1st day in open water

Well this blog is brought to you by blistered fingers, a sunburned face, and one tired icy. BUT among all those seemingly negative the days experience was phenomenal!! Let me clarify that the blistered fingers were not from today, but from trying on multiple wetsuits yesterday (Bless the heart of the shop employee obviously thought I was smaller than I am). Neglect on my part lead to a slightly burnt face. I saw some amazing things today, a harbor seal playing in the water (something great to see underwater), a pisaster (purple seastar for you non scientific folk), a pycnapodia (sunstar), a "fried egg jelly", and a crab. I also was mentally naming the seaweeds that I saw underwater or on the beach as we were walking up to the staging area. Only minor problems seemed to plague me in the water like not being weighted enough, having hair caught in my masking making me need to clear it often, and sometimes not thinking through my clearing process fully (aww duh).