#white-spotted puffer fish

[critter-creature-or-beast]

Submitted for classification by @onehundredgar

[levanlanse]

♪ It's time for Fish Fact Friday ♪ (Valentines edition!)

The white-spotted pufferfish (not to be confused with the white-spotted puffer) is a species of pufferfish known for its intricate courtship displays!

Males construct complex nests in the sand to attract females to mate, often spending a week or more to create a single nest measuring ~2m (6.5ft) in diameter. This process takes significant effort, given that male puffers only grow to ~10cm (~4in) long!

These circular nests are sculpted using their bodies, and are decorated/stabilised using bits of seashells and coral. If a female approves of the courtship display, she will mate with the male and lay her eggs in the centre of the nest!

The nest is not just decorative, however - the grooves in the sand channel fresh water towards the eggs, keeping them healthy while they develop!

[christall77]

~❦Caught Feelings❦~

​​

Merman x F!Reader

This is actually my first time writing about falling in love and stuff, so I hope I did good!

The art used doesn't belong to me, but to it's rightful owner @weyowang!

TW: ENTANGLEMENT OF MARINE LIFE, other than that it's pure fluff!

Another fish is wrapped up by a loose fishing line, it was the fifth one today Tullius has come across on his way close to the shore. The lone merman wastes no time and swims over to help the poor puffer fish in need. His long, strong, pale tail pushing him through the water with no effort.

Reaching for the puffed up creature he carefully untangles the thin line from its spikes and removes the hook puncturing it's pectoral fin. Luckily the brown and white spotted fish isn't badly hurt and manages to swim off just fine, deflating in the process. That has become an almost daily routine for the male. Everyday Tullius would swim to the beach located not far away from his shipwreck he calls home and collect various trinkets he found. Helping other sea life on the way if he sees them in trouble.

Tullius himself hasn't been safe from the trash and other gadgets humans have lost, or thrown out to sea. Having the scars and even part of a worn out net wrapped around his tail to prove it. The material dirty and grown with algea and tiny barnacles. It's also one of his reminders why he was shunned and eventually exiled from his previous home. Trying to get it off with the help from others when he couldn't do it alone, only for them to end up chasing him away.

Anything and everything human related is frowned upon in his folk. As more people came to visit the beaches, mermaids and mermen were forbidden to come anywhere close to the surface, by order of their king.

But despite knowing how bad it is for his home which he calls the ocean, he can't help but still be curious and fascinated by humans and their strange knick knacks. There's a whole wooden shelf in the downed ship full of things he's collected. One new strange, or in his eyes, beautiful object found throughout his trips is added daily. The merman doesn't even know where to stock the rest of them he'll find in the future!

Tullius has come to like it out here by himself. It's not like he was well liked before either. Tullius was seen as an outsider already by not having a vibrant color of a tale, or beautiful fins like the others.

Of course he has kept safe distances from the shore to make sure he wouldn't be spotted, but lately he can't stop himself from peeking out of the water every so often. Swimming closer day by day, just to get another glimpse of something. Or more like, someone.

Tullius has seen humans before, but when he first saw you he couldn't take his midnight blue eyes away from your figure walking along the beach. Cradling and comforting a seagull you've rescued from drowning. From this day on he couldn't stop himself from visiting, just to hope to get another glimpse of you from behind a few rocks. His organ in his chest beating faster and a warm giddy feeling spreading throughout Tullius' body. At first he confused the feeling with sickness, or the tiny fish he had for breakfast, swimming around in his belly. But then he remembered, food that's been chewed and eaten can't swim anymore.

The male came to realize, this strange feeling returns whenever he's watching you from the distance, but it's not uncomfortable. No. He likes it. A lot. And it grew as time passed, the longer he watched the more enamored he became.

Tullius desperately wants to get closer to you but, what would you think of him? Would you like him back? Or would you look at him with disgust like his own kind? He sure hopes it's not the latter.

Another dreamy sigh leaves his lips as Tullius rests his head in both of his palms, half of his body leaning on top of the rocky surface on his usual watch spot. White tail lazily swinging back and forth in the blue ocean waters. Admiring your (body type) figure doing small dances while you keep singing to your favorite song that's playing through your earphones. Hardly anyone comes to this part of the beach since it's so secluded and luckily for the merman, you've decided to live in a small hut close by! It just happened recently but he couldn't have been more excited, especially since he gets to see you everyday now.

With a soft smile Tullius listens to your lovely voice, his wine colored ear fins twitching occasionally. No matter how good or terrible your singing is to you, he thinks it's the most beautiful sound in the world. The white haired male would love to sing with you, if he could.

Tullius snaps out from his thoughts when he heard a loud "oof" and thud in the sand. It seems you've stumbled over yourself and landed almost face first into the warm sand, for a second he was worried you might've hurt yourself only to make a quiet noise of relief when you get up unharmed. Immediately ducking behind the rock for cover when you take a look around to make sure no one has seen that clumsy act.

His heart beats against his ripcage hoping you didn't notice him watching, taking a quick peek over again Tullius lets out a small sad grumble when you make your way back into your hut and out of his sight. Yes, he does want to get to know you, but he always just gets too nervous for his own good.

But he told himself to finally approach you, the merman just has no idea how. So he ends up swimming around in circles in deep thought. The sound of panicked splashing suddenly makes him look over to the beach where a poor sea turtle is trying to get into the water. Half of its shell wrapped up tightly in a net which is holding the animal just barely away from the incoming waves. Tullius swims over quickly, looking left and right for any sign of another human around.

The male crawls onto shore and drags himself over, his arms lifting his upper body up from the heated sand, the small ocean waves now just barely reaching his white finned tail. Tullius, like others of his kind can breathe in air just fine, but he still has to hurry before his gills and other fishy half dries out in the hot sun. The animal notices the merman closing in and continues to struggle, sand flying in the air and some landing in his messy locks in the process from its flippers.

As Tullius tries to comfort the turtle his scaled hands grasp onto the net and he tries to pull it away, with no luck. It looks to be wrapped around to tightly, almost suffocatingly for one to just pull it off. And slowly but surely he feels himself get dryer. The tides also seem to go against him as well when he notices the water drawing back and further away from them. His eyes start loosing focus and Tullius can feel himself growing weaker and dizzy, until he collapses onto the sand beside the other sea creature.

In his barely awake state, he notices something approaching in the distance, but he's to weak to react or make a noise that would alert the stranger. They come to a short halt and seem to call out to him, whatever it is they're saying rings through his head in a blur. His lack of response makes them hurry over until they finally reached him. Tullius barely feels his hands being lifted and freed from the net, before being held up and brought to who knows where.

