Paradise Cove - Freeport, Bahamas

After pulling into the second port at Freeport on Grand Bahama, we were "blessed" with sapphire blue skies and sunshine.  I will explain my reasoning behind the quotation marks surrounding the word blessed as the story unfolds.  After departing from the confines of the ship, we found the meeting area for the shuttle to Paradise Cove.  After snorkeling the day before, I wanted to get an underwater disposable camera for this round, so I ran off to one of the nearby tourist huts to acquire one!  Once the shuttle arrived, we drove across the open flats of the island for a few clicks until we made our way down a small road to a slice of paradise.  The gentlemen of Paradise Cove gave all us sea-faring snorkelers our run-down on the equipment and how-to's, we were free to grab an adult beverage at the Red Bar or lounge about until everyone was ready.  At this critical moment, we all were advised to put on sun block before entering the water.  Applying teamwork to this task, my dad and I donned sun block and were ready to hit the crystal clear waters for exploring the underwater treasures of Deadman's Reef!

In case you all were wondering, sun block has a shortened lifespan when one plays about in the water.  I was having such a great time among the Deadman's Reef with all the sea creatures from stingrays to barracudas and dozens of bright fish I lost track of time.  After I had my share of snorkeling, I took to the sandy beach with a Bahamian beer and thought I should even my prospective tan out on the front side of my body.  Once we returned to the ship, I found out that my application of sun block expired much before my snorkeling session and with direct sunshine in the clear waters of Paradise Cove, I was a vibrant shade of red.