5 Mar--100' Dive

Mon, 5 Mar .... another busy day. up at 6am and at the Whale Shark office at 6:30 to get things ready 'in case' they had a boat this afternoon, since i won't be getting back much before we'd have to get the boat ready to go again. but, the weather is not looking very good this morning ... it's raining again, and this time it looks like it's going to stay around awhile. i'd rather not go diving when it's raining .. i hate spending money to be out in the rain ... but i'll go anyway :( i got there early and had plenty of time to get my gear around. i was hoping they would cancel; but knew that they wouldn't. it's not too bad being under the water when it's raining; ....except the visibility isn't as good when the sun isn't shining, and the colors aren't very nice. but we will be learning new 'skills', so won't be diving for 'fun' or photography; ... so i guess it's ok. ....it's just when you get out of the water, and it's windy and cloudy and raining ... then it's cold and not much fun :( before we left, Chris, our instructor and Staci and i went over the lesson and questions that i completed last night as a review of what we would be doing today. .... then we headed out to the Halliburton Dive Site.. it's a Wreck Dive, and the ship is called The Halliburton ... and it was sunk 10yrs ago for the purpose of making an articifical reef and dive site. i guess they almost had 2 boats down there because the boat the pulled the Halliburton out there, didn't disconnect some cable properly and it almost sunk along with it! so today it sits on the bottom at 100 feet, which is considered a 'deep dive' for recreational purposes. and this is what i am getting certified for ...... deep diving, ... so i can 'legally' dive down to 100 feet. previously my Open Water Certification only allowed me to dive to 60 feet; ......... some places don't pay any attention to that restriction; .....but some places do ..... and ... they can make money by requiring you to get your 'Advanced Certification' if you want to dive that deep. ... i didn't know i wasn't supposed to go deeper than 60ft and actually have been down to 90-100ft at other places (whoops) personally, i don't get excited by diving deep; but sometimes there are 'things' at deeper depths that i might want to see ... or there might be a group of divers that are going on a 'deep dive' that i would legally be able to join .. so... here i am ........ we all got in the water and descended slowly to 100 ft and kneeled on the sandy bottom next to the ship. this is the sandy bottom underwater ... here we played some games with an egg. Chris cracked it, and the yolk remained whole and it was squishy and we could play with it while it floated ... then he had a plastic water bottle that he brought with him from the surface, which was now all crumpled and sucked in because of the pressure it was under at that depth ... this demonstrated how our bodies would be if we weren't using our diving equipment. then he got out a pad divided into 15 randomly numbered squares .... our test was to touch #1 square and then our nose, then #2 and our nose, etc. until we finished all 15. this was to demonstrate how our coordination and brain function changes at deep depths. there is a condition called 'nitrogen narcosis' that sometimes occurs at depths, between 80-100ft. breathing nitrogen under pressure at depth produces an intoxicating effect ... some people feel like they are drunk; and it is commonly referred to as being 'narked' and it can cause them to have a false sense of security, ignore safety, poor judgment, also euphoria .... for instance some people just keep going deeper and deeper ... which is life threatening. anyway ... Staci and i both did our test .... then we explored the Wreck, ....there are sponges and corals growing on it, as well as fish that have made their homes there. we saw a DogTooth Snapper which was quite large and a nice size CowFish. ........ i wasn't permitted to take my camera with me since i am taking a course .. i'm in school ! ...some people get all excited about 'wreck diving' ...but it doesn't hold much interest for me ... i don't get it :( here are a few more pictures from yesterday a Tiger Grouper in a Barrel Sponge i've never noticed the 'buggy' eyes on a Parrot Fish nice red Star Coral ... looks like Marge Simpson's hair, except red :) then we ascended slowly and within the guidelines, stopping at 15feet for 3min ....... which is required. it's a little bit of a challenge to just 'hang' in the water at 15 feet with no reference point, without floating up to 10ft or back down to 20ft, or whatever ... it's part of what you need to be able to do ... and practice makes perfect :( back on the boat, it was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. we needed to be out of the water for 1hr before we could go back down for our second dive. this allows our bodies to release some of that nitrogen. so we reviewed our dive with Chris, and did that test again with the numbers and touching our noses ... we both were about 5 seconds faster on the boat than in the water.... but neither of us were 'narked' while we were at 100ft. our second dive was the "Navigation Dive" ... this one was more difficult for me; ..because it involved a compass, which has always mystified me. first we had to count how many kicks it took us to swim 100ft. Chris had a measuring tape and marked the distance ....this is a number that we should remember for the future so we can gauge distances; mine was 7 ... so if someone says go 100ft, then head north, etc., i would know that i needed to kick 7x to go the 100ft .... then we had to use the compass to swim in a 'square' returning to where we started ... Staci watched the compass, and i held on to her while we swam, to make sure she didn't run into anything, and make sure we stayed at the same depth, and at the same time, i had to count my kicks ... well, ... that was just too much for me :( ... she did ok, but i didn't do so good .... i did better when i was the one holding the compass coz there was only one thing to think about .. keeping that needle pointing at N between that groove, then moving it to E, then S, and W ... i was glad when that was over! ...i was stressed! .... then we went on a short 'tour' and when Chris turned around to go back, we were supposed to lead us back to the boat ..... we got back to the boat, i knew the general direction; ...but it wasn't 'us' that got us there. i can tell you now, without a doubt, i do not need to advance any further with my diving; and have no interest in being a Dive Master and having all that responsibility on my shoulders ! ...i'll just pay someone to guide me around, while i take my pictures and enjoy myself; and they can make sure i get back to the boat. here are some more pictures from yesterday's dive i love these Azure Vase Sponges ... the color is unbelievable ... another Parrot Fish French AngelFish back on the boat, this time it was cold, we headed for shore; unloaded and rinsed our equipment; then met in the Dive Shop for a review of that dive .... Chris passed us both on our 'Deep Dive' and 'Navigation Dive' ... thankfully ! ...2 down, 3 to go. and i was kind of happy that the weather was bad so we didn't have to have a Whale Shark boat ... that would be too much ... i had enough on my plate for today ! one of my 3 'choice skills' was a 'Night Dive', and it was scheduled for tonight at 5pm; so i went back to my room, to get warm ..... and noticed that the waves had really picked up and it was raining, and just awful outside. this is the only time i wish i had hot water, .... i was cold, my hair was wet, ... i did not want to do another dive today. diving is supposed to be fun and i'm really looking forward to doing a Night Dive .. but not in this weather :( ....i put on my sweat pants and a long sleeved shirt and jacket; piled all 3 blankets on the bed, and climbed in and took a nap. i got up about 2:30 and started reading my chapter on Night Diving, while listening to it rain and the waves crashing on the shore outside my room ... wishing we didn't have to go. i got to the part in the book where it talked about the environmental conditions under which you should NOT do a Night Dive ..... and in my opinion, they were happening out there right now :( then i got to the part that recommended that you should be sure that you had a good meal before you went on a Night Dive especially if you had 2 other dives that day. i realized that i had only eaten a piece of PB&J bread ... and i had better eat now, and then finish my lesson. i grabbed my money and out the door and down the street i went. i passed Munchies and saw Staci sitting on the porch eating too ... she had gotten to the same point in the book and realized she hadn't eaten either. she asked me to join her and i suggested we go inside where it was warmer .... my hair was still wet and i was cold. i had some really good Hot Chocolate and Chicken Quesidillas and we had a nice