Until he feels himself being submerged into the familiar salty water, he splashes for a short moment before calming down and letting himself float to the surface with relief. Dry skin regaining its needed moisture.

Then his deep blue eyes meet your wide surprised (e/c) ones and he yelps, submerging himself in the shallow water to hide.

“Wait!”, That sweet voice of yours calls out to him and he slowly rises his head to the surface until just the top of his head and eyes are poking out from the water. You try to appear as nonthreatening as possible. Throwing the small knife away which you've used to cut through the seams of the net to free both the sea turtle and merman. With a quick glance down Tullius also discovers the lack of a familiar old net wrapped tightly around him now gone.

Keeping a safe distance and speaking in a calm voice as you show you're empty handed now. “It's OK... I'm not going to harm you. See? I also freed your friend if you're wondering.”

Tullius meanwhile almost can't believe his own eyes, the human girl he's been fawning over for who knows how long has saved him. And she's not afraid of him! He keeps staring at you with big sparkling eyes, ear fins twitching happily. “Can you talk?”, the merman tilts his head once he snaps out of his small daze and shakes his head lightly, small waves rippling around his head. While the male has learned and understands human language, he can't answer. Only communicating with clicks and other noises merfolk would use.

“Ah that would've been cool. I can't believe I'm actually meeting a real mermaid! Uhh merman..?” you let out a small chuckle at the end and look at him with big amazed eyes, not believing that a supposed mythical creature is right in front of you. “My name is (y/n) it's very nice to meet you!”

Tullius let's out a few clicks in return, introducing himself despite knowing you won't understand him either way.

The two of you spend a little more time together, the merman still mostly submerged while you've sat down onto the sand with your feet dipped into the shallow waves. Having what feels like more of a one sided conversation since he can't really talk back. But nonetheless, you still understood the small gestures he would make.

Only when the sun slowly starts to set did both of you notice how late it actually is. Standing up you give the merman a small wave, “It was really nice meeting you, Mr. Merman. I hope we can see each other again some time.”

Tullius perks up at the suggestion that you want to meet him again. Tilting his head slightly to the side he makes a small squeaky sound, wanting to know when that time will be and where you're going. Of course you didn't understand him and assumed he was saying his own goodbye, you give him a sweet smile before returning back to your hut.

