Trepidation crossed my path as I thought about the depths of that dark, cold, unforgiving ocean. So far, I?ve seen the splashes of six whales and maybe fifty dolphins racing with the ship. What else lurks in the 9000 foot depth somewhere off the coast of Cuba?

I wanted to swim with sea turtles, but the idea of jumping off a boat into freezing-cold water, as the clerk shared when I asked, didn?t sound appealing. But what the heck, it was only $10 US, so at least I could see a turtle from above in the boat if I chickened out. I?ve had the crystal warm waters for snorkeling, but then the opposite holds true as well. Never in my life have my teeth actually chattered as much as when I snorkeled in that cave in the Galapagos with Katherine.

While the boat set its anchor, I could see that nothing could stop me from jumping in. The turtles were right there in plain sight like they wanted some new playmates!