USVI-On-Line

We saw TONS of those baby squid at Cinnamon this past summer. They were so cool to watch!

Great pics! Thanks for sharing!

Stunning! & very informative Thanks for posting!

I didn't imagine this post would get resurrected. I very much appreciate all your kind words.

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pmk,
These are some of the books you can use to identify marine life in the Caribbean, all by the same authors.

This one is not extensive but covers major species. Good for starters. It

Thanks for the link to the book and the websites -- I'll definitely get the book!

With all your snorkling, I can't believe that you're still on a quest to see the mythical nurse shark. My wife and I were lucky enough to see one at Trunk Bay last year. It was a very cool experience!



Taking photos underwater is a lot of fun, but I found it pretty hit or miss since it's difficult to see the viewfinder underwater. I just used one of those inexpensive Dicapac bags for my cheapo point and shoot. Shots came out OK, but nothing like a dedicated DSLR.

http://singlespeedphoto.com/stjohn2009/ ... #h1e20faad

pmk

Pickle wrote:If you don't wish to buy books, here is a site you can use. It covers about the same species as the first book does: http://reefguide.org/carib/index_all.html

Great! I plan to bring my laptop on vacation next month, so I've bookmarked that site and can refer to it after a day of snorkeling. That way, the fish will still be relatively fresh in my mind.

Excellent resource. Thanks Pickle!

Lovermont

Pickle, the hubby and I oooohed and ahhhhhed over your pics last night. I am suddenly feeling the urge to buy a new camera but I dont think I will have the eye for it that you do! I bookmarked the website you recommended as well and will be using it for sure, so thanks for that!

Wow! You saw so much! Of course it is all there when we snorkel but we miss it. You really have an eye for it.

We did an excursion with nurse sharks in the bahamas. Many say the aren't aggressive but after what I saw I would say be careful of what you all wish for. I prefer not swimming with them. (;

I loved your report and your pictures!

GG

Edited to thank you for the reminder to be careful when snorkeling. I am glad you were ok but I am sure that was very very scary.

Such incredible pictures!

That current scares me enough that I don't know that we will go back to the cay. In 2005, I was swimming 3x-4x a week for an hour at a time for a year prior to our trip. I got caught in it and it was a real struggle for me to get back to the boat.

We are in double digits and your shots are getting me excited!

Breathtaking pictures...you have a wonderful eye and not too shabby on the prose either! Thanks for sharing - definitely makes my drizzly Monday morning.

HOLY CRAP what GREAT PICS, PIC !!

Thanks so much for sharing!

pmk,
Over our 8 visits to St. John, I have met other sharks but never a single Nurse, which makes me wonder if I'm beating the odds. Feels like everyone else has seen one but me. It's actually nice in a way - it leaves not-yet-felt excitement for me in the water there. I am in a positive frame of mind (except sometimes I just have to boo-hoo at my husband and make him chuckle). By the way, nice Nurse shot.

XOXO,
This is always in my head about Nurse Sharks: love crustaceans = got shell-crushing teeth and jaws. Although they are said to be docile unless provoked, better not forget what they are capable of!

PA Girl wrote:That current scares me enough that I don't know that we will go back to the cay. In 2005, I was swimming 3x-4x a week for an hour at a time for a year prior to our trip. I got caught in it and it was a real struggle for me to get back to the boat.

I'm curious to know if or how much the current around the cay is affected by the moon. I know tidal currents are generally strong at the new and full moons, but I'd never been concerned about it on St. John until we experienced the strong current at the cay for the first time this past May. It turned out it was around the new moon (I was curious and looked it up later). When we were there the year before, we felt a mild current but had no problem snorkeling all the way around the cay - and it was around the half moon.

Is this just a coincidence or does this actually mean something? Would appreciate information if anyone knows...

PA Girl, I'm sorry for your psychological scar. We will go back to the cay but would LOVE to avoid that kind of current. You can probably imagine how I struggled to swim forward with my feet cramping and the D10 in my hand. My precious new camera was violently shaking in the water but I could care less! Credit to the D10 – it survived the ordeal and never leaked.

Great pics! You have a great eye and a steady hand when things get dicey. Thanks for sharing.

Great pics! You have a great eye and a steady hand when things get dicey. Thanks for sharing.

In getting ready for our first trip in 2 weeks, I have been reading stuff non-stop and came across your great pictures. (I feel like I'm cramming for a final with much to learn)

We will spend a good part of every day snorkeling and, after seeing the quality and beauty of those underwater pictures, I decided I wanted a reasonably priced underwater camera. Like you, I ended up getting the Canon D10 based on my research (at $260 from Amazon it's not a real bank breaker Also a $20 rebate at Canon now). I found this great comparisson of underwater cameras and thought I would share to help anyone else interested in an underwater camera.

The site is a little unintuitive but there is a "next" button in yellow near the bottom of each page and there are approx 20 pages to the review/comparisson. On first glance, I did not see the "next" button and thought it was only a 1 page review.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q209waterproofgroup/

Pickle - I don't know how I missed your TR and amazing pictures when you first posted them, but I'm glad I finally found them! What amazing photos - you have the eye of a Marine Biologist. Looking forward to catching up on the rest.