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We had a chance to go along on a snor=
keling trip. It was a snorkeling and diving tour boat that operates out=
of the Madang Resort. The boat that took us out anchored about=
at about 05=C2=B008=E2=80=B206.5=E2=80=B3=
S 145=C2=B049=E2=80=B217.9=E2=80=B3E. Check it out. …

It was great! lots of colorful fish and lots of really interesting c=
oral. We didn't have a marine biologist handy so nobody was there t=
o give us the Latin names of the various critters. We just swam, and wa=
tched in silence. A couple of interesting thoughts came to mind. First=
, of course you see the most fish right down at the coral, darting in an=
d out. Mostly, that was about a foot beyond arm's reach, sometimes =
closer, sometimes farther. But if you looked up and out into the distan=
ce you could usually see a great cloud of tropical fish just milling abo=
ut out to about twenty yards. Yes, the water was that clear so you coul=
d see that far.

The water was also so warm and salty that float=
ing and swimming were really, really easy. We were in the water for abo=
ut two hours but I didn't really get all that tired. If I completel=
y stopped swimming, I floated with the water line right about at my eyes=
. With a mask and snorkel, I could see and breathe in that position, so=
I could have done it for a lot longer. The water was usually about 85 =
degrees Fahrenheit. But interestingly, sometimes you'd feel current=
s of really warm, or really cool water wash over you. The temperature d=
ifference was as much as 15-20 F at times. One certainly did notice tha=
t.

We did, however, get some sun. Go figure: we are at 5 degre=
es south latitude and we spent a couple of hours outdoors while the sun =
was right over the equator (autumnal equinox). I was surprised that we =
did get sunburn on skin that was under water almost all of the time … =
okay, maybe three or four inches below water, but still. I would have g=
uessed on the face and shoulders, maybe, but on the back or backs of leg=
s which were underwater.

You also meet the most interesting peo=
ple every time you do one of these. Our next door neighbors got us invo=
lved. They are volunteer A&E doctors from Australia who are here fo=
r few months to train PNG A&E staff at the local hospital. (Austral=
ian English: A&E for Accident and Emergency; American English: ER fo=
r Emergency Room). Another A&E doctor who wass here for only two we=
eks he is a scuba diver and he set up the tree. We just tagged along. =
We had a really interesting conversations with the A&E surgeon and h=
is wife. After the boat docked we four had lunch together at the Madang=
Resort.

Anyways, had a great time looking at the little fishie=
s and the coral and thought about how much you would enjoy it too. Ever=
y bit as missing as that marine biologist was our underwater camera of w=
hich we don't own one, so we didn't take any pictures. Working =
from Wikipedia we feel pretty confident we saw things like the following=
, and many others as well.

Pictures here:
http=
s://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centropyge_multifasciata
h=
ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apolemichthys_xanthurus
https=
://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaetodon_falcula
https://en.wikiped=
ia.org/wiki/Chromis_cyanea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/=
Amphiprion_percula
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amb=
lyglyphidodon_aureus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ps=
eudochromis_fridmani
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cir=
rhilabrus_lubbocki
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Thousand_Hungry_Mouths_to_F=
eed_(2110755960).jpg
https://commons.wi=
kimedia.org/wiki/File:Assorted_living_corals.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coral,_Wrexham_Museum.J=
PG
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F=
ile:Pink_Acan_(4692760102).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pink_Starburst_Firework_(18=
1549126).jpg
https://co=
mmons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reef0597_-_Flickr_-_NOAA_Photo_Library.jpg=

https://commons.wikime=
dia.org/wiki/File:Sanc1314_-_Flickr_-_NOAA_Photo_Library.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki=
/File:Sanc1319_-_Flickr_-_NOAA_Photo_Library.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Staghorn_coral_in_=
seagrass.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File=
:Zoanthid_.jpg