Leinster Bay and Waterlemon Cay

Today we ventured to a bay and cay off the beaten path. So far off the beaten path that you have to hike 0.8 miles from the parking lot just to get to Leinster Bay. The trail was very rocky, but it wasn't hilly. Most of the hike was in the shade, which was a blessing since there wasn't much wind today. The beach is in the far, far distance here:
After we unloaded all of our stuff, we headed straight into the water to cool off, and we hung out there to do a bit of snorkeling before lunch. There wasn't much to see right away in this bay, but patience is a virtue.

In the picture below, Waterlemon Cay is the island on the right. You could either swim out to the cay from the beach, or you could hike most of the way and then swim out to the cay. After lunch (also known as fuel), we went for the second option and hiked around the eastern edge of the bay for a shorter swim to Waterlemon Cay.

The snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay was truly awesome. A coral reef surrounds the entire island, and it was teeming with all sorts of fish. We took our time cruising around the island, and we eventually made our way to the trailhead to hike back to the Leinster Bay beach. This is when things got really exciting - a hawksbill turtle was grazing in the shallow waters just off the beach. I floated above this magnificent reptile for over 20 minutes, just watching it nibble on the sea grass. I could have watched the turtle for the rest of the afternoon.