The Painted Memory: British Virgin Islands

When sailing through the BVI, snorkeling or scuba diving is #1 on the itinerary (only after raising a glass at Willy-T and The Soggy Dollar) - And this visit was no exception.
The Caribbean’s turquoise blue temptress called, and at every natural harbor we took advantage of the opportunity to discover the life below her surface. With its peacefully quiet lull, the underworld seemingly impairs some senses, while elevating others - forcing absolute focus by the eyes to absorb the activities around.

Just as one’s sight adjusts to the darkness, the initial plunge below hits you with intense saturation and blindingly vibrant colors. Minutes later, the acute awareness of a multitude of living organisms is ever apparent. Experiencing the exclamation of new discoveries with each blink.

Sea Fans swaying in concert with the current’s rhythm and speckled turtles lazily swimming by were just a small nod to the talent of an Almighty Creator.

My love for coral was tickled by the surprise exposition of the Elkhorn Coral. This king of coral some how had the great fortune of not meeting head to head with a dinghy's rudder, growing close to the ocean’ lip with a length of nearly four feet and width equally impressive.

Click to see examples
http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&orig_handle=skypilot39b&orig_number=72&handle=skypilot39b&number=70&album_id=35#slideanchor

The Elkhorn Coral reaches from as far north as Biscayne National Park, Florida to as far south as Venezuela with a great concentration in the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida Keys. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=11326705

Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) is considered to be one of the most important reef-building corals in the Caribbean. This species of coral is structurally complex with many large branches. The coral structure closely resembles that of moose antlers. These branches create habitats for many other reef species such as lobsters, parrot-fish, snappers, and other reef fish. Elkhorn coral colonies are incredibly fast growing with an average growth rate of 5 to 10 centimeters (2.0 to 3.9 in) per year and can eventually grow up to 3.7 meters (12 ft) in diameter. The color of this coral species ranges from brown to a yellowish-brown. This color is a result of the symbiotic zooxanthellae that live inside the tissue of this coral species. Zooxanthellae is a type of algae which photosynthesizes to provide the coral with nutrients.
http://www.freebase.com/view/en/elkhorn_coral