UNDER THE SEA

I have always wanted to go scuba diving. Yet, I have a fear of fish. I know, I know. It's silly to be scared of fish.

I'm not scared of the big guys like whales or even the sharks really. I'm scared of just normal every day fish. Even those that are in the pet stores that they sell for home aquariums.

But, I still love to look at them.

I took my Girl Scout Troop to the Aquarium today and I got to enjoy all the critters under the sea. I didn't even have to learn to scuba dive.

Like this Tiger Shark. I think she is so cute. I love the dots. She is so in fashion.

Did you know sharks lay eggs? Here they have taken live eggs and actually peeled away part of the shell so you can see the baby inside.

No, they didn't hurt the baby. You can even see the babies moving around inside and breathing.

I actually touched this guy. He is very slimy feeling.

Whenever I see a stingray now I can't help but think about The Crocodile Hunter and how one of these actually killed him.

Of course, the aquarium removes all the stingers off the tail so no one can get hurt.

I did enjoy all the different kinds of sharks they had. There is something so eerie about sharks.

I adore the jelly fish and how they come in so many different shapes and colors.

This guy creeps me out. Can you picture yourself under the water and this big guy gets hold of you and those suckers won't let you go!

They have several open aquariums that you can touch the different kinds of sea life.

They also had these beautiful birds. They were all around and would land on you if you had purchased some nectar for them to drink.

I reached up to let one get on me so I could bring it to the girls and of course it bit me. Not hard really and not enough to make me pull away. I used to have birds so I don't get scared by their bite.

It finally came to me. But, it flew away pretty quickly. So, we had to break down and buy the nectar.

They also had some wild looking frogs.

No! This was not our lunch! However, I'm sure many people there wish it could have been their lunch. This guy was huge!

This eel was something that made me happy I wasn't under the water with it. A cross between a fish and a snake. What could be worse?

This is the underside of a stingray. I think they look like they smile all the time. They are actually very friendly. Unless they feel threatened. They will whip their tail up and sting you.

Doesn't this look fake? The colors of these fish were out of this world.

My favorite was actually the Sea Horses. I could watch them forever.

I had no idea there were so many different kinds of Seahorses. These were a bright orange. Everything you see here is real. Again, the colors are amazing.

Can you see the Seahorse here? Look closely.

He is swimming upside down. Can you see him now? He sure can blend in well with all the plant life.

These strange looking guys are also Seahorses.

It's when I see things like I saw today, I think to myself that maybe I could get over my fear and actually go diving. I'm sure it would be like going to another world.

Then I think about it again... octopuses, eels, sharks...no thanks. I'll stay on land and just go visit the Aquariums.