Yes we booked online
We had FANTASTIC weather and the snorkeling was great! The crew was awesome and helpful. I absolutely LOVED it. I hadn't been snorkeling in a long time and it was only by Catalina Island so I have never done it in warm water with tropical fish. I just loved it. I want to do more. And my husband enjoyed it but he didn't get to do as much snorkeling. I did not see a turtle or octopus but I did see a million fish, urchins, and coral. I watched one fish for quite a while moving rocks around - it was kind of funny. I had a great time.
The comfort of having lifeguards near by coupled with the warm water and high visibility made it just totally amazing!
Unfortunately my son was just too afraid of the open water and he could not overcome his fears and go in. We tried 5 times to get him in and as far as he would go was dip his feet in. The fear was just so strong. He was crying because he really wanted to see the fish and he said he felt like a failure... it was very sad. The crew was compassionate and helpful but not intrusive or too joking about it. So mostly I just snorkeled alone since hubby was pretty nervous and preferred to just watch our son. But he did go in a little bit and hubby enjoyed it. Hubby wants to try again in the future, maybe when it's just us two. He did like the boat ride though and thought the presentations from the crew and the food was good.
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BTW I went for a swim yesterday in the ocean right outside Valley Isle. I was just going to swim but some snorkelers asked if I saw anything and so I started looking and listening. OMG I think these islands are just surrounded with life! It's amazing how much is just right there within 10 feet of shore and it's often visible. I just had my goggles and wasn't planning on watching what was below me much, just wanted to enjoy the warm waters. I saw an eel, sea cucumbers, a wide variety of tropical fish, urchins... and it is all right there. Plus the sound of the reef crackling is overwhelming to me. It's an announcement of all that life - "come look at us!"
BUT... those snorkelers who asked me what I saw said they didn't see anything. I kept pointing out fish to them and they just did not see them. And my husband saw lots of cool things but said he did not hear the crackling I was talking about. Today I got videos and that crackling is on the videos so he heard it in video and knows I was not imagining things
Point is, some people need a lot more practice to see wildlife than other people. Some people just may not enjoy snorkeling as much as others due to this.