visit. she is a Dental Hygienist from Colorado who was just on the mainland of Honduras doing clinics in small villiages putting a 'sealer' on the kids' teeth to prevent cavities. then back to the room to finish up my lesson .... the weather had not improved! ....i went to the Dive Shop around 4:30pm and thankfully they cancelled our Night Dive ! yeahhhhhhhhhhhh !!!! ...we met with Chris for awhile to decide what we would do next. i'm volunteering at the Vet Clinic tomorrow, so i can't dive; and Staci is leaving at 6am on Thurs ... so we'll be doing some of our dives separately ..... not ideal for the instructor, but ..... that's the way it's going to work out. while we were meeting, some lady stopped in and wanted to know if i could print out some photos of Whale Shark encounters here in Utila since she was leaving tomorrow and wasn't able to see a Whale Shark. i told her i was in a 'class' but if she would come back at 6pm, i'd print some photos for her. at 6, i printed some photos, but by 6:30 she still hadn't shown up. i left them at the Dive Shop for her. i went to the store and sat with Valentine for almost an hour ... she was so comfortable sleeping in my arms, and kept me warm ... i felt bad leaving her. Many people come in and out of the store and look at me like i'm weird ... now, why would that be ? Greg, our Dive Master, came in and talked to me .... he understood what i was doing :) then back to my room to work on more homework .....and my blog ... which i have neglected for several days now :(

4 Mar--First Dive--Making Friends

Sun, 4 Mar .... up and ready for my FIRST dive this year in Utila !!!!!!!! ... i felt pretty comfortable after my You Tube lessons last night, and all of my Dive Master friends were on the boat this morning, .... L to R is Laura, Ashley, Greg, Corine ... and Chad in front ... and our super Boat Captain, Seth i asked Chad to help me and check to make sure i did my set up right. Greg was the Dive Master for my group and i told him that this was my first time this year and to 'watch over me' .... i felt good getting into the water ... i used to have trouble 'sinking', and was always apprehensive about it; ....which kind of makes you hold your breath, which is the exact opposite of what you should do when you are try to descend.... you should exhale all the air OUT of your lungs) .... but i pretty much figured that out last year; so i was happy that i was able to descend without any problems. we had a nice dive at Stannis Point ... there was a 'wall' and we went down to 60ft, which is the limit for an Open Water Diver (which is the first certification you get) ... and that's me .... :) i stayed pretty close to Greg ... early in the dive we saw this Green Moray Eel a Squirrel Fish Yellow Tail Damsel Fish there were a lot of these very large Barrel Corals ... this one was about 3ft in diameter ... after the first dive, one of the Dive Instructors, Chris, said he had heard that i was interested in getting my Advanced Diving Certification. i had been in the Dive Shop a few days ago, and said i wanted to get my Advanced. there was another girl on the boat, and he was trying to talk her into getting her Advanced, and it would be better to have more than one person in the 'class'. i said that i did want to. he was all excited and said we would meet in the Dive Shop after this dive and we'd set it up. our second dive was at Eagle Ray Alley. .. we did not see any Spotted Eagle Rays :( ...but it was a really pretty dive site, with lots of nice corals to look at. ..... i had a hard time focusing on anything, because something else kept catching my eye ... lots of vase corals Heather speared a LionFish and put it in this PVC tube for safe keeping ... that was pretty exciting ! so, after cleaning up our gear, Staci and i met Chris in the Dive Shop and got signed up for our Advanced class. we had to fill out a questionnaire about our health. there was question: 'has anyone in your family had a heart attack' ... i was honest and answered 'yes' ... well because of that, i had to go to a Dr before 7am tomorrow morning, ...and have him examine me and sign off that i was healthy enough to dive .... even though i just finished 2 dives :( i wasn't very happy about this. after much discussion as to where i would find a Dr on a Sunday afternoon; the one Dr only speaks Spanish, but would understand the form; another Dr didn't work on Sunday; ..... i understood that a Dr here at the Lodge could do the verification. today being