Finding Nemo!

So Wednesday was to be our touristy day of snorkeling, souvenir shopping and touring the town.  We set up for a fisherman to take us out to Prison Island, just off the harbor of Stone Town, and after about an hour ocean ride in a small fishing boat floating through crystal clear turquoise water, we arrived.  There were about six of the same boat hovering around the expansive reef around the island, so we took the back edge of the reef and had a field day.  As wonderful as snorkeling in Costa Rica was, this far surpassed it.  The fish swam around us as if we were one of them.  Oh! And I found Nemo!  I was following this really pretty black and gold fish (obviously a Sigma Nu fish) when I saw a clown fish hanging around an anemone.  Although the clown fish here are more black and orange with a little white, they’re unmistakable and upon a closer look, I found Marlon and his wife (who was not in fact eaten by the shark) and then in the back corner of the anemone there was little Nemo, a baby clownfish no bigger than the size of a small paper clip.  Anyways, the aquatic life was amazing, and I can’t wait to get a book of tropical Indian Ocean fish so that I can be a dork and identify all the fish I saw.  Finally, I was amazed by the urchins.  All the urchins that I’ve experienced are an ugly brown color but these were jet black with a button-like middle that was neon orange encircled by five white dots.  It was terrifyingly beautiful; I still stayed far away.