Traditional rock walls divide the island into a patchwork of small paddies. We could have been in the Caribbean, but the scenery was a slight giveaway. We came ashore on a hot, white sand beach with beautiful teal blue water. Inisheer was equally as pleasant for our landing in the afternoon. But the ship was ready to reposition after guests enjoyed an exploration of the ‘Seven Churches’ (guests were warned that there are not, in fact, seven churches) and Dún Aonghasa (Fort of Aengus) on Inishmore. Add to that the crawling diversity of sea stars, the searching tube feet of sea urchins, and the creepy crawly legs of sea spiders and sheep’s head crabs, and the divers weren’t ready to come up at the end of their dive. The area was abundant with diverse forms and colors. Large boulders were covered in red algae, colourful anemones, cup corals, tunicates, and sponges. The sea floor was covered in dense stands of Laminaria pinnatifida kelp, which hid a treasure trove of life. This gave the undersea team high hopes for a life-filled, underwater exploration, and they were certainly not disappointed. The Aran Islands are exposed to the open Atlantic Ocean on the west side, meaning that the marine habitats are flushed with cold, oxygenated, nutrient-rich oceanic waters by the tides on a twice daily basis. Another day basking in beautiful sunshine on the golden-green west coast of Ireland. We are certainly enjoying the luck of the Irish on this voyage. National Geographic Explorer Inishmore and Inisheer, Aran Islands, Ireland
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