Cruise Pictures -- & Commentary -- From Aruba

Here are I go into the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. This was in Aruba's "Bay of California" so named for the California lighthouse that sits on shore nearby.

Coral and tropical fish in the Bay of California. Look closely under that rock.

These little fellas are quite interested in me. Snorkelers frequently feed these tropicals. Most snorkel guides will provide some bread or tortillas. Just in case bring a hard roll off the breakfast buffet.

The "Antilla". I must say this was one of the most extraordinary snorkel trips I've ever done. The Antilla, A German supply ship went down at the beginning of World War II. Read the story about it at my blog.

This snorkel was eerie and exhilarating. You can almost see the action as this ship sinks. The captain giving the order to abandon ship. Sailors jumping over the railings to swim to the Aruba. Dutch marines on shore to take the POW's into custody.

I was deeper when I took this picture.

Some of you have asked about the condition of this shipwreck after that many years in the water. This vessel is still quite stout. In fact, our snorkel catamaran was tied off on one of these railings.

This ship is massive. Over 400 feet. I tried to get a shot of that here.

Because the Antilla sank over a shelf, part of it is in very swallow water while part of it is deeper. This is a photo of the shallow end. Near here the ship actually breaks the surface of the water. (Next photo.) I loved the school of fish you can see in this photo. They seemed to move as one. It reminded me of the sequence in Disney's "Finding Nemo". If you have youngsters, you'll understand.

A roost for seagull's. The only part of the Antilla that did not sink.

Grandpa and I heading back. Grandpa did not snorkel. Instead he decided to partake of the complimentary adult libations.

I was hoping the camera would capture what I was seeing. Here there is a complete rainbow around the sun. I have never seen anything like that before. Clearly, it was a day of firsts. The great thing is when you cruise frequently with enrichment programs cool stuff is always happening to you. Get started on this life... get my Speak On Cruise Ships program.

From the dock of the snorkel catamaran. Notice another pirate ship replica?