, long time.
This is a Lion Fish...they are not indigenous to the Bahamas, they came from Thailand and are not liked fish because they eat the tropical fish that are indigenous. I saw quite a few in the canal by our boat, they hide in little caves. When they touch you they sting you and can paralyze you, I think, or make you tingle. I don't get very close to them.
This is a Squirrel fish. When I was fishing with Les, I caught one on my line and it fell off before it got it in the boat. We wouldn't have kept it anyway, too small, not enough meat, but Les said it would have been really spiney and hard to get off the hook so we were glad it fell off. Les takes people fishing out of Ocean Reef Yacht Club and Resort. He is great to go fishing with...we caught lots of fish, had a great day on the water and he put the squid on my hook and took the fish off. I really liked that.
Are those really teeth?
This is a lobster, in the Bahamas they are Spiney Lobster with spines instead of claws. They taste great. Lobster Season is from August to April, I think. I didn't see very many lobster when I was diving or snorkeling but I think I just didn't know how to identify them when they were in their lobster holes.
These fish are in the canal beside our boat.
It's a Sea Fan, a bluey-purple one. They are so beautiful waving back and forth in the water.
These fish are also in the canal by the boat. I snorkel off the end of the boat often.
This is a Trigger Fish. We caught lots of these when we went fishing with Les.
A Pencil Sea Urchin, Ning Ning showed me one of these in our canal.
This one makes me think of Evolution of the Human Species...with the fish walking on the bottom of the ocean.
This is a Jelly Fish. Isn't it just unreal looking.
Brain Coral.
I love schools of fish...the colours are so amazing, yellow, sometimes blue....
We have a lot of Sergeant Majors in our canal too.
This is a big mouth....something.
This is a close up of the Lion Fish.
An eel.
This is a Stop Light Parrot Fish...I think.
That's ME with the yellow flippers.
This is me too, with the yellow flippers.
Another Squirrel Fish or the same one.
Another Squirrel Fish.
These sharks don't bite people....they like to eat just fish.
Fred and Melinda feed these sharks.
This is a sunken ship...it might be the Duncan. I dove on the Duncan...it was my first 90 foot dive. I have 11 dives under my belt.
These pretty little blue and yellow fish are under our boat in the canal too.
Melinda, this is an awesome shot.
This is a Sting Ray hiding in the sand at the bottom.
Sea Cucumber. There were two of these in our canal too but they are all black without spots. They are called Donkey Dung Sea Cucumbers....that's what they look like too.
Octopus...we had a baby one in the canal by our boat...Kate and Rich saw it...we only saw it once.
Brain Coral.
Melinda, these are unbelievably beautiful shots...keep up the good work.
Hank and Anthony making music at Ocean Reef. Most Wednesday evenings we had a Sing-a-long with Boaters and Time-Share people at Groupers Restaurant. It was fun and kept our fingers in shape.
On Tuesdays I would go and visit Margaret, a woman who went blind 7 years ago. This is her apartment in a Row Housing Complex. She lives with her 14 year old son. She was selling peanuts at the grocery store, on the sidewalk outside, and she was asked not to do that anymore so now she stays at home. She was saddened by this, she liked having a purpose to get out and be around people. The people going by her everyday would stop and visit with her and pass her some extra money. She is a very special person.
When we first came to Ocean Reef this complex was just being started. We would bicycle by it on our way to Freeport, and now it's almost ready to be lived in.
This fence is made from coral rock. It looks pretty but would take a lot of hauling and placing of the rock from the shore.
This huge home is on the road to Ocean Reef.
The colours are out...the summer is coming. What a beautiful tree.
Tom Christian works for BASRA, Bahama Air Sea Rescue Association and he sells Ts and tanks and beer cozies, etc. as a fund raiser for BASRA. He hangs the clothes on his boat for people to see. What a great idea.
This is Suki, one of Ning Ning's little dogs. This is the mother of Jimmy and Carlos.
This is Elvis, the father of Carlos and Jimmy.
These are Carlos, Jimmy, Elvis and Freckles.
They are following Ning Ning to their boat, where they live with Ning Ning and Robert.
I sure enjoyed this book. I love reading.
Here you have the Three Mosquitoes on our way to town to shop. We had a lot of fun together, Diane, Ning Ning and Me.
Anthony and Jonas talking.
