Saturday

Two dives today. Need time to get the nitrogen out of my body before flying. The dives couldn’t be more different. The first dive this morning was supposed to be a bit of a search and recovery. A couple lost their camera yesterday. Lost it over a deep spot so no one could go back down to look. We offered to help with the search this morning.

We got in the water and started down. When I could see the bottom I could see just how fast the current was moving. Then I saw my buddy and the guide start kicking for the reef. I followed. I was kicking hard and breathing hard. For the first five minutes of the dive all I kept thinking was, “Don’t loose sight of the others, get to the reef and get low.” All this after hitting about 32 meters and heading up.

I finally got to the reef and could relax a bit and enjoy the ride. We were flying! There was no way we were going to find the camera. Even if we did, no way to stop. At least I had stopped sucking air.

Eventually we got to about 12 meters and the current slowed enough for a look around. Ran into a lovely turtle intent on his breakfast.

I was glad to be in that situation with experienced divers and glad that I was able to stay calm and remember my training. It was an exciting wake-up.

Second dive was on the Bio-rocks on Gili T. Last year a workshop was held there to train people on the Bio-rock, what they are, how they work and how to build them. Our 9^th grade students work on them during project week.

During the workshop some artists were brought in to design some special designs. We saw a gigantic dolphin structure and a massive manta ray structure. All the coral is thriving. We also happened to luck into an amazing amount of nudibranches. There were several I had never seen before, Just beautiful.

It was a long (75 minutes), slow, relaxing way to end my diving on Gili Air. As I was sailing back to the dive shop, gazing over the sea, I was thinking about the Viking ancestry that is mine. I could feel it flowing through my veins. I’m good on the sea. I need to be there more often, if not always.

Friday

Only two dives today as the guides go to mosque during the middle of the day. Two rather deep dives...25-30 meters each. Vinny spotted a tiny frog fish out for a walk. What a cutie. We also saw a few more nudis and a shark. Not to mention the cleaner shrimp that jump onto my camera lens...guess it was also in need of a clean.

Spent the rest of the day reading a book by Jimmy Buffett. It's all about a cowboy who loves the sea...I can understand. May try for some dinner now and then there is a band playing at the end of the beach....I'll see if I can stay awake that long.

Sunday is coming too soon.

Thursday

I realized half way through the day that it was Thursday and that made me sad. I only have a day and a half of diving and then I have to go back. I feel so calm and at peace when I am at the beach and diving. The days are slow..ish and wonderful. I slept over nine hours last night without getting up once. I dreamed of the sea.

Night dive and early bed last night. Three dives today. I am convinced that every Sci Fi and horror writer has seen underwater life. There is no monster that is freakier than what is real in the sea. I saw fish today with faces only a mother could love. Frog fish as big as my hand, hanging out, waiting for something yummy to swim by and then those weird scorpion/stone fish…what were they? Ugly, camouflaged fish with beautiful under sides of their fins. They have some kind of a claw at the end of their fins that they use to pull themselves forward. Just plain freaky.

Do I really have to leave?

Tuesday

Did three more dives today. The last one was a shallow one as I had a boatload of nitrogen in me. Couldn't get below about 4 meters without the time ticking...

Today it was a juvenile angel fish. So pretty. Another shark, more turtles, another cuttlefish, a BEAUTIFUL nudibranch...I can't remember what else. I had my camera on two of the three dives. Am working on posting pictures.

Ran into some other JIS people today. Will probably eat with them tonight...maybe tomorrow.

Fell asleep last night to the sound of waves crashing into the shore outside my bungalow. I could live on an island, I'd be happy with occasional trips to the mainland....*sigh*....my love affair with the open water continues....

It just keeps getting better. As I was sitting on the boat this morning on the way to my first dive, I found myself thinking about how much I love the sea. It sends me back to my ancestry. (I am sure that if I had been around during the Viking Age, (and a man) I would have been one of those guys on the longboats. I love the feel of the waves and the raw power in them. The shades of blue and green are too many to describe. It is almost like looking at a piece of Thai silk the way it shimmers and changes in a split second. The sea is so full of life and yet can destroy so easily. Too many people do not give her the respect she deserves. I often find myself thanking her for letting me in to be a part of it during my time underwater. I am always a guest, but I feel so at home.

Today was wonderful in terms of the count, A couple baby sharks and a nice big one to boot. Beautiful cuttlefish on display as well. A couple more octopi and, the crem de la crem, two frog fish! The first was a small yellow one that kept wanting to go back under the riock where he was hiding, the second was a bigger pink guy hanging out on a wreck. He wasn’t moving no matter how much we wanted him to. These were some real beauties. Glad I had my camera today. Night dive tonight, but no camera. Too hard to handle with a light as well. Dang it, also realized that I forgot the cable to upload pictures to my computer! L No show until I return to the mainland.

Caught up with an old friend today too. We worked together in Thailand 8 years ago. Her infant son is now a kid and her toddler is in grade 8. Time does fly. They are doing a Discover Scuba tomorrow. I am sure they will love it.

