Drove up past the Wall today, loads of Seafans were added! We asked Hal if they were fairly realistic or not, and he gave them the nod of approval on color but said usually they were filled with a few more holes. The manatees have had more details added and nice watery light above too.



Wyland was fuzzing the mangrove roots while we watched. Marianna and I could attest to the realism of those after playing about at Tavernier Key!



Our first water lessons for Scuba were today. Pool checkout was fun! Our check list went something like this:
- swim 300 yds any stroke just don't touch bottom
- 150 yds flutter kick
- 150 yds scissor kick
- 150 yds side kick
- 150 yds dolphin kick

Then we chatted about masks, fins, snorkels and went through our Skin Diver Checkout too, concentrating on the dives especially Pike. Our instructor worked with Marianna on straightening her legs above the water before gliding down and I tried out a new way to clear the snorkel. Dive down, tilt head up, tiny puff of air into the snorkel, as you float up to the surface the air expands, perfectly clearing the snorkel without all that annoying coughing blasts you hear on the Reef Boats. Done properly one's head doesn't even need to come out of the water before diving down again. Finally we practiced entries into the water especially the Giant Step. Lots of fun and a great way to spend a February morning!



In the three or so hours since we had stopped and watched Wyland paint the mangrove roots he had bopped over to the manatee side of the Wall and added a turtle! Gosh the guy is fast! This turtle is so detailed! Hal absolutely gives it a thumbs up for realism. He said it is the most perfect depiction of a swimming turtle he's seen in a long, long time.