Tuesday, May 5. 2009
a scuba diving lesson relearned (or maybe a few!)
Yesterday morning we had ham and cheese souffles in the pouring rain..
This morning we woke up to BLUE skies! We made our way over to Maho for some play time, walking on the beach and snorkeling, I was in the galley making pizza sauce and in my pajamas (like that is new...) when I was yelled at to grab my camera and get in the water. So I did. There were dolphins, right underneath and around out boat...That is, until I got in the water and this is the only picture I took. It does NOT LOOK like a dolphin to me it doesn't!
We stayed most of the day here, We had attempted to go to See N Ski boat rentals to hire a fishing boat for at least one day, but the guy did not want to let them out today with the weather forecast. The weather was a million percent better then yesterday.... There were birds and fish jumping everywhere and a few of the guys settled for going out in our dinghy for a couple hours this afternoon fishing. I bet their bums were square when they returned!
It was time then for a late afternoon sail up to West End on Tortola. We tacked back and forth all the way up every 7 minutes. Brent has now decided that he does not want to be a grinder!!! I pulled sails once and then defaulted to making strawberry margaritas and Coladas and sweet and sour meatballs!
I have been big into the blender this week. Some of the women like my moccha frappucino's so I made large iced blended of those every morning, then a couple others decided that ALCOHOLIC Moccha Frappucino's would be EVEN better, and I started making those. Now a couple who were not having anything decided that chocolate milkshakes would suit them fine, so the blender is just a whirring!
I managed to get my payroll done today as well as answer some emails so it was fairly productive.
I however, was feeling the need for a swim, and this dive turned into what Simeon called a "leveling experience" as a DIve INstructor. I often drift dive down and around Little Thatch and Great Thatch, the currents in that area are wicked. We just about had rain coming on this, and my plan had been to jump in the water up by the east end of the island, dive down the inside so after they anchored at West End, someone could come get me easily in the dinghy. I forget that I am 225 lbs and almost 50, not 125 lbs and 20!! (when did that happen?) I jumped in off the back of the boat and quickly realized the current was going to be taking me up not down Little Thatch, and I did not have much island left there to go "up" I went back up and yelled at the boat that the current was going the other way so they could find me.
Oh, I know, you are counting up the lazy complacent mistakes I am making by the dozen already aren't you?? Anyways, the current was strong and the viz was bad. Found a little Hog Fish anyways...
Tried to slow myself down so I did not get swept away into nowhere. Saw the largest school of Angel Fish I have ever seen here in the BVI. THere must have been 70 of them and they were amazing!
Then, I got the sneezes. I sneezed 27 times under water. Trying to keep my place in the current, and hang onto my camera...DId see a sting ray though!
Then, I hit a corner and the current stopped and I breathed a sigh of relief...kick about 20 feet and the current comes back the other way just as strong. I think the tide has changed and that is good, so I start going back the other way. Well, I had about 12 feet in between the two current lines and they were both throwing me on a down current as well, and I did not want to be down at 80 feet right about then! I saw a Mackerel!
I pulled myself up near the surface hand over hand (still camera in hand) at the power cable that goes from Thatch to Tortola. I could not let go. Did my safety stop, and (key laugh track here...) then I had a major case of diarrhea. If you can get a mental picture of this performance in your head it just really was not that funny if you were me! Now, the seas pick up, it becomes quite gray and I don't hear our dinghy coming anywhere. I hung onto that cable for about 25 minutes and then knew that my escape plan was sitting underneath the no anchoring sign on Little Thatch, so I rocked and rolled with my camera through the waves and surf, pulling myself hand over hand up onto the beach. I took off my gear, put my camera to the side, and basically caught my breath, while i waited for the dinghy to come get me. I was exhausted, not to mention sobered and lucky to be alive and not floating out to sea somewhere! I won't tell you all the mistakes here, but believe me, I will now change a couple things about my solo diving! This is a picture I took of me waiting to be picked up...
The tarpon are non existent, the wind is howling again and it is raining, so after dinner it was an early bed time.
