Marty’s photo of the day #4515: Anyone who has read my first book, published in 2007, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, knows that I didn’t get along well with water. That changed in 2016, when Deb and I snorkeled with sea lions and octopuses in the Sea of Cortez. Better equipment combined with underwater photography made me forget that drowning was imminent and allowed me to lose myself in the moment.

Then, last month in Bonaire, with a better camera and twenty-six hour-long snorkel outings, I became totally hooked. Now, back in Montana, I so miss the feeling of stepping into the ocean, feeling that five seconds of cold, and then the perfect water temperature taking over. During each outing, my body felt as if it were in a sensory deprivation tank, while my eyes practically overloaded from all the dazzling colors.

I can’t wait to go again! Already we are researching a trip to Tahiti and the nearby islands of Moorea and Bora Bora, where we’ll have the opportunity to snorkel with sharks, rays, and, maybe, humpback whales. The latter will depend on weather conditions and how comfortable I feel swimming the required 200 yards in what could be choppy open ocean. To test that, we might squeeze in a short trip to Maui, so I can practice.

Today’s photo is a smooth trunkfish that I photographed off the coast of Bonaire.