Night Dive

70 minutes. I have now seen the entire frogfish family, Papa Bear, Mama Bear and baby Bear. Papa was big (larger than my hand) and black and on the night dive. Mama was prink and about the size of my palm and baby was yellow and about a quarter of my palm. Amazing.

We also ran into an tiny baby cuttlefish tonight, And then there was the yellow and black dotted moray out for a hunt. We saw him strike at something as well. Not sure if he got dinner in the end.

It is easy to zone out on a night dive, only focusing on whatever you can see in the light. Sometimes I turn my light off and just follow the others. Then it is even more peaceful. Life is good.

October Break News

I couldn't figure out how to get Internet on day one, so the updates begin on day two. :)

I have just finished my 3rd dive of the day on Gili Air. Wow! What a day! At last count I saw, 5 turtles (including one that was heading right towards me and was only about 60 cms away when I saw it), 5 cuttlefish, a "teen aged" bat fish, manta shrimp, some baby white tip sharks, 3 octopi, dolphins in the distance and loads of fish! Yum.

I was using brand new equipment today, a new BCD and reg. both very nice, but both take some getting used to. I miss my old mouthpiece....

I had an additional adventure on the last dive when 20 minutes into the dive my alternate air source started spewing out air for no reason. I couldn't stop it so had to go up. I got back to the boat where the dive master twisted it a little and it stopped! I had a 100 bar left so went back to find my buddies. (I could see them from the surface) On the way down, half my weights fell out of my integrated weight pocket and I had to swim headfirst down to the bottom to get them. By this time my buddies saw me and signaled that my tank was coming undone! I got pushed around a bit while buddy 1 fixed the tank, and off we went for the rest of the dive. Whew! Thank goodness for good buddies!

Gili Air is exactly what I wanted and needed, quiet and beautiful. I am in a small, but very nice bungalow next to the dive shop and have finished one book already. (Four more to go).

Tomorrow's adventure, picture taking and trying out the new strobe. Stay tuned!

Open Season-Carl Hiaasen

Most of Carl Hiassen's books are murder mysteries, with a twist, or maybe better to say, with twisted people. Open Season is no exception.

Like most of his books, Open Season is set in Florida. The story is about professional bass fishing and some shady characters involved in it. One professional believes another is cheating and therefore winning all the tournaments. He hires an ex-police photographer to get some compromising photos. Along the way, in usual Hiassen style, a variety of wacky characters are introduced including a former Florida governor who lives like a hermit in the woods.

Hiassen's novels usually have an environmental element to them. In Open Season, one of the "bad guys" is building housing projects at the expense of what was once protected land. Don't worry, he gets his in the end.

I like Hiassen's novels not just because he writes a good crime story, but because his characters are colorful and crazy. This book is written for adults, but Hiassen has written book for younger people as well, including, Hoot and Flush. If you like a mystery with a little environmental awareness and humor mixed in, you will like Hiassen. I give this one a 3 out of 5. I was not as crazy about the bass fishing as some of his other story lines, but I still liked the book.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies-Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Okay, I have to admit, I loved this book. It was gross in places, silly in others and made me laugh.

Seth Graham-Smith has remained true to the basic story line and characterization of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and added zombies to the mix. He was able to retain the writing style of Austen which makes the whole thing even funnier. It is a very proper style of writing in keeping with the setting of the story. (It takes place in England in the early 1900's I believe.)

Mr Bennett has five unmarried daughters. He is not a rich man. At this point in history this is not an easy situation in which to be. His wife wants the girls married off, he wants them to be able to fight the latest threat to England, zombies. The Bennett girls are good fighters, but they like boys too.

The story shows the pride and prejudice of the many characters in various situations. It also has some great zombie scenes.

Due to the style of writing, this is not an easy read. The book is funnier if the original Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is read first. I give the book 5 out of 5.

Carrie by Stephen King

I read Carrie for the fourth or fifth time this school year. I read it again because I am reading Stephen King's On Writing and in it he talks about how he wrote the character of Carrie. After reading that chapter I wanted to read the novel again with my new knowledge of what the writer was thinking when he wrote it.

King wrote that he never really liked the character of Carrie but that he worked hard to make her a character for which people could at least feel some empathy. When reading the novel again I had to agree, she is not likable, but we all know a person like her. She is a misfit. People think she is weird. She dresses wrong and says the wrong things. Her mother is really creepy. From the beginning, no one has given her a chance and she really has no friends. However, it turns out that she also has telekinesis, the ability to move things with just her thoughts.

Kids have always made fun of Carrie and it has finally gone too far. Carrie uses her newly developed powers to take revenge on the people who have hurt her.

This is a horror novel, but it is also a story about people and the ways they hurt each other. The real horror of the story is not the supernatural part, but the human part.

It is hard to find a character to like in this book, but I think it was a best seller because the readers could understand the characters.

I like this book, but it is not my favorite King novel. There are others I would recommend first. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.