Fantastic trip to Conception Island

We're now in Emerald Bay again - I know, wimps.....  We need to get laundry and groceries and more water.  Georgetown was nearly innaccessable to us as the wind is 18 gusting over 20 ESE and its so rough in Elizabeth Harbor for the dinghy that we decided to hide in here for a day or so on our way back up the Exuma chain.  Nice having some good internet and killer showers!

We got back from Conception 2 nights ago.  We were thrilled to have a reach for the way over and a reach for the way back!  Fantastic sailing and caught some fish both ways!  I met a couple from Newport in the anchorage there, they do turtle research and I managed to get the kids an to go along with them for tagging and capture.  You'll have to ask the kids about it, but they both thought it was one of the coolest things they have ever done.  There are a few pictures in the video below. 

At the end of the second day of turtle capture, Tyler and I went for a quick snorkel and we ended up swimming with a dolphin and her baby.  Of course I didn't have a camera with, but it was pretty amazing.  The checklist of undersea life over there included a 7 or 8 foot bull shark that made me do a bit of a Jesus immitation on my way out of the water back to the dinghy.  I have seen plenty of sharks in my diving career, but I have never seen a big one while snorkeling.  I felt a bit like a chubby fishing lure, splashing along at the surface.  Enlightening to realize that you could be on the menu for another apex predator...

Lex and I saw nurse sharks, spotted eagle rays, turtles, lobsters, and zillions of fish during our dives there.  The hiking and beach combing was great as well.  We all found some sea beans.  They are large seeds that float over to the eastern most shores in the Bahamas from mid coast Africa.  The locals polish one side of the "Hamburger Beans" and make a necklace.   It is believed to keep you from drowning.  We'll get a few pictures of them posted when we get them polished.