Merry Christmas everyone. I hope Santa brought you everything you wished for, and then some! He sure did here in Aruba! Today was dead calm, so we decided to go back to Mangel Halto. Because it is the best coral reef on the island, it’s where you want to be if the weather permits, and Santa delivered.

When we got to Mangel Halto, the water was the calmest I’ve seen any Aruban water. Completely flat, with next to no movement! Unreal – so we suited up and jumped in. We literally did not have to swim; a small kick of the fins was more than enough to move around. We got to explore the reef like never before.

Lots of fish to see and watch. The best thing we saw is one that has eluded us everywhere we’ve been. We saw a seahorse! Yep, first time ever, in any water. Very very cool. They look so frail, easily blown by the barest shimmer of a wave. That will be a highlight of this trip, and something Pam will talk about over and over, I’m sure!

There were some octopus we saw in the very shallow part of the reef and it was cool to see him use his jet propulsion close up like that.

We saw a fish called a butter hamlet, something we rarely see. This might be only the second or third time we’ve seen a hamlet, but the first time for this type. It’s always cool to see new fish, even after hundreds of snorkeling trips!

We decided to eat out tonight – give the cook a break, and all that. We went to the Chinese place called New Wei Tai and it was pretty good. Service was good, even though the place had a very large party going on. A nice way to end the evening.