Sunday ... was Funday Sunday at the Dive Shop. it started with the Fun Dives we did in the morning. then in the afternoon, everyone meets out on the dock for cheap beers and they have inflatable floating toys and everyone swims, drinks, and relaxes. i went back to my room and downloaded my photos and then went to the dock with my paperwork to find the Dr. i guess i misunderstood, they wanted me to try to go to the other Drs offices first before asking the Dr here...... so, while everyone else was relaxing, drinking, swimming, and partying ..... i was walking through town in the heat to find a Dr. .... there was a sign on the door ... Cerrado ... that's 'closed' in Spanish. ...back to the dock party with the news; and they told me to go to this other place where another Dr might be .... out i go again to the street in the heat ... while everyone is .... you know ..... i was beginning to feel like this was some kind of 'club initiation' .... there was no Dr there either, so i ended up back at the Dock Party and asking the Dr that was here in the first place to help me :( so, we went to a clinic room and i got an exam ... and he said he didn't see any reason why i couldn't dive :) i went back out to the Dock Party and saw that everyone was just finishing up their Chocolate Mousse ! ....poor me :( ..... shortly thereafter the party was over and i went back home to do my Homework ! i read my 2 chapters for tomorrow's 2 dives. there are 2 mandatory 'skills' that we need to do, and then we can choose 3 other skills for a total of 5 to qualify for our Advanced. one of our mandatory skills is Deep Diving ... of course ... they talk about the dangers associated with diving to 100ft and what you should and shouldn't do. this is really an elaboration of what you were taught when you first learn to dive. but i read it, it was a good review, and i answered all the questions at the end of the chapter. the second skill was Navigation ... now this one was a little more difficult. it is designed to teach you how to go on a dive (with a buddy, but without a 'guide', i.e. Dive Master) and be able to find your way back to where you started. ... yeah ok ... that's an important one! ..... when you're 100ft down, looking at fish and coral, and taking photos, you tend to not pay attention to where you are, where you're going, or how to get back. ....so, this was new material for me. this was a big day ... Sunday Funday ... we need more of these !!

3 Mar, Sat

Sat, 3 Mar ... in the morning i took a walk up the hill from town. it's quite different up there from down on the main street. here is a small residential 'road' it's nice and quiet ! and some nice homes i found a orchid on a tree trunk that had been cut down and discarded. i brought it back to put in the garden next to my hotel, coz they don't have any orchids there. this garden is between my hotel and where i work. it's really overgrown and they haven't maintained it in a long time. i was thinking about asking if i could take on the project. but it would be a huge project and i hadn't decided if i wanted to tackle it or not .... but, no worries ... this morning i heard the sound of someone raking outside my window , .... it had to be in the garden. ...i went out to investigate, and yes, there were 4 guys in there, very busy cleaning up .... again, i thought i should volunteer to help prune some of the bushes ... but again, i waited too long. i went to work, and at lunch when i came out .... OMG, ... they had hacked and sawed and annihilated it ... i was horrified at what i saw .... you could hardly see the gazebo before they cut all the trees and bushes down .... but i have to remember that this is the tropics and it will grow back quickly .... it just looks so sad and naked now :( i'm glad i hadn't gotten around to putting my orchid on a tree limb ... coz that tree limb is no longer there :( ... i'll have to find somewhere else to put it.... i had to take another picture of Shark Bait ... he is so comfortable here i was in the Dive Shop and Dive Master Greg asked me if i wanted to go on the Dive Boat in the morning. he said a lot of people were going and there was room if i wanted to go. i said i'd love to, so he put my name on the board ... i'm going diving tomorrow .. yipee ! the Barefoot Band is playing tonight at Coco's ... but i heard from one of the band members that they probably wouldn't get started until around 10:30pm .... so i decided to eat and then come back and take a nap and then get up