Tuesday, September 1

Bubble, Bubble

I saw a dolphin and sort of saved two lives today. I'm happy.

Carvel Rock and Grass Cay were on the menu for dive sites today. What a show! During the first dive, I hopped in the water and started guiding the way through a canyon between two rocks out at Carvel. I peered down and saw a lobster. Neat! The dive continued, past amazing views of corals, fish, sea feathers, huge file fish, parrot fish, some I haven't figured out how to identify just yet, but they were neat parrot fish. We circled around Carvel Rock and towards the end of the dive, two of my divers surfaced, a ways off from the boat. One was out of air and a little too buoyant after breathing through most of his tank. The other was just plain low on air and was still a good 150-200 yards to the boat. I'd just checked his air (I literally had grabbed his console to check for myself since his hand signals were hard to interpret), and he'd had 1100 psi not 10 minutes earlier. It was strange that after swimming along, without much current, he'd sucked the tank nearly dry. These things do happen. He did mention he was a heavy breather... After confirming all was okay, I helped tow him back to the boat. As we were nearing the boat, we saw a DOLPHIN! It's rare and a real treasure to see a dolphin in these waters. Wow! It leaped into the air, appearing to dive over the ladder (lovely visual illusion). Several divers swam in the direction of the dolphin while others offed their tanks in time to jump back in with just masks and snorkels to get a closer look. Fantastic. I stayed on the boat, as the newbie (at least one crew has to be on the boat at all times, I think). People do love to see dolphins, especially when they're in the water- I'm no exception. The tips today were also evidence of just how happy folks were to see the beautiful dolphin streaming through the water.

Just as I finished switching over some 11 or 12 sets of gear to new tanks, we pulled up to the second site, Grass Cay. Another fantastic site full of all that the Caribbean has to offer underwater. I can't get enough of these reefs. Nothing beats being prepared for a dive in the ocean. Rather than get into the specifics of how two folks could have enjoyed their dive(s) better, let me just make a plug and reminder for maintaining ones gear and performing final buddy checks before getting in the water. Having a clear mask and a first stage with all the hose connections tight is just as important if not more important than wearing a bathing suit. That said, the dive went well. During the second dive, I helped two divers in situations that could happen to anybody. Using experience and training, I interrupted their dives when it became necessary, and helped them back to the boat calmly and safely. Back on the surface and on the boat, both thanked me and appreciated my efforts to keep them happy and safe, even if it meant blowing fewer bubbles on the bottom. It feels great to help people!

But wait, there's more! Coming back to the bay, we tied up the boat and started filling-in everyone back at the shop about our dolphin sighting. There were some green faces (envy, not seasickness). There is great exercise to be gained from carrying tanks across a sandy shore. I can appreciate carrying the tanks for not only having something to breathe later, but also for keeping me prepared for whatever adventure finds me next. (Despite pig-outs of Mahi-Mahi sandwiches, chocolates, and tropical drinks, I'm still relatively svelt.) Today I must have made folks on the boat quite happy- I've been requested to dive again with them on Thursday! Insert cheers and hoorahs here. I'm excited to get on the boat again soon and see more beautiful water, from the bottom, up.

Later in the day...

There's nothing more thirst quenching than the drink you're craving when you're parched. Sometimes it may just be plain water. For me, tonight, it was a limey drink. I felt like a Lime & Coconut from The Beach Bar would hit the spot. On second thought, once I walked all the way down the hill and got to iScream, the Key Lime Smoothie sounded much better. For a 16oz. $6 smoothie, my thirst was quenched. I love feeling like I'm drinking key lime pie. At home, to make something similar, I might mix about one or two cups vanilla frozen yogurt or vanilla ice cream, 1 cup margarita mix, some lime juice/pulp, and ice. For an adult version, throw in one or two shots of rum. It's good.

I'm going to see if I can finish my reading of Grandma Raised the Roof tonight. Tomorrow, I will conquer a supreme day at the park, wrapping up my last week with as much gusto as possible.