Thailand: Snorkeling Racha Island

The beautiful, clear waters off Racha Island. 

Pearl is not quite ready to snorkel, but she had fun trying on fins this morning!  We had to be out the door by 7AM to meet the driver who took us to where we would get on the boa. It was most definitely bright (and hot) and early!

It was about half an hour on the "speed boat" from the southern tip of Phuket to Racha Island. There we found beautiful, clear water and powdery soft sand. The kids were excited to find this big crab, and he actually grabbed Peregrine's fin and held on for a while! 

Do you think this boy was happy to be on a boat?

Another boy who was happy to be out on the water.
 

After swimming and snorkeling, it was time for lunch! This picture doesn't show how ridiculously hot we were!

There were several cats roaming around the outdoor restaurant, and the kids were thrilled. The staff saw how much they loved the cats and took them over to show them a mama with her little kittens, which the kids got to hold.

Pearl seems to make friends everywhere she goes! There are loads of Chinese tourists here, and they seem largely interested in taking selfies. Lots and lots of selfies. It's a wee bit amusing to watch.

This girl is just on the brink of becoming a little fish like her siblings! She's getting braver by the day. I think that by the next time we go snorkeling, Erik and I will have four strong swimmers and both be able to go out together. That will be fun. We usually take turns going out with whichever kids want to snorkel. I think the only time we've gotten to snorkel together was once when we were in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and my parents came down for a week. They watched the kids one day while we were all at the beach so we could go snorkeling together.

There were tons of fish just off shore, which made for very fun swimming and snorkeling. Peregrine and Poppy seem to love snorkeling as much as I do. It's such an incredible feeling to be swimming right along with fish we usually only see in aquariums!

On the way back to Phuket, tired, hot, and happy!

 We're so thankful for a fun day out on the water!