and go listen to them. i went to Skid Row for pizza and sat at the bar with Debbie, one of the Dive Masters from EcoMarine Dive Center that i did my 'refresher course' with last year. it was nice to have someone to talk with while i was eating my pizza. then i came back to my room, set my alarm and laid down. i guess i turned the alarm off and didn't wake up until almost 11pm. i jumped up and walked down to the bar, a little late, but they would still be playing .... well, i was wrong. i walked in, and the place was packed, but the band was not playing .., they had just quit for the night :( ...the owner wanted them to start earlier, and so they did and i missed them. i decided to get a rum and coke and then go home. i was standing at the bar waiting to get served; when a guy gives me a big hug and asks me 'are you following me again ?' ... OMG, it was Kyle! ...the guy i met 2 yrs ago at Madi's, and saw again at Madi's this year; and then again in Guatemala on the street in San Pedro ... and now we were meeting again in Utila! .... i actually thought i saw him a few days ago, but 'knew' that he was supposed to be in Nicaragua in Spanish School. ....well, he had met a group of kids and they were having so much fun together that they all changed whatever arrangements they had made; ...and decided to just travel together. he came to Utila with that group and got scuba certified and was leaving the next day. ...small world!!!!!! ...how great it is to be young and flexible enough to just change plans and go ... makes me wish i would have done something like this when i was in my 20s .... :( i wasn't really tired when i got home, so i spent time looking at You Tube videos of how to assemble my scuba equipment since it's been a year since i have done it ... and i never really got the process cemented in my head last year. usually when you go diving, the Dive Shop prepares all your equipment for you ... you show up, they put it on you, check everything, and help you into the water. but here on Utila, it's a 'Dive School' Island; so they teach you how to do everything and it's up to you to take care of yourself. ...which is ok, if you've just completed a diving course .. but if you haven't assembled your equipment since last year ... it's a bit intimidating ! ...and i was nervous .... by the time i finished, it was late, i felt prepared, and i was tired.

2 Mar, Fri

Fri, 2 Mar ... worked awhile off and on in the morning ... early afternoon i walked up and visited with Gordo Gato again :) late in the afternoon, Seth, our Boat Captain had a party to raise money for the birth of his child. it was an all-you-can-eat grilled fish dinner, and of course, all the beer you can drink too. everyone from the Dive Shop was there. left to right: John, Seth, Heather, Chad left to right: Greg, Kelly, Laura happy group, huh? the mountains on the mainland were very visible this evening ... most days you can't see them, ... and we watched a colorful sky Seth made his own BBQ sauce and basted and grilled fresh tuna ... it must have been a big fish coz there was plenty to everyone ... i had 2 large pieces ... and brought my own rum and coke. then decided to go to the cinema. the movie Puss n Boots was playing. this time i went online and checked the reviews since my last movie experience was less than enjoyable. it was a great film. it was animated and kind of spin-off from Shrek (which i am not really familiar with). Antonio Banderas was the voice for the main character Puss ... a cat. i love listening to his voice, so i suppose i would have liked listening to the movie, even if i didn't enjoy the visual presentation. but ... i did enjoy it all. it's amazing how you can 'see' Antonio Banderas in the facial expressions of the cat ... well, maybe it's just my imagination, but i could see him 'in there'. it was a cute film and i recommend it. after Seth's party, everyone moved to the Lodge Bar ... for Friday night Karaoke. after the movie, i joined them there. Ashley brought in the hoola-hoop that she made and a lot of people gave it a try. that was entertaining ! it's a fun group, and they all take turns participating in Karaoke with the microphone, ...and, i actually did a song too ... but i asked Greg to sing it with me ... :) i sang 'She Drives Me Crazy' by the Fine Young Cannibals. a song i love because it reminds me of the good ole days of being in Cancun with my bestest friends, Jamers, Holly, and Janny :) ....those were really good times! it was a fun night !

