Unexpected (UNFINISHED)

A/N : Checking In!

My shark ^^^ (Not the actual shark, just the type of shark and the exact view I saw it from.)

Hey people! Half of you are awesome and super nice and going to read this and enjoy what I have to say,

And the rest of you are butts and have already stopped reading.

My trip to the BVI (British Virgin Islands) was epic! I have so much to say, I don't want to bore anyone, but I have to write about some of the incredible things I saw.

Day 1-

Upon leaving the harbor we immediately spotted the first animal of our trip; a gigantic sea turtle! He was ducking in and out of the waves, kind of wading near the shallow water.

As soon as the boat reached the reefs, my cousins and I were all snorkeling. My cousin Eleanor and I were buddies, and began to see all kind of things!

We spotted sea urchins, all kinds of reef fish, a jellyfish, a speckled pufferfish, and even a flatfish who kept camouflaging on the bottom!

Eleanor and I began to get (a little too) confident, swimming away from our group and towards some of the rockier areas of the reef.

I was watching a large fish, about the size of my torso, when a head that looked similar to a catfish appeared in my vision. I immediately pointed at it, waning Eleanor to see the 'large fish', when the rest of the 'fish' came into my view. It didn't take long for me to understand what creature was four feet away from my face.

A shark.

I was motionless in the water, staring at the shark as it swam past, disinterest in Eleanor and I obvious. My relaxed posture quickly changed as soon as I thought that I should be scared.

I might've over reacted a teensy tiny bit, falling and swimming away as fast as my flippers could handle.

A teensy tiny bit.

Hey, when you see a shark, tell me it doesn't scare the living daylight a out of you!

I later found out it was a "harmless" Nurse Shark. Nothing that has teeth is harmless.

Day 2-

Day two we went to a small beach called Sandy Cay. It was a magnificent little beach--large, rolling waves, crisp, clear water, and lots of beautiful shells worth saving as souvenirs.

Before we took the motorboat off the yacht to the beach, I jumped into the 15 foot water to cool off. I looked down into the water with my goggles and saw not one, not two, not three, but four sting rays the size of a couch cushion in various places along the bottom.

Yes, I'm sure they were sting rays.

Yes, I did at first think that some rocks were sting rays too.

The beach was amazing! I had a blast swimming in the waves and hiking into the palm-filled Forest on a trail. There were so many tropical birds!

We moored by a cliff that night. I was hanging my wet swimsuit to dry on the rail when I heard a giant splash and looked out to the water. About 20 feet away the water rippled, and then a ray the size of a 4-year-old leapt out of the water like a dolphin!

I almost fell off the boat--the thing flew into the air! Maybe three feet from the surface of the water.

Before taking the motorboat to shore for dinner, my cousin noticed shiny find illuminated by the boat lights in the dark water. We rushed to the edge of the boat, finding about six tarpin (very large fish) attracted to the boat's light. If you don't know what a tapping is, look it up. They were five and a half feet long, I tell you.

Day 3-

Our last day of snorkeling was by far the best. We went to a place called Indian rocks near Norman Island. The rocks are giant, jagged boulders sticking up from the water, covered in coral.

The walls of the rocks were beautiful as I passed them. They appeared to be painted with all of the different hues of coral. It was such a sight!

I saw many parrot fish, sizable fish that were rainbow colored, and many other species of reef fish.

In some instances, schools of foot-long fish crowded around my flippers, actually following me around the rocks! It was amazing to reach out, brushing their fins.

My group had mentioned once sighting a barracuda in the waters, reassuring is that there was a slim chance that we'd see one. As my cousins and I paddled back toward the anchored yacht, I kept my eyes peeled, hopeful to spot the demon-like fish.

As I swam along, I was almost shocked when my eyes met what they'd been yearning to see; the silvery, slender body of a barracuda.

I almost had a heart attack as the devilish fish opened its mouth, revealing blades for teeth. I immediately alerted my cousins, freezing in the water and staring at the fish. He was about ten feet away from me. I could see the glow of his yellow eyes.

I swear he wanted to eat me.

We swam away slowly, trying not to scream into our snorkels.

Later that day we were on the boat, when our barracuda swam by in the water. I got a good look at his length then, deciding he was about three feet long. I'm just glad I wasn't in the water with him that time.

The last chance for snorkeling for the whole trip came far too soon. Eleanor and I partnered up again, deciding we were a good team for spotting sharks. (We'd spotted a very young Nurse Shark earlier that day while snorkeling near the boat.) While we didn't spot any more sharks, we did get to swim into ancient caves, spotting many very different fish from the ones in the light.

We saw blue crabs along the drippy cave walls, and even fish that reflected light to better see their surroundings.

It all ended too soon. It was the best vacation of my life. I can't wait to see the BVI again!

Thanks again if you're still reading. And if you already stopped you're a butt.

Next real update in two days!

Peace out.