And it's hit!

Dive 999 brought us to Blue Holes.  We were once again let off the leash by Robin, our DM, and given the opportunity to dive our dive.  We don’t ask for much, just for an hour under water!

We saw the ubiquitous disco clams, a hawksbill turtle and several squarespot anthias on the dive.  The exploration in the cave was unhurried and pleasant, and then we drifted down towards Blue Corner.  Very, very pleasant.  The only bad part was the fact that my mask kept fogging over, and I spent a good part of the dive blowing my nose. The stinging in my eyes was not fun!  I may have to stop using my eye cream until the dive is over, since that may be what was causing the stinging, and for me to make faces.  Making faces does not let you seal your mask!

Dive 1000 started with my primary dive computer telling me I had too much nitrogen in my blood stream.  I was more than a little perplexed - my backup dive computer showed me as in the green, and I dived the same profile as Wayne (same dive computer) and both his computers read thumbs up.  There was a recall notice on the Hollis before we left for Palau, I wonder if this is what caused the recall.

Anyway, we hooked in at the mouth of the channel for about an hour, and then we took off on a seven minute ride through the channel.  We were going at the speed I remembered from my first trip to Palau - it was wonderful.  Since it is grouper mating season, there were groupers all over the channel.  Amazing.  And very few titan triggerfish (yay!)

When we got to the surface, my BC wouldn’t hold air.  I was glad I had dropped to six pounds.  It turns out that there is a hole in the bladder of my travel wings.  Dive Gear Express does not sell bladders, so I will have to contact Dive Rite when we return home.  I think that the bladder was weakened on our Kona dive trip when my SS1 kept hyper inflating the BC.

On our way back to the shop, my hooded vest flew off the boat and sank to the bottom of the lagoon.  :(  Seems like gear failure is a theme this year.  O-rings, hoses, computers, bladders, lost equipment.  Oh well, they are just things.  I’m glad we invest in redundant equipment.

Our final dive of the day was the Helmet Wreck.  The condition of the wreck continues to deteriorate (you almost cannot recognize the helmets as being helmets), and the surveying equipment we saw last summer is still on the wreck, tripod, lines and all.  We searched in vain for the crocodile scorpionfish.  Maybe some other time.  There was a spiny pufferfish and a batfish, so at least some life still exists on the wreck. 

I always feel like I have inhaled dirt after that dive - a shower at the shop is going to be very much appreciated.

We are planning on four dives tomorrow with our British PADI instructor counterparts.  It should be an interesting day - we haven’t done a four tank shore based dive schedule in years.

We headed out to WCTC for benedryl, as both Wayne and I were having difficulty sleeping thanks to the itching of our bug bites.  I expect sleep to be somewhat better tonight.  

The celebratory dinner was at (naturally) the Taj.  I finally had the lobster curry masala - it was magnificent.  The Taj really is my absolute favorite restaurant in the world.  Too bad it takes such a long time to get there.  Robert gave us free t-shirts at the end of our meal, plus a complimentary dessert.  Oh, I think I may explode!  Happy, happy girl.

Inching towards 1000

The first order of business this morning was making sure we were able to check out of the Carolines and secure better accommodations.  Especially since we woke up with a new spate of bug bites all over the parts of our bodies that touched the sheets.  Wayne found and killed a bug in the bed.  He thinks it was fleas.  I think I am dousing the luggage with anti bed bug juice when we get home, and washing all our clothes in hot water.  Thank goodness we didn’t really unpack our bags.

Blessedly, the staff at Fish ’n Fins responded to my voice mail as soon as they were in, and we had reservations secured at the Sea Passion before 8:30 am.  Our bags were packed and ready to go, and we checked out following breakfast.  We had another divemaster join us, Loreen, who regaled us of tales from the 2d ID.  She was a 75B, so she immediately won my allegiance, as my 75B when I was a company commander was the sizzle fashizzle.  

Although the breakfasts were good, they have been somewhat small for diving days.  I think we are in calorie deficit right now despite all our best efforts at the Taj last night.  And the bentos that are made by the staff at FnF.  I am planning on trying a different bento each day in order to figure out which I like the best!