1 Mar, Thurs

Thurs, 1 Mar .... WoW .... it's March already ? ....must be Spring in Kzoo, huh? ... but i guess you guys really didn't have much of a winter this year... let's hope it's summer weather by the time i get back in April :) ... i'd like that! today i walked to the bank before i went to work and ran into Ronnie. he offered to pick me up this afternoon and go snorkeling again. i went to the office and worked on more documents. i have been having difficulty with this old Word program that came with this PC ....... not to mention i'm working on a PC again and not a Mac! .... i keep saving documents and then not being able to find them! John stopped by and i snagged him to help me try to find them. ...he is 'backing out' of this work, since he has some other projects to finish up before he leaves next week... he is really intelligent, an Engineer, and good with computers .. i'm learning a lot from him. i thougtht i had a meeting at 10am with the Manager; but at 12:00 Ronnie stopped in and i still hadn't seen her. he said he would pick me up at 1pm. i found the Manager eating lunch, she apologized and we rescheduled. Ronnie picked me up at 1pm and we walked down to The Driftwood to get something to eat. Bruce, the owner was there, of course, and so was Jungle Jim, two of my favorite people!. .... i introduced the guys and we got some lunch. i'd been wanting Nachos and Ronnie had a shrimp salad ... he's obviously a healthier eater than i am ! before we left, one of the guys from The Barefoot Band walked in. Ronnie started talking with him because he also plays the guitar. the Band is going to play at CoCo's Bar, and he invited Ronnie to sit in with them. i'll be sure to be there! we walked back to my place and got on his motorcycle ... again ... this is getting to be a habit with me :( ..... and we headed back to the East side of the island to snorkel. we started to walk out a ways into the reef when i decided it was too rough and too many waves breaking over the reef to attempt snorkeling there today. the problem is getting into the water, over the reef, and getting your fins on, without getting bashed around by the breaking waves and getting cut on the coral. ....coral cuts do not heal quickly! ...and lately, i've been hearing people say that it isn't even healthy to go in some of the waters around here because of the sewage that goes in there ... and that if you have a cut, it could get infected .... really? ....now they tell me ... that is sad and alarming to hear !!!!!! i hear that the island that i took the boat out to the other day, .... is one of the worst places to snorkel because they have NO sewer system out there at all :( .....and i spent all day in the shallow waters right up on the shore .... :( anyway... enough of those depressing thoughts! .... we ended up walking down the beach a way to where the waves weren't so strong. there is a house there that has built a lot of canals for the sea water to come in and go out again ... with little bridges, and cabanas ... it's a wonderful spot. Ronnie knows the people, so we were able to walk around there and i snorkeled in front of their place, which was a little more protected .. but still plenty of waves. again, i didn't spend much time out there since he was waiting for me on shore, and the visibility was pretty poor with all the sand being picked up by the waves. i'd really like to return there some day when it's not so rough.... here are a few photos the 'jury is still out' on what kind of fish this is .... it has such pretty markings on it's face .... but it looks like several in the book and i think this is a Tobacco Fish .. but the other day i saw something in the book that looked like it as well ... so ... ? he brought me back home ... on the bike ... :) ..after cleaning up, i went back to work to see if maybe John was there .. he was not. so i came home and eventually walked down the street looking for some place to eat. ....it seems my biggest decision each day is where to eat dinner ;0 ...i picked a place that i've pass all the time and there are always a lot of people there. ...i know why .. good food, and cheap; ... shrimp pasta with cream sauce for under $5 .... i brought my own rum in my coke bottle, so it was a cheap dinner. came back home, sat outside in the walkway coz the internet service is stronger out here and there is a nice breeze blowing through it. soon i heard the familiar ring from Skype ... i had a video call from Jolene and Lonnie and ... Kathy and Mitzi were there with them .... i got to see all of them ... that was so wonderful ... it made my day !! thank you guys! :)

29 Feb, Wed

