Something's in my Pants!!!

Okay... I have to admit that I have had a fear of the water since this whole trip. There is something dark and scary about the ocean. In order for me to get in the water, two conditions have to be met: the water must be bathtub temperature AND I must be able to see down to the bottom. Cabo San Lucas has been the only anchorage where the water was clear and semi-temp-tolerant. I swam a bit, snorkeled and had an overall BLAST! Since Cabo, the only body part of mine that has hit the water has been my big toe, except for the 2 times I jumped in and jumped right back out to cool off... Jim convincing me the whole time that NOTHING could possibly be in the water... after which 2 large rays and a 20' whale shark swam up to the boat. Okay... I know... they're harmless. BUT... they are still not "nothing"!

Isla Coyote in Bahíia Concepcíion is exceptional! Warm water at 84*, clear visibility, lots of clams and scallops... beautiful! So, I have been snorkeling everyday since we arrived! Today, Carolyne and I snorkeled and I picked up a lovely olive shell in perfect condition. I checked it over to make sure it was vacant and then put it in my long SPF30 swim pants since I didn't have a collection bag or pockets. Twenty minutes later I had an intensely sharp stinging sensation below my navel. I yelped, rolled down the elastic of my pants and low and behold... an octopus glared back up at me. I took him back to the beach and Carolyne filled her swim mask with water so we could observe him more closely. He was about an inch long and immediately shot off 2 ink blobs to show his irritation. He was incredible! He swam, climbed, stretched out, crab walked, pretended he was invisible in the corner... he was a lovely specimen! We "oohed" and "aahed" and then released him so he could be cute in the wild. I even tossed the olive shell back in case he wanted his home returned, too. I then swam back to "Windfall" to see to my wound... a large welt with a bloody middle, swollen in the shape of smashed baby octopus, maybe? It swelled some more, broke out in various welts and then an ugly rash. Lovely. I put a little Benadryl on the area, some James Bond femme fatale references were made, and I decided I was okay. How cool was that? I had an octopus in my pants!