Staring down on the glass bottom boat

admiring all of the beautiful sea life

I suit up
putting on my goggles and fins
eager to snorkel
I jump in and look beneath the water surface
at a breathtaking view
it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

The sun reflecting on the water
bringing out the true magnificence of the           
coral reefs
I see a variety of sea life
different animals and coral
all different colors
shapes and
sizes.

As I look below at
my long black flippers
moving back and forth
I notice a large patch of gold sand moving beneath me
As I look with more curiosity than before
I am able to notice details of the
mysterious movement below
grey, circular and a swishing tail
I start to swim down towards the creature steadily
Before I knew it
the gigantic stingray came out swiftly
from underneath the gold sand and
started to glide quickly through the crystal clear water.

Looking around
I suddenly feel something touch my shoulder
frightened                                                                                                            
I turn
Expecting a strange sea creature
but,
It was only my tour guide trying to get my attention
I had so  many questions running through my mind
as he reached for my hand
and gently set a sea urchin onto it
I could feel the urchin grip onto the palm of my hand
softly
It was as if a million suction cups
attached to my hand.

Swimming back to the boat
I admired
as much of the unique sea life that I could
as the glorious adventure
had finally came to an end