Wed, 29 Feb ... Use This Post, the other one was sent in error ... Leap Year ... what is supposed to happen in Leap Year ? ...i forget :) it wasn't a good night, ... i didn't sleep well, probably worrying about the boat trip tomorrow; .... and my nice quiet place to stay hasn't been very quiet the last couple of nights, ..... and last night there were a bunch of guys outside my door talking very loudly ... grrrrrrrrrr :( i woke up at 5am with stomach cramps ... pretty bad ones .... to the point where i couldn't stand up straight ... and i knew what these cramps would lead up to :( ...and i need to get a boat ready, be in charge, and be on it for 4 hours .... with no bathroom !!!!!!! i was hoping the 'process' would progress quickly and i would be ok by 6:30 ... but that wasn't the case. ...so i prepared some 'things' to take with me in preparation for the worst, ... and walked ... uh .... kind of 'stooped' my way to the boat. John (bless his heart) was already there; even though he didn't know about the early start time. i told him i wasn't feeling well .... but that wasn't necessary, because i was bent over and sweating and i'm sure looked horrible;... but i said i would be ok. i managed to get to my office and get all the stuff we needed from there, while he got the stuff we needed from the supply room, ...First Aid Kit, Oxygen Equipment, etc. luckily, Sue, (the woman who i met with that is going to help with the intern after i leave), showed up coz her daughter was going to go on the trip with us (which was also new news included in the late night email). she helped me get the fruit and drinks from the kitchen, which wasn't ready as it was supposed to be ..... and then John found out from Willie, our Captain, that we were leaving 1/2 hr earlier, ....which was like, ... right now .... so he didn't have time to give a 'quick training' to the new Dive Masters who were just arriving to help on the boat for their first time. we all loaded on the boat, i apologized, and thanked everyone; and Willie took off from the dock. on the way to Utopia, (i wish), i tried to brief the Dive Masters as to what i needed them to do, gave them the folders and info and let them review it. Willie called me up to the 'Crows Nest' where the Captain sits ... in my condition, i wasn't very comfortable climbing up that metal ladder on the back of the boat, as we bobbed and weaved in the waves, ...but i made it safely. he said the Manager was going to call back and wanted to talk to me. she called and wanted to know if i got her email and if i had brought the Release Forms ..... i said "yes, i have them, and we can't operate like this" .... (i actually had packed up enough extra forms yesterday before i left for the day ... just in case) back down the ladder, checked with my Dive Masters and the new John, and we were all set with who was going to do what, .... as i 'crouched' on the floor of the boat, waiting out my latest stomach spasm, ....this wasn't going to go away soon.... we arrived at their dock and they were waiting ... i sat on the dock (i couldn't stand) and had them fill out the Release Forms, they got their equipment and vests on, and did their swim test ... everyone was happy and got on the boat. Chad did the Boat Briefing and we took off. i asked the group to join me in the front of the boat because it was a little quieter up there. and i went through the procedures we would follow if we saw a Whale Shark, ...... how we would get in the water, .... how far we were to say away from the Whale Shark; ... and how we would get back in the boat. ....then i spent some time telling them about the Whale Sharks. they were very attentive and excited and hopeful. ...and i think i did pretty well for my first time, ...i was nervous and still having spasms ... this group was here for a wedding; ... the bride and groom are getting married tomorrow. so everyone was hoping we would see a Whale Shark for a wedding present. they were a fun group, ... unfortunately it clouded up and Willie did his best to dodge the rain, that we saw all around us, ....so we at least stayed dry; ... he is probably the best Captain on the whole island, and we were lucky to have him. we rode around, bouncing and crashing through the waves ... it was really rough out there; and we didn't see anything. one of the girls in the group got motion sickness and had to use one of our buckets, .....Chad, the Dive Master, was so sweet to get right up and get that bucket cleaned out for her .... everyone else was looking the other way ..... i applaud him for that! ... he also initiated conversation as to whether they wanted to 'call it quits'; they said they would do whatever the sick girl wanted; ... Chad climbed up to tell Willie and we headed back in .... we had been