Day Eight: Great Day of Diving

This day was phenomenal:  to sum up: three dives.  #1 awesome!  I spotted a drummer and some other rare species.  I also got to use a spear gun for the first time and am proudly responsible for killing several lionfish, a destructive invasive species here.  I also got stung for the first time by jellyfish.  Fuckers.  Dive #2 unbelievable!  It was our fish ID dive.  Within the first fifteen minutes saw many grouper and lion fish and watched as Jayson, the island’s marine biologist fed the grouper the speared lion fish.  Then I got to spear!  We saw two nurse sharks, barracuda, were trailed by a romora, the funkiest looking fish ever, file fish, and so much more.  The third dive was okay, it was our navigation dive, but the sea in the afternoon is much choppier and makes for more difficult diving.  Still, it’s diving.  

Then we lounged on the island in the afternoon, made the local intern Harry shimmy up a palm tree for coconuts for us, played some volleyball, and settled in for an evening dinner of which we were pushed aside.  Trade Winds, a very lucrative and expensive sailing fleet bring their clients on the island every Tuesday for a three course meal, presentation, and drinks.  It got a bit rowdy but they finally went back to their vessels.  I sat in my room doing work as Chrissie and Courtney sat opposite me using the internet.  They’re definitely getting island fever and ready to get back to the States, not just the mainland.  It is unfortunate.  Two more full days to go.

I wasn't joking when I said Gabby's a little crazy.  She's a wonderful young woman and very adventurous, but very competitive and doesn't have much awareness for what's going on around her because she gets so excited and distracted by things.  Much of my diving was spent just following her around to make sure she didn't wander off too far.

 

 

Michelle is a badass and I adore her.  Enough said.

 

Classroom time.