I really am quite impressed with this dive operation. Can’t wait to see the liveaboards when they are back in, which should be this Saturday.

Our first dive today (997!) was Big Drop Off.  We found two of the pipefish that inhabit the red wire coral, but alas, no longnose hawkfish.  Those guys have been in short supply over the past year, I am hoping they were not wiped out by Bopha several years ago.  Given the amount of destruction inflicted upon Peleliu, I can only imagine that it is possible.  We also saw a turtle with a very healthy shell, dozens of rainbow runners, blue and gold fusiliers, and a few square spot anthias.  Nice drift along the wall once we turned around.  I really think Wayne and I could become Palau Ping Pong Dive Instructors at this point.

Our second dive was at Ngerchong Outside.  I had never been there before.  Speaking to the damage Bopha wreaked on Peleliu’s eastern shores, Ngerchong suffered a similar fate.  The dive took us out on a wild ride in the deep blue, where we encountered a few grey reef sharks, and an eagle ray just begging to be photographed.  There was enough out in the blue to make you forget the condition of the reef behind you.  A very enjoyable dive, and the ride in the current was quick and fun.

Two of our fellow divers were interested in a third tank, but we needed to make sure we were checked in at the Sea Passion, so we passed until tomorrow.  But there will be three dives tomorrow, and very possibly on Thursday.  Lupin, the dive cat, agrees with that assessment, provided we furnish her sashimi.

We got to the Sea Passion, and were checked into a Deluxe Ocean View room on the newly renovated second floor.  I have to remember to ask for room 201 in the future - laminate flooring, an organized, efficient bathroom, and a desk!  Of course, the wifi from 3G plus was not working, but they now have an internet lounge.  You hand them your device, they enter the password, and it’s smooth (albeit slow) sailing from there.  It’s frustrating to not have the better, faster 3G Plus wifi network, but it’s a Taiwanese satellite issue.  C’est la vie.

We went to the Fuji restaurant for dinner, first time for me, because the Japanese restaurant under Sam’s was closed.  It was completely empty when we entered, but shortly afterwards a group of 35 came in (Japanese students) and the joint was hopping.  The sashimi was absolutely wonderful, fresh, and tasty.  And the service, despite the large group, was great.  A place to come again.

And we have landed

We got into the airport last night a little bit early.  Staff from Fish ’n Fins was awaiting our arrival, but no one was there from the Carolines to greet us and bring us to the hotel.  When we got in to our cabin, the room was very hot and sweat inducing.  We modestly unpacked (mostly unpacking our dive gear), and finally went to bed.  I fell asleep sometime after midnight, and awoke at 3 am, shivering as the room had finally cooled off.  We wound up staying awake at that point, and getting ourselves ready for breakfast and the dive day.  The view from our cabin was beautiful, and the skies were welcoming our arrival back to Palau.  Howver, we were covered in bites of some sort, not entirely too sure what did it, as I heard no mosquitos last night.  And, as breakfast was served, gnats began to swarm around our little cabin.  We are the only ones here, so I have no idea as to whether or not it happens in the other cabins.

The driver from Fish ’n Fins was early!  We were ready to go, though, so off we went.

We dove with Robin, who is deemed a senior divemaster and expert on local history.  He was very interesting and entertaining during the trip.  As we headed towards Ngemlis Coral Garden (aka Dexter’s Wall), he told us about why the turtles in Palau had such clean shells - apparently they brush up against the soft corals, which scrape any debris off of the shell.  We got to see one in action on the Ngemlis dive!  There were many turtles on the dive, to include a hawksbill and green sea turtle sitting butt to butt.  Plus I got to see my very first leopard shark!!

I want to take a minute to rave about the boat designed by Navot Bornovski (co-owner and marine engineer).  There are rows of seats, each of which has 3 tank slots in front of it.  Divers suit up in their seat, and then roll into the water without having to rush and jockey for position on one of two entry locations.  The ladders are not terribly short, and the larger boats have a railing that goes into the boat, providing more stability.

Loved it.

