Grand Cayman Day Two (Part 2)...

After leaving the turtle center, we headed back to the room to wash all the 'turtle' off and grab some lunch. We threw on clean swimsuits, and headed over to the Cayman Island Yacht Club.

Once we arrived, we hopped on board and set sail to a place called The Aquarium. This is a popular snorkeling spot because it is like jumping into a hidden aquarium that you have no idea is there until you peak your head under water. We saw a barracuda, a trumpet fish, a stingray, beautiful coral reef and lots of other colorful fish. Snorkeling is something our little family loves doing together. I think we could have all stayed in that one spot searching for ocean creatures all day long!





































After the captain rounded us up, he took us to Stingray City. Last time we were in the Caymans, we visited the stingray and there was no way we weren't going back. In fact, I would go back to Grand Cayman over and over again just to see these amazingly beautiful creatures.

They are everywhere and they are HUGE. They just swarm around you, tickling your feet, rubbing their wings all over your body. The water is shallow but because you are on a sandbar pretty far out, the water is a bit wild and tosses you about. We all kissed the stingray for our 7 years good luck and besides posing for pictures, Remi spent the entire time under water with the stingray. He loved them and we had to pry him out of the water!



















From here, we headed over to Starfish Point.

This is something we didn't do last time and so were super excited about. I have never caught or held a starfish before and it was so neat. I could have played with the little guys all day long. The bottom of their legs are covered in tons of little suction cups that will cling to you when you pick them up. Bringing them out of the water will easily kill them, so we had to keep them underwater. Everyone successfully found starfish and the kids had a blast stacking them up and seeing how many they could find- Remi was the winner with 18.

These red cushion sea stars cover these secluded shallow shores and they are absolutely fascinating!




























While hunting starfish, we spotted this harmless little jellyfish that disguises himsself as an algae covered rock...



For dinner we stopped off at Rum Point, docked the boat and had a yummy pizza dinner at Kaibo. We walked in through the sand barefoot, sat outside under the sunset and the kids played outdoor Jenga and cornhole while we had drinks and ate. It was a pretty neat little place!







After dinner, we got back on the boat for our last adventure of the day. You cannot visit the Cayman Islands and not make a stop in Bio Bay. We did this last time and it was even more magical this time around. The boys are older and so we were able to spend a good amount of time snorkeling in the dark night waters of the bay. These little bioluminescent organisms are almost impossible to catch on camera, so I didn't even try. I left my camera in my bag, threw on snorkeling gear and immersed myself in the glowing magic.

These little critters charge all day in the sun and so at night, they literally glow with any movement. It is like shimmering neon green glitter dancing throughout the water. It is seen best underwater with goggles, and though stirring these guys up can land you a sting or two, it is 100% worth every sting. I think only a few of us got stings and within 30 minutes they were gone.

My dark hair was the perfect backdrop for viewing the bioluminescents. As my hair floated in the water, it glittered all over, making me feel a bit like a magical mermaid! Arm hair is another place that you see them sparkle. If you run your hand through the water, is looks like someone has dumped a glow stick in the water. It really is as amazing as it sounds- put it on your bucket list and go see these magical sparklers!

Y'all, going on adventures is my most favorite thing to do with my children. There is nothing more fun than exploring, being amazed, getting excited and making memories like this with my boys. These are the times that they are truly in their element, experiencing the things that truly make them tick. I see the magic in their eyes, I hear it in their voices when they retell the stories, I read when they write about it in school.

We don't get time back with our little ones... take them out in this great big world and explore together!