And away it went. Today was as good as it gets. Sunny, 65, and still. It was the first time on this adventure that I had felt the penetrating rays of the sun envelop me. It is a feeling usually reserved to the summer time, but always welcome on a January day.<\/p>\n
Our adventures today were quite exciting. My day started out with a liesurely\u00a0hour or so of fishing. Waking up with the sun is rewarding: I was gifted a gorgeous sunset and a bit of relaxation. The lull of the island waking combined with the gentle intensity of the new sun was pure bliss.<\/p>\n
After a brief breakfast we blitzed over to the aquarium, where we had a VIP tour of the entire facility. Pretty cool to see behind the scenes!<\/p>\n
The highlight of the day was an excellent lunch time boat ride to North Rock, a single rock that lies on the north edge of the volcanic platform, 11 miles north of the island. This rock signifies the northern most coral reef. In the world. Anywhere.<\/p>\n
What? Yes. Today we went snorkeling on the northern most coral reef\u00a0in the world.<\/em> I still can’t quite get it through my head. Though the snorkeling was quite good, the coolest part was found a little ways off the beaten path. We swam into some swells, a good clip from the boat, and stumbled upon something a bit unexpected.<\/p>\n In the depths of the cold Atlantic ocean, 500 miles off the coast of the continental US,we found warmth. Not from the sun, not from the weather, but in the water? The chill of the 60 degree water was quickly juxtiposed by what appeared to be an eddy of the Gulf Stream. It was like swimming from a cool pond through a sudden shift of temperature, into a bath.<\/p>\n Within this warm flow it was evident that there was an abundance of life. Planktonic larvae were evident, as were other plankton just floating along, thankful for the ride the great ocean conveyor belt was provided.<\/p>\n It was a truly humbling experience. Though I understand that Bermuda only has its wonderful temperate climate thanks to the Gulf Stream, actually experiencing it, in all of it’s tangible glory, was something else.<\/p>\n I have to say I am saddened at the prospect of leaving this island. The boat ride back in gave us a fantastic view of the landmass, and I have to say, it sure does feel like home.<\/p>\n Until next time, Bermuda.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" And away it went. Today was as good as it gets. Sunny, 65, and still. It was the first time on this adventure that I had felt the penetrating rays of the sun envelop me. It is a feeling usually … Continue reading