The male watching your form getting smaller with his ear fins cast down and a pout forming on his lips. How he wished he could follow after you just to spend more time with you. Oh wait. He can.

~~~

It's around ten at night when all of a sudden you hear something entering your small wooden hut. As if something heavy got knocked over. You left your window open to let the small ocean breeze in, and you never expected someone to actually break in. After all, you're basically alone on this part of the island. You made sure when you rented this hut for your summer holiday. Wanting nothing more but to relax and enjoy the beach without having other people there.

But when you sneaked out of your small kitchen with a frying pan in both hands, just in case, you find that merman you've met earlier today, laying face first on the wooden floor. Lowering your weapon you let out a surprised gasp “You? What are you doing here?”, at the sound of your voice he quickly looks up from the floor with big eyes, a happy purr rumbling through his chest as he sits up to the best of his ability. Seemingly proud that he has found you and entered on his own. Because it was definitely not that easy.

Now that he's out of the water you can finally admire the merman more closely. He seems to be your age, soft looking fair skin with small various shaped scars littering over his entire lean and slender body. Clawed hands littered with wine red fish scales spreading from the back of his hands leading up to his forearms and fading in color until they reach up his elbows, where on each a triangular fin with the same color is situated. Three slits on each side of his neck now visible which you guess are his gills are closed shut to instead breath in the air instead of filtering the oxygen through water.

One long dorsal fin, also colored wine red, travels from the back of his neck down and along his spine to the middle of his white tail where another triangular shaped one connects wandering down right to the end. Two extra pairs on the sides of his hips and the other one further down his tail. They all look like they've either got cut or teared on the edges and you wonder if it's as painful as it looks.

Your (e/c) eyes travel back up to his head where a mop of messy wet white hair just barely covers those beautiful dark blue eyes that seem to glow in the darker corner of your room. The merman crawls closer, making your form stiffen up slightly but you do not dare to make a sudden move.

Once he's just a few feet away from you, Tullius opens his fist he's been kept closed the entire time and reveals a (favorite color) star snail sea shell, holding it towards you. “For me?” The male nods with a chirp avoiding his gaze but glancing back at you to watch your reaction. You carefully take it from him, putting the pan away and look at it with awe exclaiming that you love his gift.

Tullius' tail slaps against the floor in delight, a sharp toothed grin and small blush spreading across his cheeks, seeing that you like his courting gift.

And this is how it would go on for a few weeks. The merman slipping into your home in the middle of the night and bringing you gifts, all the while hanging around with you so long until he has to go into the ocean again. While at day time you'll see him peaking out from the waves waiting for you to come visit him.

You came to know his name after you showed him how to write, being amazed what a quick learner your new merfriend is. The both of you bonded quickly and you would end up spending most of the time with Tullius and getting to learn more about him, as he does about you. Even sharing his collection with you and receiving some as well he's never seen before.

Eventually you come to feel a certain way for the merman, and you were hoping that he would feel the same.

Little did you know, you've already captured his heart way before you even knew him.

But the day where you have to fly back to your home from your vacation came quicker than you could count, and it made you sad about leaving Tullius for who knows how long. You have to tell him how you feel before you're gone from this island. So as per usual the first thing you do this morning, is walking out to the beach looking for the merman. And there he was, waiting for you at his usual spot by the small wooden pier leading to your hut.

Smiling he waves at you and does a few happy flips before climbing up the structure and leaping on top of you for a tight hug making you fall onto the wooden surface. Your clothes getting wet in the process but you don't mind and giggle as he purrs and nuzzles up against you.

Tullius has become more affectionate and clingy the closer you two became, but not in an overbearing or annoying way which you admit you find pretty cute.

As the two of you spend the time together, Tullius still having his arms wrapped around you chin resting on your shoulder while playing with your hair, you reveal to him about your vacation time and you ending up leaving this island. His reaction of course as you imagined makes your chest feel heavy. The merman is now pulling you tightly against him, his ear fins pulled down and whimpering softly, pleading for you to stay with him.

While Tullius understood that you had to go, it was very hard for him to accept it. After all, he just got closer to you and now you have to leave! He's worried you'll leave him forever.

“I know... I'll miss you too... ” Tullius rests his forehead against yours at your words clicking in response. And as a final goodbye he gently cups your cheeks slowly leaning in until his soft wet lips meet yours in a sweet kiss, surprising you but returning it with as much love as he's pouring into the gesture. A promise to him that you will definitely come back and visit him.

He pulls away with reddened cheeks and loving smile, loosening his hold and preparing to go back into the ocean waters. Neither of you wanted to leave but it would make it harder to say goodbye. And before he finally leaves, Tullius gives you one last look back and finally manages to form his usual noises into five simple words that fills your heart with warmth and will stay with you until the time comes that the both of you will meet again.

“I... love... you... forever...(y/n).”

[ocean-sunfish-worshipper]

Even in death, the great Sunfish inspires. I have witnessed it in the flesh. I have been blessed today. Immortalised alongside their relative, the pufferfish! The spiny fish next to the seahorse is a porcupine fish, the pufferfish below is a white-spotted puffer.

What legacy! All hail the ocean sunfish 🙏🙏🙏

[the-actual-ocean]

Ocean announcement:

The white-spotted pufferfish, also known as the Torquigener albomaculosus, is located in the waters around the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, and are known for their quite strange mating rituals in which they draw patterns (typically more symmetrical, round shapes) into the ocean sand. These are usually quite large, and are created with the intent to attract a female puffer fish to reproduce. However, the puffer fish's "puffer-attraction" is not based on (or not shown to be extremely relevant) size or complexity of the shape, for interest in a male. Rather, it is the maintaining of these patterns and circles that give the "bow chika bow bow" to the female. This is definitely the reason why Sans Undertale has been drawn in the sand behind our base for the last 3 weeks.

[moonlight-tmd]

Mermay blitzbee headcanons or story please?

Oh gee, you folks are really into these mermay stuff, huh?

Unfortunatelly I don't have much to offer since I was never interested but I'll try-

Somehow these big sea monsters ended up together in Detroit- I suppose they adapted to be in both sweet and salt water so yeh. One day a little girl is hanging out with her dad at the shore and she runs off and tadah, she meets a funky lemon shark!Bee. Then the rest; orca!Optimus, puffer fish!Ratchet, marilin fish!Prowl and sea turtle!Bulkhead.