Our second dive of the day was at an old favorite - Blue Corner.  We timed the dive trip to be between the half moon and full moon this summer so that we could get the good currents on the channel dives, and see big critters.  Unfortunately, Blue Corner didn’t get the memo!  Almost no sharks, and ping pong current (those who have dived w/Joedyn know what I’m talking about).  We did see a lot of jacks, and some really big chevron barracuda, and I was befriended by the Napoleon wrasse after doing the “Gee, do I have an egg?” trick.  We also noticed a lot of feeding anemones on the corner today as well.

Robin was very good to us - we had some novices diving in the boat with us, and he briefed a 45 minute dive at both locations.  I must have made a sad face, because he said that some of us were very experienced, and he would be happy to let us stay down without him to finish up the dive at an hour.  Yay!  All of our divemasters were very good that way, shepherding the inexperienced, and giving those of us with experience a little leeway.  

On our trip home, Robin diverted the travel a big to show us some sea snakes up on dry land - he also admonished us that they might even be in the trees and fall down on top of us.  Ick.

We returned to the Carolines only to discover that they had turned off our air conditioning during the day.  Since our room gets all the afternoon sunlight, you can imagine how hot it was.  Probably over 100 degrees.  And we couldn’t turn on the air conditioning.  It seems that the units are old, and you have to hold the button a long time and press hard.  Even after 2 1/2 hours with the air on, the room had not cooled down.  We decided on the way to dinner to cut our losses, and change hotels.  I called Fish ’n Fins and left a message - after we talked with the front desk.  They were very concerned about us leaving, but we really couldn’t stay there any longer.  We are hoping to get the Sea Passion tomorrow morning.

Dinner was at the Taj - a favorite place of ours.  The favorite place of ours. Robert and his staff were warm and welcoming, and we thoroughly enjoyed our supper. 

Heading back to Palau for post-1L play

Well, here we go again!  This is Wayne’s fifteenth time, and my tenth.  We are going to be diving Well, here we go again!  This is Wayne’s fifteenth time, and my tenth.  We are going to be diving with a different outfit this time, Fish 'n Fins, and we are staying at the Carolines.  We are excited to be trying something new, and will keep you all up to date!with a different outfit this time, Fish 'n Fins, and we are staying at the Carolines.  We are excited to be trying something new, and will keep you all up to date!

Random musings to end the trip

As I sit here typing, the earth is swaying slowly beneath my feet.  When I woke up, it was swaying as if we were on 5 foot swells.  Getting used to land takes a little time after a live aboard.  A trip down to Java on the Rock was helpful in re-establishing equilibrium, but my sinuses are still somewhat backed up.  Nothing a little Emergen-C  can’t handle.  Unfortunately, what it cannot handle is my school course load, so this last entry is the last bit of procrastination I can do before getting back to Real Property.

We planned this trip last July, in preparation for law school.  We knew in May that we would be going to Palau in December, and then I decided to check on the kama`aina rate for the Kona Aggressor for spring break.  Somehow, I knew that I would be feeling overwhelmed, and have a need to get re-grounded so that I could start studying for finals.  I knew it needed to be diving, and for convenience’s sake, we decided to check out the Aggressor.  When the rate came back super favorably, we booked right away, and it has been something to look forward to this semester.

Now, after having spent a week on board, we wonder why we haven’t done this before.  We are huge advocates of shore diving, but it just doesn’t get you as far south as the Aggressor can.  And we were fortunate with the group that was with us.  We had Laura and Will, British ex-pats living and working in New York (Laura)/New Jersey (Will, from home); Gene and Andrea, out of British Columbia; Jan from Dallas; Jay (Brooklyn) and his son Lee (San Francisco); and Bette, Kim, Maggie & Peder, from the Seattle area.  They were wonderful people to getto know and to dive with, and it was a pleasure to spend this past week with them.  An extremely fortunate luck of the draw.

But back to the trip and to the diving.  Yes, we were incredibly spoiled, you cannot believe how spoiled.  But that really isn’t what amazed me.  I had forgotten how beautiful our own islands are, and how much there is to see.  We go to Micronesia for the warmth and the beauty there, but we forget how much there is to be appreciated in our own Hawaiian waters.  Like Dorothy said at the end of the Wizard of Oz, we really don’t need to look any farther than our own back yard.

We are planning on booking for next spring break, cannot wait to see what the Aggressor brings us then.

Aloha