out there about 2.5hrs. it took us another 1/2hr or so to get to a snorkel spot, where we stopped and a few people got out to snorkel ... it was still cloudy, so most opted to stay dry. ....we dropped them off and headed back to our dock as the sun came out :) .... but we didn't see any Whale Sharks :( we cleaned out the boat, put things away, ... everyone helped .... and i went home, took a shower, and laid down for awhile ...... i was beat .... eventually i was hungry, but still not wanting to eat ... went to the store to get some soda crackers ... and do you know there is not one store on this island that has any yogurt ... not even Bush's that has a lot of 'American' products. came back, laid down again; then fixed myself some rice noodle soup and went back to the office to finish up some things i had left out. then came back and here i am ... telling you my day's story .... stomach still not normal ... i wonder if it was something i ate, or something i caught ...... hopefully something i ate, if so, i'll be better tomorrow. oh, i did get in the water and snorkeled a bit when the boat stopped; .... and ran into an entire ARMY of small 2" jelly fishes. ...i've been seeing them in the water, but i could not believe how many there were .... i should have taken a photo, but i was concentrating on swimming in the other direction .... faster than if i had seen a crocodile! ...it wasn't a very good snorkel spot ..... way too deep to see much .... i only took a few photos, none of them worth much ... here is one of a school of Blue Chromis swimming by ... underwhelming huh? i got an email from Marti, the girl that i'm going to stay with in Roatan. she just found out that an attorney that was handling a trust fund for her business has disappeared ... with the money :( poor her .... so she has delayed her trip to Roatan and plans to get there on the 8th. ....so that gives me a few more days here ... a few more days to possibly see a Whale Shark !!

28 Feb, Tues

Tues, 28 Feb .... tried to get things organized for tomorrow's boat trip. we will leave the dock at 7:30am and go pick them up again. we emailed them a copy of the Release form, so i don't need to take a lot of pens with me, and spend time doing that when we pick them up. John, the original John, is such a nice person ! he said he would be here at 6:30am to help me get the boat set up. i'm going to miss him too. John spent all morning today in the Hyperbaric Chamber helping Jungle Jim with a guy that has been having treatments in there for the last 3 days. the Chamber is capable of delivering 100% oxygen to the patient, this is the treatment for decompression .... this 'kid' works for a 'company' and dives down very deep for lobsters. he was brought in several days ago by a friend, .... because he couldn't walk, ... he was paralyzed from the chest down, due to not following proper procedures for surfacing from deep diving. i guess they don't have good equipment and don't take what they do seriously, and neither does the company they work for. this is the second time this 'kid' has had to have treatments! you'd think he'd learn, but they continue to do it because they make 'good' money. it's VERY expensive to have the treatments; and of course none of the locals ever pay. ...but the kid is now able to walk, still has a catheter and is still having urinary problems .... but he will be ok ... he's very lucky! ....someone has to be in the Chamber with the patient, and today was John's turn. i am enjoying my working days being with Shark Bait .... he is a sweet kitty, but always wanting more food ... i keep giving it to him ... he's a growing boy ! ...this is him, asking for more food ... so after John finished in there, we worked a little more, then finally called it a day. i hadn't eaten since my PB&J this morning and forgot my water. i got cleaned up and went to the Indian Wok for dinner, with my date, ...my favorite MacBookAir laptop, ....i love this laptop! then stopped in to visit with Valentine for a little while. .. so i went home happy :) Skyped with Mom and Daddy .... they're looking good, they are awesome! checked my email at about 9:30. i had an email from the Whale Shark Manager, sent at about 9pm .... the Release Forms didn't get filled out, so we'll have to do that with the guests after we pick them up, .... so there has been a change in plans and we will be leaving a half hour earlier tomorrow than scheduled !!!!! ...i have no way to get in touch with either John, nor either of the Dive Masters to let them know they need to be there a half hour earlier .... this doesn't make me happy ... and it's no way to operate a business ... at least not one i'm part of .... volunteering for :(