Then there's others- the mean ones; great white shark!Megatron, anglerfish!Lugnut, hammerhead shark!Shockwave, mimich octopus!Soundwave catfish!Blackarachnia and finally... flying fish/tiger shark!Blitzwing- an odd combo thought of as ugly but sturdy.

I think the two would separate and occupy the two nearest bodies of water- Autobot tribe is occupying Lake Erie while the Decepticon Tribe inhabits lake Huron.

The two tribes generally try to stay out of each other's ways with with a limited supply of fish it's rather hard not to stay out of conflicts- the con tribe has begun to be aggressive to the bots and certain boats that hunt the remaining fish in the water. That being said the bot tribe is actively trying to keep the cons busy so they both don't get discovered.

One day when Bee was looking around the bridge and the shores for fun human stuff that might have fell in he saw a shadow lurking behind some rocks- upon closer look it was Blitzwing, who literally jumped him in attempt to eat him. Of course Bee was swift to dodge. He started talking/bantering and it was revealed that the odd fish mix was left to starve because the other tribe members thought he was fat enough to get by on lower amount of food. Bee decided to take Blitz for a meal- ever since they met Sari the kid has been bringing them shockingly huge amounts of food at the docks. The feeder was there still and it wasn't much issue getting it open- Blitz ate the whole supply. He thanked the little shark and apologised for trying to eat him and swam off. From then on every other day Blitz would sneak into autobot waters and look for Bee to take him to the feeder.

Over time they started to take liking to one another- one may even spot signs of courting happening if they looked closely. Truth be told, Bee was interested in Blitzwing ever since he saw him- he was a sucked for all the odd and unique things and Blitzwing was all that, although the fact he was trying to eat few of the bots on multiple occasions was a bit alarming. Blitzwing on the other- fin? has been charmed by the tiny yellow sharkie- the curiosity, fun nature and hte kindness he offered made him Blitz's favorite mer soon. The two would meet up outside of the feeding times too, the small Lake St Clair and the rivers that connected it made a great place to hang out without being spotted by either tribe.

It was all going fine until the con tribe noticed Blitz has been putting on weight despite not eating- and it was not starvation swelling. They decided to spy on him and found out he was getting stuffed with the help of the teensy weensy lemon shark. Autobots had ways to get food so of course they invaded into their waters and tried to get it for themselves. Idk what else, there might have been a huge fight over it and then Sari got hurt in the water and yadda yadda the conflict was resolved in a peace agreement to not harm anyone and share food- oh and Sari's half mer thanks to her mother (who died when she was tiny) so she can go hang out w/ the mers in the lake.

I would guess Bee and Blitz have made their courtship public after the agreement and the cons have let him go; while the cons did nothing to better their relationship with him, he's been oddly welcome with the bots. He and Bee are quite a cute oddity.

And yes, he promised to not eat any of them nor the humans.

[brinefathomcaves]

100 Trinkets for Brinefathom Caves

A tiny bottle containing a drop of liquid gold that never dries

A child's drawing of a pirate ship

A broken-off cutlass hilt

A jar of mouth-numbing jellyfish jelly

A little mouse that likes to hide in your pockets

An albatross feather

A flute made from bone

A steel disk etched with the positions of constellations at the summer solstice

A tiny stone carving of a bird-headed, wing-armed woman

A dried out and fragile mermaid's purse*

A bloody hankerchief with embroidered flowers around the edges

Somebody's peg leg

A gold coin that's always damp

A rock-hard dried lemon*

A hand puppet that looks like a moray eel

A ring hung with rusty old keys

A tin cup etched with runes

A faded cameo portrait of a dwarf

A coin-sized stone that smells strongly of rum

A conch that sounds like someone singing when you hold it to your ear

A heavily-stoppered vial of super-spicy hot sauce

A dashing tricorn hat

A coconut lined with geode-like crystals

A pair of fins from a mermaid's tail †

Scissors that can cut sailcloth without making your hand tired †

A handful of dried fish eyes

Half a silver coin*

A six-sided iron teetotum with a different shell on each face

A dried puffer fish

A bottle of squid ink

A small rubber fish that squirts water when squeezed

A braided length of hair

A coin purse made from a clam

A tiny monkey's fist knot*

An actual mummified monkey's fist

A large scallop shell with Auran text etched into it

A pair of dice, each carved to look like a tiny coiled sea serpent**

A tiny wooden bird, delicately balanced on a round base, that acts as a weather vane

A weakly-magnetized iron starfish, a couple inches across

A polished steel mirror that only reflects you

A fern frond that's always green and fresh

A flag that blows into the wind instead of with it

A large cricket in an iron cage

A bone carving of a swallow*

A lover's eye pendant*

A pouch of bright blue sand

A small pot of pale green, pungent salve

A set of fanged wooden teeth

An articulated wooden hand

A vial of preserved, faintly-glowing lichen

Two square feet of a star-patterned quilt

A large, bushy false beard

Four brass buttons from a naval officer's jacket

A compass that points east instead of north

A piece of sea glass the shape and size of a smooth human heart

An empty but still great-smelling tin of tea from a far-off port †

A lantern shaped like an anglerfish †

A pipe inlaid with mother-of-pearl

A small jar of deep-sea fish teeth †

A leather eyepatch with a cat's eye embossed on it

A tin whistle that makes dolphin noises

A plush calico alligator with one button eye

Two halves of a sand dollar with gilding on the broken edges**

A pale blue glass eye**

A smooth pebble with markings that look like a face*

A minuature ship on a minuature sea in a minuature bottle. The sea reflects the state of the sea outside**

A sun-bleached wooden sign with an arrow painted on it

A scrimshaw etching of a ship on a large tooth*

A green bottle containing a letter from a shipwrecked sailor

A sea serpent's tooth, long as your forearm

A bottle containing seawater and a piece of living coral

A whittled wooden whale that sinks in water

A crystal deck prism

A small wooden goblet that doubles any alcohol poured into it †

A love letter neither written by nor addressed to you

A padlock that doesn't lock

A small piece of parchment with a large black spot on one side

A piece of gold lace*

A bronzed seahorse skeleton

A wind-up mechanical goldfish

A fist-sized lump of stone crudely carved into a chained, crouching man

A toy sailing ship

The flag from a pirate ship

A tarokka deck with simple black-and-white nautical-themed illustrations

A parrot skull with "Dear Polly" etched on the back**

A single earing hung with tiny bells

A necklace strung with shark teeth

A black bandana on which dragon are embroidered in gold thread

A cloak pin made from a shell containing a tiny immortal hermit crab †

An obviously-incorrect map of the surrounding sea

A saucy pinup drawing of a merperson

A woven silver bracelet that can magically turn into 10' of sturdy rope †

A necklace with an iron anchor pendant

A miniature replica of a lost ship's figurehead

A ring made from a spoon

A silver coin with a heart and initials etched onto it*

A few feathers tied together with a scrap of silk*

A compact with face powder and a powder puff

A yellow ribbon embroidered with initials*

A mask that looks like a horrible deep-sea fish

