The Coral Reef Ballet

From Antigua to Iles des Saintes in Guadalupe to Union Island to here in the San Blas islands, we have been treated to many a performance in King Neptune’s theater. The elegant dance of the underwater corals and sea grasses is reminiscent of the graceful, athletic movements of the Bolshoi Ballet. Snorkeling has been a daily treat that we look forward to with anticipation. Corals are often hard and sharp, but there are so many that are soft and flexible and respond to the constant motion of the sea water. The meditative silence in the ears, while snorkeling, is balanced by the visual masterpiece of color and texture. The colors, like the costumes on the Bolshoi stage, are multiple and varied. The textures are velvet, feather, filament, rock, wood, coarse, smooth, and more. Like the theater, this underwater stage offers an immersive hypnotic, sensual experience that transports the swimmer to another realm.

The coral reef ballet has many a surprise in store. When in the tender, we have a look out person on the bow watching for bommies. Bommies are large hard coral outcrops that lurk just below the water waiting to snag the outboard propeller. We have had two such events, but fortunately the propeller is still intact.

Yesterday morning we left early to move from Cayos Coco Bandero to Ubigantupo Island, Canirtupo Island and then on to Cayo Lemmon, where we picked up our new crew member, John Hunter Holmes. John flew into Panama 3 days ago, had to wait a day for his luggage, then took a land taxi, which drove him 3 hours to a sea taxi, which ferried him to us! John, James and Kevin all went to Trinity College Dublin together. Last night, amid raucous merriment, much drink was had!

Corals live in a symbiotic relationship with algae. For this reason, for decades it was thought that corals were plants. Corals are in fact carnivorous animals. Way back in 1723 French scientist, Jean Peysonnel, suggested that corals were animals, he was poo pooed by the scientific community at the time. Nowadays we know he was bang on!  Carnivorous coral polyps are related to jelly fish, they both have devastating stinging cells, nematocysts, for immobilizing their prey. In tandem, living within the soft coral tissues, are microscopic algae, zooxanthellae, which provide a large proportion of the coral’s food energy needs. As a result, the reef building coral, can lay down their protective hard skeleton at an extraordinary speed. Another scene in nature’s tantalizing tango.

With all this beauty surrounding us, Operation Beach Clean number 2 was launched, with some help from 3 crew members of a Canadian Oyster yacht also participating in the rally. Again, the windward side of the island in Coco Bandero was desecrated by rubbish swept in on the waves. We were heartened later that day, when some other visitors remarked on how clean the beach looked, compared to others they had visited. Satisfying work, however, in a few short days, the sea will have laid down a fresh batch of junk brought to these glorious shores from far afield. We petition all that read these words to think twice before purchasing that cool drink in that plastic bottle. Think on the Dules people of Guna Yala, who strive, just like us, to live a fulfilled and contented life.

Today we proudly fly the Oceanic Society Blue Habits flag, delivered, after much delay, by John Holmes. We hope that questions about the flag will spur many conversations about our mission and encourage others to participate.