On a Rock, In a Bay, On an Island, In Jamaica: Snorkeling

When we began packing for this trip to Jamaica, pretty much the first thing Brandon thought of bringing was snorkeling gear. For real, the guy could have forgotten everything except his passport, a swimsuit, and his snorkeling gear and been perfectly happy. He spent much of the week exploring the ocean around Rockhouse, but eventually he wanted to make it out to the coral reef, which was far enough out to only be reached by boat. Each morning "Famous Vincent" pulls his boat up to one of Rockhouse’s red ladders to take guests of the resort out to the reef.

We arranged our trip with Vincent with the front desk the day prior and I believe we were able to add the payment for this to our account (rather than bringing cash with us to pay), although I may be misremembering this. That's how we found ourselves sitting next to the stunningly blue Jamaican ocean waiting for our ride. Well, I was sitting, Brandon was already snorkeling.

One other couple joined us this particular morning. I was glad there were no more witnesses than that to watch me awkwardly getting in and out of the boat. Grace is my middle name. Literally. It is. I just don't happen to exhibit gracefulness as I move about this world. But at least my awkwardness is entertaining. For Brandon, at least.

Before heading out to the reef, we pulled into a cave that used to be a bar. It was cool.

We made our way along the coast, getting a glimpse of a now deserted property and it’s once sought after stage where legends like Bob Marley performed, back when Negril was a sleepy fishing village.

The boat ride was lovely, but we really couldn't wait for the highlight of the trip - snorkeling on the reef.

You will just have to imagine how amazing it was because we did not have an underwater camera for this trip. It was incredible! For an hour that seemed to pass in minutes, Vincent led us around the reef through the crystal clear water, pointing out some of the more unique and interesting features. It was vibrant and abundant and breathtaking. We were surrounded by fish and coral of all shapes and sizes. Brandon was disappointed that we could not explore "on our own," but we had a wonderful morning, nonetheless, another sunshiny day in beautiful Jamaica.