(Non-trinket rambling under cut)

I had help making this list! The other contributors (and the symbols that mark which entries they came up with) are as follows:

* @aranov

** Decoder13 (who isn't on Tumblr)

† @fishdavidson

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

I have a request, should you choose to accept it >:D My roommate's cat just had 4 kittens. I call her Koi, so I want to continue with the fish theme. So far, we've got Sturgeon, Lamprey, and Gar. The last one is a white tomkit with leetle black spots on his head and back.

I'm looking for a fitting fish to complete the set, ideally 2 syllables so I can list them in the cadence of Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe. Would you like to name the fourth kitten? :)

Boy, would I!! It would be an honour! An honour and a fine challenge!

Hmm…. From your description, I am immediately reminded of the noble zebra shark!

…although that one doesn’t have only two syllables. Zebra and for example sharky have two syllables by themselves though, and if you name an animal with spots “zebra” people won’t think it’s named after the land animal… but that’s too simple of an answer for me.

Oh, salmon have spots on their backs! Their backs tend to be darker also, but not always; they are often a shiny, light silver colour at sea, which would fit a white kitten. Look at this Atlantic salmon for example:

Sea trout also sport spots on a light background. The words are separate but it does have two syllables, all together.

Many species of pufferfish and blowfish have spots as well, however, uh, “blowfish” might be a bit of a mean name for a cat… but pufferfish can be shortened to “puffer”!

And that's about all the sensible ones I could think of. Perhaps these suggestions can give you a bit of food for thought! It is absolutely delightful that him and his siblings will be fish :) Congrats to you and your roommate, and Koi of course, for the babies!!!!

[dirty-bosmer]

Tell me about the fish you saw snorkeling please :)

Oh my GOD I nearly burned my self with my coffee when I saw this. Thank you so much for asking, but also you've opened the flood gates because it just so happens I am about to dump so many fish on you. While I primarily study freshwater fishes, I am a lover off all things aquatic, so here we go (all these images are from the internet):

Parrot fish galore and HUGE ones at that. The biggest one I saw looked like this. I don't know my scarids very well, but I do know that I saw a bumphead parrotfish. So funny looking. I was honestly surprised by how all the fish out there are CONSTANTLY nipping at the corals, but the current was pretty strong so we all had to swim a lot. It makes sense that they always need to be eating. I had no idea life on the reef was so turbulent

A lot of acunthurids. No blue tangs but plenty of brown ones and some unicorn tang! The ones I saw had really small humps.

So the common name for acunthirds is surgeonfishes because they have these sharp, blade like spines on their caudal peduncle called a scalpel. You can see it a bit more clearly on the Clown Unicornfishes (which were my fave cause the colors were so bright). Here they're the bright orange processes near the tail.

Wrasses. SO many wrasses. We saw birdnose wrasses with their long snoots, moon wrasses that were as colorful as rainbow lorikeets. My favorite were the cleaner wrasses following all the big parrotfish around and eating their ectoparasites,

I saw a moray!! That was the most unexpected find for me. I was the only one in my group to see one, but it was so far out that the crew working the sailboat had to call me back in 😅 It was brown and spotted black and looked just like this guy. I didn't actually see his head, but I saw his long long body. He was huge!!

Some gobies hiding in their holes. Apparently some species of goby have a mutualistic relationship with shrimp. The shrimp digs a series of tunnels in the sand and the goby stands sentinel at the entrance. The shrimp then maintains contact with the goby with its long antennae so that it knows if the goby moves or startles when predators are nearby.

The goatfish was probably my second favorite find after the moray because I had no idea they were out there. Goatfish have two long chin barbels covered in tastebuds that they use to probe along the sand in search for prey. They are quite dextrous barbels too. They flick em around so fast!

I got stung by something! it whipped me across the face pretty much 20 minutes into the water and it felt long and filamentous so i thought maybe it was some stray strand of anemone or jellyfish with active nematocysts. The crew member said it was likely a small jelly so woohoo! I got stung by a jelly on the great barrier reef :D

Triggerfish. Iw as hoping to see more tetraodonotiforms like puffers or filefish or a cowfish maybe, but I'm glad I still got to see at least one representative of the order cause they are among the most bizarre groups of fishes

This Moorish Idol that looked exactly like Gill from finding nemo

Lemonpeel angelfish, bluegirdle angelfish, emperor angelfish, you name it.

a lot of chaetodontids too. As I said, I don't study marine fishes so all the butterfly fishes looked so similar to me XD most of them were some combination of white, yellow, and black with their characteristically tall bodies and narrow snouts.

Giant clam!!! THEY WERE SO BIG. And so colorful. The movement of their spiracle truly hypnotized me.

Alright. That's all I got time for at the moment, as I need to pack and head up to the rainforest for the last leg of my trip. I'm sure I have forgotten dozens of fish already XD Thank you for attending my show and tell and for expressing interesting. Truly, I'm living any biologists dream rn, and I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity to visit such a beautiful part of the world 🥲

[savagesneversleepnyc]

COLORS OF JULY

RED is what she said

As hands that never tire

Pluck tender coals

To cast the ORE

Of the hammer to crack

The broken wheel

Grinning at the sky

Ants scurry to chase

The grace of shadows that

Cast cool silhouettes and

Hues of RED

7.2.24.00003 HOD OGE

ORANGE dots and spots of

sidewalk chalk as

Dogs squat with piercing eyes over

The steel rain guard

The rust of the industry

Drips into the gutter

A copper finger so filthy

No one could love it

Not even a mutha

2:01pm HOD BK 7.1.24

GREEN

PETALS WAIT AS BEAMS BREAK

DEWY DROPS APART

LULLING THEIR TIRED EYELET

TO QUENCH THE THIRSTY MUD

SLENDER ROOTS CREEP IN TINY

INCREMENTS NEXT

TO EARTHWORMS

AND SQUIRRELS BURROWS

FROM LILLY PAD

TO LICHEN

AND MOSS TO

GREEN EVERGLADES SLURRY

FROM CANOPY

TO FIRMAMENT BELOW

GREEN

11:32am YARDIE 6.30.24.0000003 OGE

VIOLET

VIOLET TIPS OF TULIP

DRIPS AND PUDDLES

ON PUTNAM THAT JIMMY’Z

DOG MADE AGAIN

THE BREAD IS FRESH

BUT THE PRICE OF

FLOUR AND OIL STAY STEEP

AS SAPPHIRE EYE CAST SMILES

THROUGH ANCIENT

STAINED GLASS TEETH

THE HEART OF PURPLE

GLORY ON THE CARD

IS ODD

BUT SO

IS THE

VIOLET BALL

10:56am NYU NYC 7.2.24.000003 OGE

Blue

Tiles fish platelets and rays coveted dismay

ELLs prone lurched as URCHINS spines unwind ALGEE and PLATYPUS papyrus siren’s beckon call roll in ORCA and SEA CUCUMBER clamor PUFFER’S at BAFIN BAY

Cold torrent trust over straits and PENGUINS gate WALRUS tusks sink vessels as lesser vassals of MACREL, SNAPPER, FLUKE and GROUPER slap the flailing sailors bailing BLUE buckets of CHUM and DUCKETTS too shiny to be mined in ocean beds were OCTOPUS GARDENS are REEFS that have old teeth TOO HUMBLE to MUMBLE back LAUGHTER over the claps of tiny GULLS picking CLOWN FISH from SHALLOWS so clear BLUE reflecting the under from the sand and rock that keep the BOX JELLY cozy and lonely LIKE a TIGER SHARK swims back up the canal in a VOW to somehow sniff out and BITE the RIGHT one who HARPOONED his brethren GATOR while cackling like HILLBILLIES chugging warm BUSCH BEERS out of a BLUE COOLER half over flowing with CATCH and the snouts of COPPERHEADS that slink over the rail

