An Invader in the Carribean Reef

Red Lionfish, CC

Do you swim or snorkel when you cruise?  If so, you should know about a beautiful, yet dangerous species that has invaded the waters off Florida, in The Bahamas, and the Caribbean Sea.  It's the Red Lionfish.

Actually, two of the nine species of lionfish are spreading through these waters, but the red lionfist - or  Pterois volitans -  seems to be reproducing the most prolifically.

PROBLEMS associated with this species include the fact that they are venomous to humans, and that they pose an imminent threat to indigenous marine populations.  

Browse some beautiful Pictures of Tropical Fish - including the lionfish - and pick up a few tidbits of information in this article I recently wrote about fish you can see while snorkeling in the Caribbean.

A Cruising Lens of the Day on Squidoo

Those interested in finding web articles about cruising might try surfing over to Squidoo. I've written a few articles there. Squidoo calls them 'lenses,' though. So, Here's a bit of an explanation about Squidoo for those who aren't familiar with it. And then, I have some big news about that. (For me, anyway)

(Surfer Squid courtesy of GeekGreek's Squidoo Graphics lens.)

Here's the scoop on Squidoo.

It's fun, but a lot of work. It's a platform for sharing your knowledge on any subject you choose. You do so by writing articles, called lenses, each addressing a focused topic. In that respect, a lens is like a blog entry, but it goes a lot farther, and has more permanence to it, and I like that.

You can join Squidoo, become a lensmaster, and write lenses too. There's even a way to earn a little money doing it. Or, you can just read what others have written, and participate by commenting, rating, and sharing the lenses that interest you.

Now, My Big News

So far, I've published 18 lenses, about half of them on cruising. That's not many in the world of Squidoo. "Giant Squids" have published at least 50, and many of them over five times that.

HOWEVER, in spite of my small stature there, this squid-of-few-lenses recieved a high honor on March 1st. My Picking the Best Cabin for Your Cruise lens was chosen as the Lens of the Day - out of the tens of thousands of lenses there!

I hope you have a moment to give it a read ... or at least a scan. There's a couple of polls you can vote in, and a place for your comments at the end, too.

Finally, an apology and word of explanation to my regular readers.

Between getting my feet wet at Squidoo, and tending to my hubbys needs during two (minor) eye surgeries, time has been limited. So, please accept my apologies for my lack of attention to Cruising Musings in the last couple of weeks.

No, I'm not abandoning blogging for Squidoo, just trying to find a balance. I know you are all very well aware that there's only so much time in an on-line day!

I'll be referencing some of my Squidoo lenses in future blog entries, too, from time to time. I'll be doing quite a few cruise related lenses, so it's all good!