A Family Snorkeling Adventure

One morning, my friends Jane and Mark called me to get ideas for a family snorkeling vacation. Mark had never put on a mask, but Jane had been snorkeling many times. Snorkeling with her brother and parents in the Greek Isles remains one of Jane's fondest memories, and she was eager to share a similar experience with her own family. I suggested the Virgin Islands, where abundant marine life thrives in warm tropical waters. After our phone conversation, they took their children - Jessie, 8, and Peter, 6 - to a local dive shop and outfitted them with gear.

"Peter learned to use his mask and snorkel in the tub before we tried the ocean, and it really helped," Jane says. On their trip, they had an amazing time together: "The four of us held hands, making a big circle with our heads in the middle, and floated over a huge school of tiny florescent fish. And it was really safe for the children. The only danger was not wanting to get out of the water."

Floating on the surface of a calm, clear, sea and watching fish dance between shimmering shafts of sunlight is a pleasure an entire family can enjoy together. Even those family members who cannot swim can snorkel with the help of a life preserver. By the time children are old enough to attend school, most are able to master snorkeling techniques.

They key is to get out there! Get into the water with your family and friends, and enjoy all that rivers, lakes and oceans have to offer. Lifetime memories are created when we dare to go and discover...

- Post by Joel Simon, Founder & Owner of Sea for Yourself Snorkeling Safaris. Check out his site at www.seaforyourself.com.


http://www.destinationwater.com/- A C Walters Intercoastal Corporation

Critter Profile: Nemo the Clown Fish

In the Disney classic tale Finding Nemo, we are introduced a breed of fish that plays several roles in the vast ocean. Their beauty has the power to take our breaths away, and at the same time, they have the power save an important ocean c0-dweller from destruction and transform in ways unknown to man.


The following are several details on the clown fish that may surprise you:

- There are 28 species including the Skunk, Barrier Reef, Twoband, Mauritian, Tomato, Whitesnout, Madagascar, Pink Skunk and Saddleback.
- They live in small groups: within these groups are only one reproductive male & female. The rest of the fish in the group are non-reproductive.
- The beautiful fish lays eggs on flat surfaces and usually spawn during a full moon.
- When they are born, all clown fish are males. (So how do they mate?...you may be asking...) Some change their sex in order to mate. And...if a female dies during a mating session, another male will be promoted to female and will then change its sex. (what!? Yes, it's true!)
- Clown fish range in size from 4 to 7 inches as adults.
- They are omnivores, feeding off of algae, plankton, mollusks, and crustacean.
- Sea anemones are protected by clown fish because they feed on parasites that are harmful to anemones.
- Clown fish are one of two species that can survive the poison of sea anemones. A mucous membrane coats their bodies for protection.
- They prefer the warmer waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans.
- Find clown fish at these favorite dive & snorkel destinations: Great Barrier Reef, Red Sea, Fiji, Malaysia, Thailand, Maldives and Indonesia.

On your next snorkel or dive trip with clown fish...or in an aquarium...or Nemo on the big screen, be amazed! These lil' critters are truly heroes in their own right.

Want to win a free snorkel set? Be the first to tell us where Nemo's father finally rescued him, and you will be the winner of a Body Glove Professional Dive Set!

Go to the following link and fill out the simple form (please enter your answer into the phone number field of the form):
http://www.destinationwater.com/landing_page.asp

- Posted by Jen of CWIC

http://www.destinationwater.com/- A C Walters Intercoastal Corporation