THE DEAD WOOD of the flooded floor below the BLUE blanket that hangs all the CATFISH and TICKS back when TIMBER RATTLERS all charge the beach at SUNSET

BLUE as ABOVE and BELOW and the NOTE we summon and LIVE LOVE KNOW AS NONE OTHER or the interval we command the tiller with in the GALE… Athe eye of MOBY DICK blinks again before thinking which one them to EAT FIRST…

FOR the OCEAN is a JUNGLE and the LAW of ORDER as such shall make WEAK into FOOD to sustain a BROOD as this the WAY as tides turn slowly to MERMAIDS and DREAMS I CHOOSE TO SEE… BLUE

5:06am YARDIE HOD

7.4.24.00000003

OGE IZU

INDIGO

INDIGO BLIND

GAZING WITH EYES SLAMMED SHUT

WANDERING AS A MOLE TO THE HOLE

BUT AS A MAN IN THE HEATH OR DESERT

OR SEA ALONE TO PONDER THE SOUP OF POINTS OF LIGHT ABOVE THAT ARE ALL SO FAR OFF YET GLEEM LIKE A BILLION SUNS OF INDGO HUES SHE USED TO TAKE THE SHINE INSIDE US AND GUIDE THROUGH CHOPPY WATERS AND PUT ON A WHITE KNIT BERET IN MIDTOWN WITH A FROWN AND IDIGO WENT IN MY HEART AS THE TRAIN ROLLS TO THE BLUE TUBE WE USED TO HOLD HANDS WAITING FIR ANYTHING ANYWHERE TO TRANSFORM OUR MESS INTO A GEM WE KNOW AND ALWAYS HOLD GLOWS IDIGO

5:14am YARDIE HOD

7.5.24.0000003

[mareeemow]

fishposting #2

1. TURT. OMG LOVE TURTS. not a fish but oh man it was so pretty 11/10

2. weird dude with streaks and spots of all different colors. definitely on the fruity side 8/10

3. PUFFER. white with spots!!! he was super cute i named him herbert 9/10

4. a group of volor changing bastards with boomerang tails. spotted on tail. they were SCARY and looked like GANG MEMBERS 3/10 for being fish

5. UNICORN FISH. HE HAD A HORN CAN U BELIEVE THAT?!?!?;?!? 10/10

tomorrow will be no.3 :3

[samantha-and-her-chaotic-desires]

Hello, I’m the one who sent mer au via Lackadaisy, I thought that my message didn’t get through, or something like that, but fortunately it didn’t turn out that way, well, when you answered, I already figured out who would be who

Nina/Sophie/Carrol: Tiger Shark, just a family of tiger sharks, and Rocky is the only white spot on this family, as if showing that he is different, and completely different from them

Ransom: Dolphin like Rocky

Lacy: Cuttlefish, I just once saw her in a hat, and her hair fell in such a way that it looked like a cuttlefish, since then I have associated her with Cuttlefish, that's why she is here Cuttlefish

Elsa/Abelard: Cleaner wrasse, I chose this fish because of Elsa's work

Bobby: Sperm whale, he looks like a sperm whale to me, that's why he's like that

Quackenbush: Seahorse, it was done this way because of the horse.

Mrs.Bapka: Mako shark, it seems to me that in her youth she was fast and cheerful, so the mako shark

Wes: Moray, they look unpleasant, plus grin

Fish: Puffer fish, I remembered that video where they fed the puffer fish with carrots before they killed it for the dish, I thought it went well with it, so something like this

Zulie: Sea snake, it looks like a snake, that's why it's a snake here

Joey: Hermit crab, why I don’t know, I guess I wanted to add what kind of crab here for the sake of variety, so it’s here

Gracie: Bull shark, also no explanation needed

And by the way, male seahorses can get pregnant, so ... Zib and Wick can have children in my mer au

*slams hands down* YES.

Also Lacy as a cuttlefish is honestly really really cute. I see you Anon! I SEE YOU.

Cleaner wrasse are so frickin cute what-

and Gracie lowkey scares me in a way. So him as a bull shark really works out.

Wes as a Moray is oddly fitting. He's such a little shit. /affectionate

and ZIBWICK SEAHORSE BABIES!!!!!!! :DDDDDDD

[bigbeautifulshark]

I fuckinf love fish . Whale shark. Flying fish. White spotted puffer fish. I could go on.🐠🐡🦈 🐟

Reblog if you love fish

[banderasscuba]

Guinea fowl puffer fish have their two top teeth fused together which creates a beak type structure.

They are normally brown or black in colour and covered in white spots however there are rare guineafowl puffers who are bright yellow with relatively few black spots so this white fellow Chimo inhabitant is a rare one.

Another stunning shot from @petrmyska

.

.

.

.

.

.

#BanderasScuba #Banderasscubarepublic #PVScuba #PADI #PVPADI #PADI5star #pvscubadiving #PuertoVallarta

#BuceoPuertoVallarta

#PADIPV

#SCUBADIVINGPUERTOVALLARTA

#SCUBADIVING

#PUERTOVALLARTASCUBADIVING

#SNORKELING

#SCUBAPUERTOVALLARTA

#PUERTOVALLARTADIVING

#BUCEOENPUERTOVALLARTA

#vivanaura

#chimodiving

[travelvisaservice]

6 Must Visit Aquarium and Marine Life Attractions in Dubai

The United Arab Emirates' vibrant metropolis of Dubai is well-known for its cutting-edge architecture, opulent shopping, and top-notch entertainment. Dubai offers a plethora of activities but its lively aquarium and marine life venues are among the most alluring to tourists. These attractions provide an immersive look into the fascinating world below the waves ranging from interactive marine experiences to towering aquatic exhibits. When organizing your vacation to this vibrant metropolis, think about obtaining a Dubai Multiple Entry Visa to take advantage of all that the city has to offer and make sure you don't pass over these underwater marvels.

Dubai is home to a number of outstanding marine life attractions in addition to its well-known landmarks and vibrant urban life. These locations offer an unmatched chance to discover the mysteries of the undersea world whether via large aquariums exciting dolphin shows or instructive marine displays. Dubai's aquarium and marine life attractions promise incredible experiences that highlight the city's dedication to fusing luxury with the wonders of nature, whether you're traveling with friends, family or alone.

Here are the 6 Must Visit Aquarium and Marine Life Attractions in Dubai

1. Plethora of Fish:

The warm seas of Dubai are home to an astounding diversity of fish species. Bright puffer fish, graceful lionfish and fascinating scorpion fish are just a few examples of the diversity that enhance the underwater world's breathe taking beauty. Clownfish which are recognizable for their orange and white stripes and boxfish which have distinctive geometric shapes are also frequently sighted. The graceful guitarfish and nimble cornet fish round out the variety of marine life found in coral reefs, while angelfish, parrotfish and banner fish give more colour and personality. These amazing animals add to Dubai's tranquil and vibrant underwater scenery.

2. Dolphinarium in Dubai:

One of the most distinctive indoor animal experiences in the UAE can be found at the Dubai Dolphinarium. It showcases the remarkable abilities of these marine mammals with the only Dolphin and Seal Show in the area. Additionally exciting is the Creek Park Exotic Bird Show which is available to visitors. Because the entire facility is air-conditioned visitors of all ages can expect a comfortable stay. The Dolphinarium's best feature is the chance to swim with Dolphins which offers visitors an engaging and unique encounter with these sentient animals. It's a top spot for entertaining the whole family and learning new things.

3. Aquarium in Dubai:

The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo housed within The Dubai Mall is a must-see sight. More than 140 different species of aquatic animals can be found there including the world's largest collection of sand tiger sharks. The enormous 10 million litter tank which is home to more than 400 sharks and rays is the focal point. Three unique ecological zones that each feature various maritime environments and animals are open for exploration by visitors. One of the attractions is a captivating 48 meter tunnel that provides an amazing panoramic view of manta rays and tiger sharks swimming overhead.

4. Swim with the Sharks:

