Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Snorkeling the Jetties

Shrimpboat coming in from offshore from sea level
Growing up in Corpus Christi, I learned to appreciate days when the winds weren't blowing 20 knots non stop.  We have had a couple of really light wind days, and when this happens... you ditch what you're doing and go snorkel the Jetties!

Bruce rubbing spit on his facemask lens
We dug out our gear and found the perfect spot on the rock Jetty that borders the Corpus Christi Ship Channel.  What defines the "perfect spot"?  That is one that has places to tuck your bags and a large flat rock near or just below the water's surface to use when climbing into or out of the water.

There was a bit of channel traffic causing some wave action, but if you time it right, you can enter the water without being dashed upon the barnacle covered rocks.

We had no trouble getting in today and the water... ahhhhh the water felt SO fine!  It felt almost thick and creamy.  This SURE beats working!









Striped fish scurried past  beneath us just out of reach
We snorkeled alongside the rock wall and were a bit disappointed at the unexpected murk.  We could see from above that we had some debris churned up from the passing boat traffic.  It was still a good day for snorkeling here.  I've only been a couple of times in my life when the visibility was exceptional...

Black and Yellow Sargent Majors darted everywhere

There were some vivid colored rock walls


Bruce and I swam our own way until we left the safety of the wall and ventured out along the pier.

We found the water even more murky which caused me to become nervous.  I KNOW there are things lurking underneath this dock... I can't see them, but THEY can see ME!

I began to feel the current moving and motioned for Bruce to follow me back to the Jetty.

We swam back the way we had come seeing not much more than just a different angle of light from the sun.

Every time we popped our heads up to take a look around, we could see turtles coming up for a breath.  Bruce got a glimpse of one as it rose from the depths, but I didn't see it.

We are supposed to be taking our head (toilet) apart right now... But somehow, this seemed more important.  Every so often, I experience these moments when I stop to appreciate the fact that I'm FREE!  I don't have to go to work.  I think about my previous co-workers and compare what I'm doing now, with what they're doing right now.  I really am so lucky to be living this life.

We reluctantly climbed out of the water and spread ourselves upon the granite to sun dry.  I had thought ahead and brought along some cold water and a snack of apples and sharp cheddar cheese.  We lazed in the sunshine and near calm, watching the boats go by and the turtles surface for a breath.  All too soon, that list of chores we left behind began to weigh on our conscience and we headed back to the boat with another special memory tucked away.

5 comments:

  1. Love it! I am looking forward to swimming temperature water.

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  2. Glad you guys are taking a break to enjoy yourselves!

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    1. Yeah... Bruce is getting a bit surly with all this work and no play. He wants to go windsurfing!

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  3. Bruce and Tammy,

    Greetings from Cream Puff!!!!

    Not sure why my first comment didn’t post but, try, try, try again.

    We just found your blog on blognation.com. We took a trip down memory lane reading it. We kept our boat Water-Melon in Corpus Christi Municipal Marina for about 10 years and sailed the entire Texas coast before moving to Georgia.

    We have always dreamed of sailing full time and for us the dream is coming to fruition. We purchased Cream Puff in July 2011 in Ft Lauderdale. We live in Atlanta. We purchased the boat a couple of years ahead of our sail plan. The used boat market was so bad we were able to buy a boat that ordinarily we could not have afforded. We moved the boat to St Petersburg, Florida so we could learn how to sail her and spend as much time as possible in St Pete while we wrap up loose ends with our land life. Our loose ends are taking a little longer than expected but we are making rapid progress.

    Our stretch goal is to be fully living on the boat by end of hurricane season this year (November) and then head out for the Bahamas for the winter. If we miss that, perhaps the Chesapeake Bay in the summer of next year. We’ll see.

    Best wishes,

    Mark and Cindy
    www.creampuff.us

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    1. We should keep in touch and try to get together sometime later this year. Bruce fell in love with St. Petersburg when we went there boat shopping a couple of years ago. We would love to spend some time there on our way to Bahamas. I'll look your website up and list it on my blog list. If you're on Facebook (S/V Dos Libras) or eBoatCards, we can be in contact there as well. Thanks for posting. I'm sure we could use someone with memories of home when we're on our way.

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