6.30 wake up. We’re up anyway but there is a knock on the door. Quick breakfast. Cereal. Wet suits are still wet and there is no warm weather to warm them. Cold and slimmy. Geesh what a way to wake up. Giant stride off the back of the boat, let the diving begin.
The water is warmer than the air. At least it feels that way. Todays first two dive are on a pinnicle. A coral spire about 80 ft tall. We start at 65 ish ft and spiral up and around in a clockwise direction, making 3 or 4 loops until we are at 20 ft hang out until our air is low and we head up to do our safty stop. There are dive masters leading those who wish to follow but they think Debbie and I are experienced enough we can go on our own. There are a few others in the same position. This dive is straight forward and we think we can handle it so off we go. The second dive is on the same sight. We dive our own profile each time and are back on the boat in one piece with more experience behind us.
Steve’s Bommie the morning dive site is teaming with wild life and every inch of the pinnicle is covered with coral or sponge or something of interest. Two great dives and it is time for lunch.
I don’t know why but dive boats serve a lot of fish. Jump in the water, decend to 60 ft and view you dinner. Somehow this just doesn’t seem right but we get sushi for lunch anyway.
Dive 3 is also self guided. The Tower of Doom. Not so much a spire this time but more of a coral mesa. We head off counter clockwise this time to throw some variety into the day. The Crown of Thorns starfish has desimated this coral head so the diving is somewhat austere. We’ve dove sites like this before, lots of rock with a bit of coral here and there and a few fish. But there are a few sights of interest. Again we arrive on the boat after executing our dive plan.
Dive 4 is Gardiner’s Corner. This dive is planned much the same as the Temple of Doom. The dive briefing indicated the last corner can be confusing so I check with the dive master and find out exactly what to expect. The first part of the dive is pretty much normal. Then it gets a little dicey. We are not sure of the place to turn but I trusted our instructions and we ended up back at the mooring line again. The urgency produced by not knowing for sure if we chose the right route back meant we swam quite quickly and if there was anything to see we went by too quickly. Once we reached the mooring line we spent some time and found a few things at about 20 ft.
There is a 5th dive but Debbie and I decide to skip it, download photos, fill out the dive log and and write the blog. Dinner is late and I don’t think we will make it much beyond that, the wake up bell is the same time tomorrow.