We loaded up the kayaks to offer them to the enlisted Marines. All enlisted men and women from the Army, Navy, and Air Force are allowed to get SOFA licenses and have vehicles during their tour in Okinawa. For the Marines, if they are an E5 or below, they have to apply individually through their shops/units for such a privilege. The result is that many of our youngest Marines spend the majority of their two-year tour seeing little more than their barracks and their work place. There are tours on weekends and other organized activities, but the freedom to explore, the liberty to choose one's destination, and the leisure to "get lost" is not necessarily available to the Marines. When we offered our single-person kayaks to the guys, they ended up piling two Marines in each at a time to use them.
While the Marines were enjoying the kayaks, we donned our snorkeling gear and took to the water. Not far from shore, and in relatively shallow water, was a Crown of Thorns sea star. These nasty beauties are one of the many reasons that wearing booties in the water is essential.
There were many young fish in the shallows as we swam out to the reefs. So many small versions of blue damsels, wrasses, and angelfish! The individual fish were all the size of a quarter or smaller, and usually clustered in small groups behind a coral or near a rock. We found a school of larger fish, and their schooling reminded me of flocks of starlings.
The reefs of soft coral on the north end of Torii Station are similar to those found on the southern end where we usually snorkel. Lots of large corals, sometimes draped across a rock like a painting by Salvador Dalí. In the middle of one soft coral, I saw my first Scalloped Clam.
We took turns with the camera today, because the water was so clear at first AND because we were in a new spot. Here is my best picture of Ryan:
Ryan snapped a much better picture of me. My ability to swim down beyond 10-12 ft and stay down has improved since I first arrived in Okinawa, thanks to a bit of research on how to equalize my ears. I'm still not nearly as good as Ryan, but I have some time yet.
There were more schooling fish around the reefs. In fact, we noticed more fish around us than usual, and wondered if it was the time of year, or if this was a place not so frequented by snorkelers (not likely), or if we were just lucky. We usually settle on the lucky explanation.
Ryan has a "thing" for grouper, or "mibai." He looks for them, notices them, follows them around...he's kind of a grouper groupie. No one can blame him, because while they look curmudgeonly in the water, they bring nothing but smiles when they show up for dinner. One in particular out here is quite beautiful, and Ryan managed to get a good photo.
On our way back to land, I saw the Chocolate Chip Sea Star, which always makes me yearn for cookies and milk.
Once we arrived on land, our stomachs let us know that we had not yet enjoyed the food portion of family fun day, so we opted to scope out the grill. One our way to the pavilion, I spotted some terns and paused to get a photo. Turns out these guys were Little Terns, a new species for me!
Photos snapped, now it was really time to eat. After a bit of grub and meeting some of the party organizers, Ryan had to make good on a volleyball challenge: officers vs. chiefs. This was later in the afternoon, and I think the sun had gotten the better of a few officers. Ryan's team had exactly six players, and these faithful few took on the chiefs.
It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't a slaughter. After two games, both officers and chiefs were tied at one game apiece. Thankfully, the enlisted guys were tired of watching from the sidelines, and they graciously offered to take on the chiefs and give the last six standing officers a break. While Ryan cooled off, I watched the volleyball game. It was truly a "Danger Zone" moment. (If you don't get it, go watch "Top Gun" and stop watching after the volleyball game.) It was getting late, so we drained our kayaks of the water that resulted from our one-man vessels being used as tandem kayaks, and we headed home.
If you've ever read Backpacker Magazine, you know about their "Parting Shot" moment. We had one today, and I think it perfectly captures the variety of the day's activities and the sentiment that we both share when we think of our time on Okinawa:
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