Called in to the dogs today; Jess seems less confused and

Called in to the dogs today; Jess seems less confused and more enjoying my check in. Someone said returning home is just as good as going on trips - so true. I am just glad I prepared for this journey by acclimating at 11000 and 12000 feet. What a time us four had up there this summer!

Yesterday I swam out to the reef during the extreme full moon low tide, and had to use the channel the boats use to get out there. The hard coral was exposed and the channel was the only way to the reef edge. I think the reef is the most beautiful during these extreme low tides, especially when the sun is out. I swim in the blue with the reef towering above me, and the undersurface of the water shining. It is an amazing experience.

Photos and videos don't do justice to what it is like out there. I find it particularly difficult to get good ones in the middle of the day in bright sun, due to the high contrast between the sun and shade parts of the reef. But I keep trying.

Two orange clownfish with white stripes swimming among large, textured sea anemones on a coral reef

Bright orange and white clownfish swimming near coral in clear blue water above a reef

Two orange and white clownfish swimming above a sea anemone on a coral reef under clear blue water

Two orange and white clownfish swimming near the textured surface of a sea anemone in a coral reef

Two orange clownfish with white stripes swimming among soft coral under clear blue water

underwater view of a canoe's paddle cutting through clear blue water with sunlight reflections on the surface

Close-up low-angle view of the bow of a large blue boat towering over the water surface with a smaller white boat and distant mountainous islands in the background under a clear sky

Underwater view showing the shadowed underside of a boat with diffuse sunlight filtering through clear blue water

Colorful abstract illustration of various coral shapes in yellow, red, green, teal, and purple forming a continuous pattern