So who would have thought that I would have gone on vacation for Spring Break? And who would have thought me, Wilhemina, would have gone all the way to CANCUN?! Wow, did I have a blast!!!! From scuba diving, to tanning, to relaxing, to snorkeling, to ziplining, and to just plain having fun, my time with Bree and Michelle was absolutely incredible! I learned so much about the environment and how amazing it is. I also learned a lot about how it is important to preserve it, which was cool considering that the day we left, it was Earth Day with the Ironia 3rd graders!
So lemme tell you about all of my fun in the sun!!!
I did a lot of snorkeling over the ten days that I spent in Cancun. First, I went with Michelle to Lagoon Yal-kun, a cenote, or a sinkhole, that was filled with rainwater and ocean water. It was absolutely gorgeous! We were asked before we went, however, to not use sunscreen in the water. Why you ask? One reason was because the water became murky when it came into contact with sunscreen. Another reason was because certain types of sunscreens have chemicals that can damage coral and other wildlife. This made me wonder...is this part of the reason why reefs around the world are being destroyed? I knew that part of the reason was from global warming, which has severely affected the amount of coral surrounding Cancun. Global warming has also affected the area through hurricanes, such as one that ravaged the Riviera Maya and the surrounding Quintana Roo, or the state where Cancun is located. It has affected it so much that certain hotels have become refuge centers in case other ones occur in the future. It also severely damaged beaches, making them a lot skinnier and less sandy. How sad! I hate global warming, because it ruins so much of the beautiful wildlife in the Carribean.
Anyway, back to the snorkeling...
So we saw some amazing fish at the Lagoon! We saw a parrot fish that was absolutely huge! The reason that we saw it was because there is ocean water that flows into the lagoon, providing a perfect habitat for it. We also saw it eating off of little fish...talk about predator/prey relationships!
Later that week, Michelle took me to Puerto Morelos, a small fisherman's town just outside of Cancun. There, I snorkeled in two reefs that were absolutely incredible! They were so shallow, so we had to be careful where we put our fins and our fingers.This is because, as I learned, on the slightest contact, the oils from our skin could destroy thousands of coral polyps. This was hard, because the reefs were only about 5-7 feet deep. The coral came right up to the surface! We saw so many cool fish, such as barracuddas, angel fish, sea cucumbers, sea spiders, crabs, and so much more! Also, the coral was pretty much undamaged there, so I got a cool glimpse of what coral USED to look like. It was so great!
Through snorkeling, I got to see how the water is a whole world of its own. It is truly amazing to see, because almost everything depends on the coral. There were so many fish hanging out around the nooks and crannies of the rocks, and many creatures were feeding off it. It is truly a keystone species!!! I hope that these coral reefs survive forever, because I would not want ocean life to become extinct!