This morning we woke up to BLUE skies! We made our way over to Maho for some play time, walking on the beach and snorkeling, I was in the galley making pizza sauce and in my pajamas (like that is new...) when I was yelled at to grab my camera and get in the water. So I did. There were dolphins, right underneath and around out boat...That is, until I got in the water and this is the only picture I took. It does NOT LOOK like a dolphin to me it doesn't!
We stayed most of the day here, We had attempted to go to See N Ski boat rentals to hire a fishing boat for at least one day, but the guy did not want to let them out today with the weather forecast. The weather was a million percent better then yesterday.... There were birds and fish jumping everywhere and a few of the guys settled for going out in our dinghy for a couple hours this afternoon fishing. I bet their bums were square when they returned!
It was time then for a late afternoon sail up to West End on Tortola. We tacked back and forth all the way up every 7 minutes. Brent has now decided that he does not want to be a grinder!!! I pulled sails once and then defaulted to making strawberry margaritas and Coladas and sweet and sour meatballs!
I have been big into the blender this week. Some of the women like my moccha frappucino's so I made large iced blended of those every morning, then a couple others decided that ALCOHOLIC Moccha Frappucino's would be EVEN better, and I started making those. Now a couple who were not having anything decided that chocolate milkshakes would suit them fine, so the blender is just a whirring!
I managed to get my payroll done today as well as answer some emails so it was fairly productive.
I however, was feeling the need for a swim, and this dive turned into what Simeon called a "leveling experience" as a DIve INstructor. I often drift dive down and around Little Thatch and Great Thatch, the currents in that area are wicked. We just about had rain coming on this, and my plan had been to jump in the water up by the east end of the island, dive down the inside so after they anchored at West End, someone could come get me easily in the dinghy. I forget that I am 225 lbs and almost 50, not 125 lbs and 20!! (when did that happen?) I jumped in off the back of the boat and quickly realized the current was going to be taking me up not down Little Thatch, and I did not have much island left there to go "up" I went back up and yelled at the boat that the current was going the other way so they could find me.
Oh, I know, you are counting up the lazy complacent mistakes I am making by the dozen already aren't you?? Anyways, the current was strong and the viz was bad. Found a little Hog Fish anyways...
Tried to slow myself down so I did not get swept away into nowhere. Saw the largest school of Angel Fish I have ever seen here in the BVI. THere must have been 70 of them and they were amazing!
Then, I got the sneezes. I sneezed 27 times under water. Trying to keep my place in the current, and hang onto my camera...DId see a sting ray though!
Then, I hit a corner and the current stopped and I breathed a sigh of relief...kick about 20 feet and the current comes back the other way just as strong. I think the tide has changed and that is good, so I start going back the other way. Well, I had about 12 feet in between the two current lines and they were both throwing me on a down current as well, and I did not want to be down at 80 feet right about then! I saw a Mackerel!
I pulled myself up near the surface hand over hand (still camera in hand) at the power cable that goes from Thatch to Tortola. I could not let go. Did my safety stop, and (key laugh track here...) then I had a major case of diarrhea. If you can get a mental picture of this performance in your head it just really was not that funny if you were me! Now, the seas pick up, it becomes quite gray and I don't hear our dinghy coming anywhere. I hung onto that cable for about 25 minutes and then knew that my escape plan was sitting underneath the no anchoring sign on Little Thatch, so I rocked and rolled with my camera through the waves and surf, pulling myself hand over hand up onto the beach. I took off my gear, put my camera to the side, and basically caught my breath, while i waited for the dinghy to come get me. I was exhausted, not to mention sobered and lucky to be alive and not floating out to sea somewhere! I won't tell you all the mistakes here, but believe me, I will now change a couple things about my solo diving! This is a picture I took of me waiting to be picked up...
The tarpon are non existent, the wind is howling again and it is raining, so after dinner it was an early bed time.
SailDiveBVI- Kerry's personal blog
Calendar
Quicksearch
Syndicate This Blog
Powered by
