We have lived in Naples almost six years now and love so many aspects of Southwest Florida living. Being a mere ten miles to the Gulf has always been a perk, but we find ourselves not beachgoers much these days. If we do end up at one of the many Naples public beaches, it tends to be early morning for sunrise and coffee or sunset watching and a bite to eat before/after.
The water of the Gulf down by Naples is warm and calm, but often not a clear aqua blue hue, and many times throughout the year, our waters are deemed not suitable to swim in due to bacteria, Red Tide, or after-effects, like debris, from a storm, all which make swimming unsafe.
Here in Panama City Beach, the waters are so clear and blue you feel as if you were in the Caribbean. I have been many times to the BVI’s and to the US Virgin Islands, as well as to the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. These Florida Gulf waters are just as clear and warm and have at least five shades of blue. The white sand beaches are super soft and seem to stretch for miles.
We snorkeled today near the jetty and were treated to various fish and hermit crabs. Now of course there aren’t the vivid corals, like in Hawaii or the Great Barrier Reef, but anytime I can snorkel I jump at the chance.
There is something so serene and life-affirming about swimming atop a school of fish, watching sea cucumbers sway back and forth, or even the occasional turtle swim past, that takes your mind and soul to a different place. When I snorkel, I am now an observer of another life, an underwater community of creatures who have allowed me to visit and watch.
Now the Gary and I have our own snorkel gear, I hope we get to do more of this on all our new RV journeys. I know that when we get to the Keys (eventually) we will try to snorkel daily. I’m no “sporty spice” girl, but I am actually good at this, and it is such good exercise.
The next time you find yourself sitting and staring out at a body of water, be it a lake, the Gulf, an ocean, or even a backyard pond, think for a moment about the life under that water. Those creatures have none of the worries or problems surrounding them above, they are free ,and they are content, and occasionally, they allow us humans to watch them, wishing we could be with them longer, under the sea.