Adventurers can swim with sharks in a thrilling and secure atmosphere at the Dubai Aquarium. A wide variety of shark species may be seen in the aquarium ranging from the massive sand tiger sharks with their pointed fangs to the more diminutive white spotted bamboo sharks. The eye-catching display is enhanced by the leopard sharks' unique patterns. Given that sharks have existed for more than 400 million years, this is a unique chance to get up close and personal with these ancient predators either through the glass of the aquarium or on an exhilarating cage dive.

5. Safari Park in Dubai:

Dubai Safari Park is home to almost 3,000 species from all over the world and covers an astounding 119 hectares. Animal welfare educational initiatives, and guest experience are all prioritized in the park. There are themed sections like Adventure Valley, Arabian Desert Safari, African Village, Asian Village and Explorer Village. There are many different kinds of animals in the park, such as 84 mammals, 15 carnivores, 18 primates and a variety of birds and reptiles. It provides a comprehensive and immersive wildlife experience, perfect for families and animal enthusiasts.

6. Dubai's Green Planet:

The first bio dome in the area The Green Planet at City Walk replicates the environment of a tropical jungle. With four floors and more than 3,000 plants and animals this enclosed space offers an immersive experience. Along with exploring South American flora, vines and a range of reptiles and insects visitors can come across a variety of species, such as sloths, toucans and tree porcupines. Families and environment lovers will love visiting The Green Planet, which provides a unique window into the abundant biodiversity of tropical rainforests.

Conclusion:

Adventurers and lovers of the natural world will find Dubai's aquarium and marine life attractions to be an enthralling voyage into the world of aquatic wonders. There is something for everyone from the magnificent Lost Chambers Aquarium, which transports guests to the historic Atlantis ruins to the exhilarating thrills at the Dubai Dolphinarium and Dubai Aquarium. Explore the brilliant coral reefs full of colourful fish or get up close experiences with sharks and dolphins at these sites that highlight the great diversity and beauty of marine life.

Applying for a 60 Days Multiple entry visa visa is a great way to make the most of your trip to Dubai and see all of its many marine and animal attractions. With these visas, you'll have the freedom to tour all the must-see locations and spend more time in this exciting city. For those who wish to discover its aquatic treasures, Dubai promises an amazing trip with its unique blend of modern attractions and breathe taking natural beauty. For more detailed information contact best travel agency in Dubai.

[chriscoleman]

BCS Mexico Trip Report

Baja California Sur, Mexico

Vacation Trip Report

November 2023

Julia and I traveled to Mexico for a bucket list adventure. Swimming with whale sharks!

Thursday November 23rd (Thanksgiving) we flew into Cabo San Lucas - on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. The 1247 kilometer peninsula is separated from mainland Mexico by the Sea of Cortez. 

Our Uber driver gave us a tour of his friends/family homes along New Holly on the way to the airport - it was a cute start to a Thanksgiving holiday travel day. The flight was 4 hours direct from Seattle. Upon arrival - Hertz failed to deliver our reserved vehicle - but the Avis salesman called us over and saved the day. Quickly on the road to Cabo by 4pm. After circling the block 3 times we finally found our Airbnb in the Pedregal neighborhood of Cabo hills. 

Only 1 quick night in Cabo. We ate a classic Mexican dinner at Mi Casa restaurant, a short walk from our condo. Mariachi band and fortune telling birds were special attractions of the meal. Best lobster enchiladas ever! Next morning we had chilaquiles at Solomon's Landing in the Cabo Marina - watching the captains wash and prep for the daily excursions. 

Snorkel at Playa Santa Maria was an impromptu adventure. Google provided positive notes and we adjusted the schedule to make it happen. Massive construction project on the hills above the beach was incredible to watch as we walked in. Pebble beach greeted my soft tender feet, but once we were in the water it was silky smooth sand. Black puffer fish with white spots were my highlight of the snorkel. A quick hour look and back to the car for our main mission - drive to La Paz. 

Todos Santos is halfway between Cabo and La Paz. A cute surf town in the middle of the desert. We stopped quickly for frozen drinks, fish tacos, and a stretch of legs. I got tricked into spending $25 on a magnet - which I blame on my misunderstanding of the currency exchange rate, that I slowly got better at over the next 6 days.  

1 hour later we hit La Paz. La Paz is the capital of Baja California Sur, with a population of 250,000. It sits on the Sea of Cortez side of the peninsula, not the Pacific Ocean. It’s a friendly beach community with many tourist activities available. 

Our condo was basically an expat retirement community. Gated with a pool and common lounge area. Super safe and well maintained property. Our unit had 3 air conditioning units that kept the place below Julia’s comfort level - too cold for a beach vacation she complained!

Dinner on Friday was a massive mistake at Estrella del Mar. The funny kind of mistake. We ordered 6 ceviche's. 6. 6 orders. Six. Another currency misunderstanding. I saw 65 peso’s for 1 order and automatically thought it would be a very small bit of food. Like sushi style - 2 bites and done. I wanted lots of ceviche - so we got 3 each. It took a while to prepare - so we each got an order of shrimp (Julia got diablo and I got coconut) as we were impatient. Then they carted out SIX plates FULL of ceviche. The chef must have been cutting fish/shrimp/octopus forever to make this much food. It was ridiculous what they sold for 65 pesos ($3 USD). 1 order was enough for 2 people. We got S I X orders! No clue why our waiter allowed this to happen - but I’m sure the language barrier didn’t help. HAHAHAHAHA. Still laughing about this one!

Saturday the 25th started with, you guessed it… ceviche for breakfast. Then onto the most famous beach of La Paz - Balandra. Balandra is a protected area - with regulated control of entry times/numbers. They offer 2 windows of access 8am-12pm and 1pm-5pm for 400 people max per session. We chose the early window - which forced us out of bed at 6:30am to get in line by 7:30am. Totally worth it! The crescent beach is very shallow - at high tide it was only waist deep. By the time we left (low tide) the water had receded drastically and you could walk far out and only get knee deep. 

Julia learned how to ‘farm puffer fish’ in the shallow water. If you shuffle your feet - which is recommended to avoid stepping on a stingray - the puffer fish come and check you out. They like to swim through the clouds of sand (to eat we think). She had 4 puffers circling her feet at one point!

Tecolote beach is next door to Balandra. A whole different experience from the tranquil no-commercial-activity allowed nature preserve. On Tecolote we hired an umbrella with beach chairs next to Palapa Azul beach bar. Baja style fish/shrimp tacos were delicious. Then swimming into the late afternoon. A day full of watching long Instagram photo shoots and seagulls begging for chips. Local super burrito shop for dinner with a black cat for company. 

Sunday the 26th we began our first boat tour. It was complicated by a slow start to the whale shark season. The animals are highly protected in Mexico. The wildlife biologists that track the whales counted only 10 whales in the area. Normally there would be 25+ by November. The regulators said only 8 boats were allowed to tour - and a lottery system was implemented to decide who got access. Luckily our guide secured a 1p-3pm window. We chilled along the ‘Malecon’ (beach boardwalk through La Paz town) and found the remaining Sears company - which is 100% Mexican now - until tour time. 

