OP
Wednesday
Today we were diving along sheer cliffs and you had to be careful not to swim into any danger zones. Rocks are hard and my body would be crushed if I let the waves push me into them. Also, my buddy was incredibly annoying on the first dive. I felt I was loosing my freedom and being bullied here and there. A quick talk with Dora and she and the crew agreed they would allow me some more latitude to dive solo. Our second dive found me going away from the group and doing my own thing. The mantas were amazing albeit too far to get any decent shot. I also encountered a number of those Giant Sea Bass. Unlike Jew Fish, they won't allow you to get close enough for a decent picture. I wonder if they gronk like their Atlantic cousins?
Again, when the night dive came around, I passed. I had more than enough fun during the day and was happy to relax with the other guests and learn about underwater signing from Suzy. She was a wealth of information and experience. If you get a chance to take her class: jump on it!
Unfortunately, when the divers got back from their night dive, catastrophe had struck. One of the divers had lost his Olympus when the housing opened up accidentally during the dive. They didn't notice it until they were on the way back in the Panga. We all decided that our first morning dive would be around that same point. Perhaps we'll luck out and find it!
This morning I awoke feeling fully energized. I had some wonderful dives, though I had managed to miss all the night dives. Mind you, I love night diving, but I know when to call it quits and so far, I had missed them all. As I got up to check my gear, I realized that today was pretty warm: exceptionally so. The kind of warm I expected from a desert. I should point out that my entire experience with deserts is watching National Geographic specials about them. I really didn't know what to expect, but I certainly liked this heat. It also appeared that the water was clearing up as well. Without the wind blowing all the sand and dust from the desert, the pervasive cloudiness was beginning to go away.
At breakfast I announced that I would not be diving with a wet suit. There were a number of people encouraging me to reconsider but they were the ones wearing 7 mil or even dry suits. I had already tested the water and it felt like a good ol' Florida Spring. With this heat, I was going to chance it and I was glad I did. There is nothing like having no protection to make you acutely aware of stingy things around you. I find that it actually encourages me to be a better diver.
Our four dives that day were spectacular. Wow. We saw some new variants of the Sea Star including an incredible red one. We even ran into a number of large green morays. I just love these guys, but I am not one to try and pet them. Pictures are great, but I don't manhandle wildlife. The water was noticeably clearer which helped to alleviate some of the frustrations I was feeling with the Intova. Without an external flash, I was having all sorts of problems. Try as I might to get good images, I found myself deleting most of the images underwater. I was in a pristine underwater wonderland and no way to get a great record of it.
At breakfast I announced that I would not be diving with a wet suit. There were a number of people encouraging me to reconsider but they were the ones wearing 7 mil or even dry suits. I had already tested the water and it felt like a good ol' Florida Spring. With this heat, I was going to chance it and I was glad I did. There is nothing like having no protection to make you acutely aware of stingy things around you. I find that it actually encourages me to be a better diver.
Our four dives that day were spectacular. Wow. We saw some new variants of the Sea Star including an incredible red one. We even ran into a number of large green morays. I just love these guys, but I am not one to try and pet them. Pictures are great, but I don't manhandle wildlife. The water was noticeably clearer which helped to alleviate some of the frustrations I was feeling with the Intova. Without an external flash, I was having all sorts of problems. Try as I might to get good images, I found myself deleting most of the images underwater. I was in a pristine underwater wonderland and no way to get a great record of it.
Today we were diving along sheer cliffs and you had to be careful not to swim into any danger zones. Rocks are hard and my body would be crushed if I let the waves push me into them. Also, my buddy was incredibly annoying on the first dive. I felt I was loosing my freedom and being bullied here and there. A quick talk with Dora and she and the crew agreed they would allow me some more latitude to dive solo. Our second dive found me going away from the group and doing my own thing. The mantas were amazing albeit too far to get any decent shot. I also encountered a number of those Giant Sea Bass. Unlike Jew Fish, they won't allow you to get close enough for a decent picture. I wonder if they gronk like their Atlantic cousins?
Again, when the night dive came around, I passed. I had more than enough fun during the day and was happy to relax with the other guests and learn about underwater signing from Suzy. She was a wealth of information and experience. If you get a chance to take her class: jump on it!
Unfortunately, when the divers got back from their night dive, catastrophe had struck. One of the divers had lost his Olympus when the housing opened up accidentally during the dive. They didn't notice it until they were on the way back in the Panga. We all decided that our first morning dive would be around that same point. Perhaps we'll luck out and find it!
