The Little Mermaid

After talking to other hotel guests, we decided to take the kids on a snorkling tour through the hotel.  It was only about 2 hour long and the boat took off from the hotel and went just up the coast about 15 minutes to a small reef.  We figured that the kids would handle it fine, although I had some serious concerns with Beanie.  She's a good swimmer but has never snorkled and I wasn't sure if she might not be able to handle it.

So, we go out in the dive style boat, get our gear on and follow the "dive master" into the water.  *I* was a bit concerned as the waves over the reef seemed too big to handle snorkling, but I found quickly how wrong I was.  The husband hung back with Beanie helping her become acquainted with the whole snorkling process and before we knew it, she was off and swimming...like a pro.  He passed her off to me and I spent the last half of the tour listening to her squeal underwater while frantically pointing at all the different fish, the sea urchins, the schools of fish, the unexpected colors...  PLUS the dive master would lead us in one direction and she'd be off in a completely different direction.  I swear, that child is fearless.  She took to snorkling, like a mermaid to water.