This year the Idiots can’t really claim getting away from frigid winter as their excuse for spending a month in the Bay Islands of Honduras. They have relocated their primary residence from Minnesota to a new home in Green Valley, Arizona – lots of warmth and sun and no worries about icy roads and polar air.
No… they now have no excuse… but they do have six reasons to make the trek to Roatan – Federico, Lautaro, Pablo, Karla, Marco… and snorkeling.
The Idiots met Marco and Karla on their first trip to the island and over the years a deep friendship has evolved. The three sons are among the Idiots' carefully selected "borrowed grandchildren." The Idiots carry more than just fond memories of their “island family” in their off-island lives. In addition to being wonderful human beings, this couple is Karma Jewelry. These artists create and construct exquisite items from silver, stones, and macramé – and the Idiots have the privilege of owning several beautiful pieces. Idiot She sometimes has difficulty choosing which to wear from her ever-expanding Karma collection. Idiot He wears his necklace of jade and amber – both “healing stones” – 24/7, except on the nights he “recharges” it by hanging it in the light of the full moon.
One example…
Karma’s jewelry is inspired by nature, above and below the ocean surface. Sheila’s pendant and bracelet are made from the two halves of an ammonite fossil. The ammonite is an extinct relative of today's nautilus. The pendant was designed first and is a reflection in silver of her ankle tattoo… a spiral with rays similar to those on the New Mexico state symbol. The sunlight on gentle waves in West Bay casts intricate patterns of light on the white sand – the inspiration for the bracelet. The turtle is Karma’s symbol.
The tattoo
The light pattern on the sand
The jewelry
On to reason 6 for returning to Roatan – the snorkeling.
The initial swim to the reef in West Bay is relatively short and shallow. Once there, snorkelers follow a natural break in the barrier reef to deeper water and access to miles of healthy coral and a multitude of fish.
Always a favorite of the Idiots, they were immediately greeted by a Scrawled Filefish, with it’s brilliant scrawls and broom-tail…
Hard not to get the Beatles “Octopuses Garden” stuck in one’s head when swimming through the endless variations of hard and soft coral and sponges…
Every year it takes old Idiots’ eyes a bit to adjust to the shapes and forms to see the fish, many of whom are well camouflaged. For example, the spots of the Smooth Trunkfish resemble some of the coral polyps shape and color.
They are small, but Chromis cyanea (Blue damselfish) never fails to grab a snorkelers attention.
It is impossible for a still photo to capture the constantly shifting patterns of light on the reef.
Sometimes people think of the world below the surface as quiet and peaceful, but in actuality it is a busy place. The light patterns sweep across the landscapes. The fish are always moving, eating or avoiding being eaten. Much of the coral waves in the gentle currents. It’s a natural ballet. It is also sometimes like a giant game of “Where’s Waldo”. The shifting light patterns in the previous photo meant getting quite close to spot this little Four-eyed butterflyfish.
Some coral is rock-like, but some of it is soft and forms colonies that look like plants. This soft coral sways gracefully in the slightest current
And sometimes it hides fish making the most of all the tiny food morsels that collect as the coral strains the flowing water, like this Stoplight parrotfish. This is the coloring during the "initial phase" - quite different from the later brilliant blue-green with red and yellow hightlights.
Lucky snorkelers will come across Fan coral “forests”… here the purple fan corals all sway in synchronized choreography.
Blue tang are gregarious fish, sometimes forming schools of a hundred and more. Food was so abundant that they all decided to play hooky, feeding in small groups across a large area.
There are many variations on the blue and green parrotfishes. This is called the Bridled parrotfish.
The Rainbow parrotfish can get quite large… up to about 4’ in length. It is the largest herbivorous fish in the Atlantic. This guy was about 2 1/2’ long - mighty impressive up close!
Some years ago the Idiots tagged along with a diving group in Sandy Bay. Idiot He tried calling out to the captain over the very loud engine noise… “where are we going?” He was astounded to be called a naughty name. He decided it must be a joke, so he called out a second time – and got the same reply. He tries to be a good sport, but he was a little miffed as he settled in for the rest of the ride. Upon arrival, He was pleasantly surprised to learn that the dive spot is called “Wrasse Hole.” (The w and e are silent...)
The Blue-headed wrasse is a favorite of the Idiots. Generally smaller than 4 inches long, it is hard to photograph because it is constantly darting around. This one had such a serene countenance – totally at odds with its frenetic behavior.
The variations among damselfish are amazing. The Idiots couldn’t find this one in any of the books… it is identical to the Yellow-tailed damselfish – except the body should be solid blue, not yellow-fading-to-blue or blue-fading-to-yellow. In any case, the little damselfishes in all their different shades darting amongst the coral are delightful.
Angelfish are both a delight and a challenge for photographers. They are large and dramatic and should provide great "portraits" - but their behavior complicates the situation.
This Queen angelfish is a good demonstration. She gets her name from her “crown” – the dark spot surrounded by blue on her head. Her colors are vivid and the patterns are intricate – but she refuses to “pose” for the camera. The angels often feed under ledges and in other protected places. As the Idiots follow them to get a good shot, they always seem to disappear into a hole or crevasse and refuse to show themselves a second time. Thus… the front of a Queen angelfish and the back of a Queen angelfish… readers will have to put the two together for themselves!
There was a time when the Idiots knew the difference between a trumpet and a cornet, but that distinction has faded from memory. Likewise with the trumpetfish and cornetfish. Close relatives (and also closely related to the seahorse) they are long thin fish that can move equally well forward and backward due to their interesting tail fins. They often will “park” themselves vertically in the water, camouflaging themselves against branch coral or sea grasses. As the coral waves in the currents, the fish allows its body to wave in sync. More than once the idiots have been surprised when they realized that a swaying two- or three-foot “coral branch” actually had an eye… constantly watching for a tasty tidbit to come by.
Their names come from the structure of their jaws. When presented with a nice shrimp or fish they can unhinge their jaw into a trumpet-like maw and create a lot of suction... and hoover the prey right in.
Larger specimens avoided the camera this visit… but this baby trumpetfish (they think…) about four inches long hung around long enough for a quick snapshot in passing…
No fish to see at any particular moment? No problem! With coral like this, one can never exhaust the beauties of the Roatan reef.
Heck… even a mermaid sighting is possible!
Nice! I still have not got a tattoo.....always wanted just one.
