Xcalak Mexico ~ Beautiful experience although it was a cloudy day so the colors of the reef and fish don't come across as bright as they were, at the end of our snorkeling and this video it was actually raining when we came to the boat. Then the rains stopped and we went on a boat tour, but that's the next video... Mesoamerican Reef THE ATLANTIC OCEAN'S LARGEST CORAL REEF The Mesoamerican Reef is unique in the Western Hemisphere not only for its size, but also because of its array of reef types and luxuriance of corals. It hosts more than 65 species of stony coral and more than 500 species of fish, including the mammoth whale shark—the largest fish in the world. An ancient natural system dating back 225 million years, the reefs function as a natural barrier to storms and hurricanes and are critical to the survival of plant and animal species. Compared with many other parts of the Caribbean, the reefs here are in relatively good condition. The reef -- that stretches nearly 700 miles from the northern tip of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to the Bay Islands in northern Honduras -- is part of a larger interconnected system of currents and habitats that stretch throughout the Caribbean Basin and beyond and is one of the region's greatest natural assets. Its massive structure provides an important defense against storms and coastal erosion, while the living reef and associated ecosystems support recreation and commercial fishing. http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/mesoamericanreef/ musicc by Alexander Blu - Emptiness and Moderato