Unlike most of the other creatures that were in the tank with me, Undulated Moray Eels are not found in the warm waters of the Atlantic ocean. Instead, they’re found in coral reefs between the coasts of Indonesia and Japan, as well as off the coast of Hawaii. But, much like Green Moray Eels, Undulated Moray Eels also have a thin layer of protective mucus covering their body, which was why I was so surprised that the Undulated Moray Eel brushed up right against me, not once, but twice. 

Shortly after my second close-encounter with the eel, I had another close encounter with a large Yellowtail Snapper, who brushed up against my left hand as I drifted above a rock formation. Within that same rock formation was the Green Moray Eel from earlier, still hissing at everything and everyone who dared to swim by. But, much like what happened during my encounter with the Red Snapper, the Cownose rays returned to scare away the Yellowtail Snapper. 

I followed the Cownose rays with my eyes as they glided over the tunnel portion of the tank, where a huge Shovelnose shark was hanging out, draped over the tunnel like a blanket. While the shark was about twenty feet long, it was completely harmless to me.

Shovelnose sharks do not have huge, wide jaws like other types of sharks do. Instead, they have mouths similar to those of rays, which they use to eat small creatures off the seabed. They’re also very rare and elusive in the wild, with a limited range off the coast of Southern California down to the Baja Peninsula. Seeing one so large and so up-close- while it was merely at the aquarium- was absolutely stunning! 

In fact, everything I saw in the water at the aquarium was amazing! Sure, it wasn’t quite as impressive as snorkeling in the ocean somewhere. But, my 45 minutes drifting around a 250,000-gallon saltwater tank with hundreds of different species was more than enough to reawaken my love for snorkeling. 

To be continued…