The whale shark tour started at the marina across from our condo. We walked over with our snorkel gear and wetsuit tops. The water is chilly this time of year - plus the regulators require some form of flotation so that swimmers don’t dive down into the whale shark zone. On the boat with 2 other couples (a mother and daughter from Colorado and a couple from New York) we met our captain (Eddy) and guide (Katrin). Eddy zoomed us to the ‘check in’ spot about 10 minutes from the marina. He completed the required radio check with the wildlife authority - to verify we were allowed into the whale shark area with the expected number of customers. 10 minutes later we found the whale zone (other boats were leaving as we arrived, as their window was over). 

The whale sharks were feeding on plankton. They don’t eat anything else - so we were in no danger ourselves. The first one we found was vertical in the water. Scooping up plankton with giant gulps while spinning 360 degrees. We quickly got our fins and masks on and jumped in with Katrin. Julia and I were face to face with this 20 foot beast. We simply swam around it while it put on a show. So easy and exciting!

5 minutes in the water, then Eddy swung around and dropped the very sturdy ladder. The next group did their swim as we watched from the boat. Multiple whale sharks in the area, plus dolphins and pelicans. 10 minutes later we were back in for jump 2. Repeated for a total of 5 jumps with 6 different whale sharks. Sometimes we would swim slowly alongside as the whale trolled for food. Other times it would be stand-still, just tread water and look. One point we were sandwiched between 2 whale sharks (they are not social animals, so this was special). Eddy would yell ‘Katrin!!!’ as dolphins or a second whale shark came close - he was the spotter from the boat and Katrin in the water - a solid team. Insane how accessible and rare the snorkeling experience was. Totally life list material right here!

Chocolate clams (unique to the eastern Pacific Ocean) for dinner at a rooftop restaurant. Then home to watch the Seattle Sounders play LAFC in the playoffs semi-finals. A loss at home was disappointing - but we were on a beach vacation - so it stung a tiny bit less. 

Monday the 27th was another boat tour. Up at 6am for a 7am sendoff. This ‘Combo’ trip with VIP Tours included 3 hours with the whales, a swim session with sea lions, and secluded island lunch. Ángel was our guide and Fernando our captain. We suited up and left the marina on time with a group of 7 (old couple who just finished a week long dive trip aboard a sailboat, young unprepared couple, and a solo woman who did the sea lion trip the day before). Same check-in with the authority, then into ‘the area’ for whale sharks right at 8am opening. This time was different - being the first tour of the day - we had to find the whale sharks ourselves. ‘The area’ (aka El Mogote) is ~30K long and ~5K wide. The whales can be anywhere. We trolled along at the max speed of 8 knots - silence on the boat as everyone looked for signs of whale activity. A dark shadow or an occasional dorsal fin is all we had to look for. Waves and intermittent clouds made it HARD. Luckily Fernando is awesome & experienced at his job and found us a big whale shark after 30ish minutes. 

This experience was much different than Sunday. The whale was on the move! Swimming at what I can only assume was a slow pace for it - and a sprint pace for humans. They don’t call it swimming with whale sharks because you get to watch them from the boat!! Into the water and sprint snorkeling we go!!!

The first jump we kept up for about 45 seconds. Jump in, Angel yells “heads down”, Fernando yells “swim”, and you snorkel like your life depends on it. You try to keep up for as long as your legs/lungs allow - and then retreat to the boat. Next group goes while you catch your breath in the boat. Repeat. 

Jumps 2 and 3 we kept up a bit better. The whale slowed down a bit as we entered shallow water. Angel stayed on the whale the entire time - probably swimming 5k over our time with the whale. Fernando would also keep track of the whale - dropping us just in front of its path each time (then yelling SWIM - because everyone always hesitated too long for his liking).  

Regulations restrict how long 1 group can follow / harass the whale. We let it go after 3 jumps each. Lucky we got that much action - as 2 other boats never found a whale at all. Wild how different day 1 and 2 were for our whale adventure. 

Out of the protected whale area - at full speed ahead - it took 2.5 hours to reach the northern tip of Isla Espiritu Santo. A cold and bumpy ride. This small island is home to 500+ sea lions and their pups. It’s a protected nursery area, a very popular snorkel spot from La Paz. It’s not restricted exactly like the whales - but only 3 other boats were there when we arrived (1 of which was a dive group). Life vests were required - to protect the animals. 

They were so playful! Swimming circles around us like water dogs. One nibbled on my hand and pulled at my jacket sleeve. They zoomed around each other too. A pair were super curious about a gopro selfie stick. A tennis ball on the end of a shiny stick would have been heaven for these sea lions (next time I’m making a toy). Another unique experience I never knew existed. Fun!

Late lunch on a sandy beach was well deserved. Ceviche (a normal amount), burritos, fruit, and sodas were perfect. We soaked up the sun in camp chairs Angel/Fernando carried over. Then a short boat ride back to the marina, stopping at ‘the mask’ rock formation and a frigatebirds colony, finally finishing at sunset. 

El Paisa taqueria for dinner was close, quick, delicious, cheap, and filling. Impossible combination to beat. The fresh tortillas were perfect and the salsa bar was stacked with toppings. Still ordered too much food - but slowly getting better at ordering the proper amount of food for 1 human. 

Tuesday the 28th was our final and most relaxed day. No boat tours or long drives. Baja Beans coffee shop was quickly becoming our go-to spot. We even had time for laundry. Then a walk on the Malecon boardwalk. The farmers market was smaller than expected, but had some unique jewelry and artwork. The Dock Cafe served up a fancy brunch alongside the marina. Then more Baja Beans drinks. 

La Paz area doesn’t have a wide variety of beaches. A few really good ones, then some farther out. We chose Tecolote again for its convenience. Beach loungers at the big red barn from ‘big red nose’ guy. So chill. Sit in the shade and have drinks brought out constantly. Life is good! We swam, talked, watched Instagrammer’s, laughed at jet skiers, and relaxed until 4:30pm. Julia didn’t want to leave. The dogs did want us to leave so they could pillage our leftover snacks - a dog snatched our bag of tortillas the second we left. Score!

Wednesday the 29th we left La Paz. Cerritos beach was halfway to the airport - so we made a pit stop. It’s a surfer's beach. Waves of all sizes with a convenient shore break. No surfers when we stopped - but brunch food was delicious (Mexican pancakes!) at Sunset restaurant. Hour later we arrived at the airport. Fueled up the rental car, dropped it off, and traversed the newly renovated Cabo airport. 

Home in Seattle by 8pm. 40F and wet. Ready for ski season to start!

Overall a fantastic trip that required very little planning for a not-crazy-expensive beach vacation. Not as super cheap as we expected, but safer and easier to navigate than I worried about. The language barrier was not a problem and we had zero run-ins with the police/bribes. I’d visit BCS again any time and look forward to exploring more areas of Baja in the future. Gracias!