#marine-wildlife

#marine-wildlife

Quintana Roo is consistently Mexico's most-visited state. Travelers flock here for blue waters rich in snorkeling and dive sites, powder-soft sands, ancient Maya cities cocooned by jungle, and a proliferation of rowdy bars, clubs, and all-inclusive resorts. But as millions of sun-hungry travelers pack their bags for Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum this winter, remember there are still pockets of secluded paradise to be found and cherished along Mexico's Caribbean coastline.

Key Largo's John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first undersea park in the United States, remains one of the only places in Florida where you can snorkel or scuba dive among truly healthy coral. I've done the famed Christ of the Abyss dive here, finning through schools of blue tang and parrotfish grazing on brain coral, and it's one of the most awe-inducing underwater experiences in the state.

The sight of Morro Rock has greeted countless visitors to this part of California's Central Coast for centuries, from the European explorers who came to the area enticed by its calm waters, to the modern-day surfers who ride the swells that break outside the bay. Morro Bay was once a bustling port city that primarily dealt in the shipment of dairy and beef from the local ranches in the area.

"British sailors are being warned to be cautious after a sailboat was rammed by orcas off the coast of northern Spain, marking a rare incident in the Basque Country."

The bite occurred around 4:15 p.m. in the water at the Central Mall beachfront of Jones Beach State Park when an unidentified woman was bitten on her left foot and leg by "unknown marine wildlife." Jones Beach State Lifeguards and Emergency Medical staff transported her to Nassau County University Medical Center Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.