- Messages
- 53,686
- Reaction score
- 7,865
- # of dives
- 500 - 999
I haven't loaded the pics into SB's gallery yet, but the AOL slide show can be accessed here: AOL Pictures - View Share Warning: It's over 400 pics, so speed the show up to 1 pic per second maybe...?
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First Mission: Getting there is half the fun, or problem - or both? A surprise ice storm hit my area around sundown the night before leaving streets and highways quite slick for the night. I never knew if the sand trucks bothered or if the surprised road crews just let it melt off in the morning as I had to be at an airport 70 miles away by 6:30 am Friday regardless - so I just left at 4 rather than 5 for a slow trip in. I was going in a day earlier than actually required to catch my boat but didn’t want to play that trump card yet - just might need it later…?
The regional airline ground crew had to launch a flight held over from the night before as well as mine at virtually the same time, and I was amazed at how comical that went down - just not something this minimal crew often does I don’t suppose, but we got out safely and not too late. Once away, my journey was pretty simple: sleep all the way to Houston, take a fast break in the clubroom then board again, sleep all the way to Ft. Lauderdale, take a long break in the clubroom there then board the little prop plane, sleep crossing the Gulf Stream and much of the Bahamas, grab bags, check-in with officials, cab to the hotel, done! I did eat half a subway sandwich packed for the trip somewhere in there, and I do have to take a stand on that hometown employee never touching my food again - she just ruins them, but I did okay with trail mix and clubroom snacks.
Our group was scheduled to sail Saturday on the M/V Caribbean Explorer with no other chances in the week to catch up to the boat if missed, so early on in the message board discussion I strongly encouraged my dive mates to arrive on Friday as I planned. This had always seemed the obviously prudent approach to me for anyone boarding a sailing vessel, and we had people flying in from several states, one Canadian Province and one country in Scotland so it seemed even more so the thing to do, just in case anything went badly. Our leader was busy leading other things when this trip fell into place so another member checked on the few hotels on the island - finding only one that did not require a 7 day minimum, so she booked all 8 rooms. I think we could have squeezed all 18 members in there, but at least 16 booked to arrive on Friday with the other two taking non-stop flights from nearby states on Saturday. The Scottish lass was going to do a few days in Florida and arrive Friday but she had to cancel long before the trip and her spot was filled from the waiting list.
Things did go wrong here and there, of course - but one late bag arrived on Saturday, the traveler from Canada trying to make it in one day finally arrived the second afternoon, and his long missing bag of scuba gear was eventually returned to his home. The boat furnished him with enough rental gear, and we sailed at high tide.
Sunday’s diving was nice, cooler than expected but fun, and we were going to do the first night dive after dinner until one of our incurred a medical emergency. We’ve been asked to not publicize info on this, but I can say the crew did great and the skipper probably would have done the impossible at getting the diver back to port if he had to, but for the nearby good neighbors yachters with a speed boat who came to the rescue. Of all the yachts around Exuma with little dingies, we were so lucky to have them so close and willing; the odds against that were significant, but we knew it was an extreme sport when we got our C-cards and passports.
Monday brought more nice diving, food, diving, food, diving, food, but we skipped that night dive as well to make San Salvador island for the New Years Eve fireworks - which went off at 11 pm? Never learned why? The island is officially on Eastern time but maybe the locals prefer nearby Puerto Rico time? Such happens in some border towns I know.
Tuesday found us diving off of San Salvador different spots throughout the day, and we finally got a night dive there even after the bad weather news. The skipper explained that a strong northwestern front was pushing in Wednesday afternoon and was going to make the seas ungodly for boats, totally undivable, and we had to run hide after the morning dives. We could hope for improvements in time, but such was the plan.
Wednesday we started with two dives at Shark Reef. This company does not chum the water for shark dives like some do, but we did form a circle around the usual feeding bucket to see if the sharks would swim by? Nah, they’re dumb, but not stupid - they know that boat doesn’t feed. Did have a couple of nice dives on the nearby reefs tho, and saw a few cruise by. Then it was lunch and back to safe harbor on Exuma. The onboard bar opened early.
Thursday and Friday were down days indeed: eat, drink, lounge, shop, edit pics, and a side trip to Stocking Island. A couple did find seats on departing planes, but most of us just made the best of each others company until Saturday’s departures. Sleep to Ft. Lauderdale, clear officials and take a clubroom break, sleep to Houston, a short clubroom break, sleep to Lubbock, then the last 70 miles home.
Some adventures are more fun that others, but I ain’t ready to quit yet…!!
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First Mission: Getting there is half the fun, or problem - or both? A surprise ice storm hit my area around sundown the night before leaving streets and highways quite slick for the night. I never knew if the sand trucks bothered or if the surprised road crews just let it melt off in the morning as I had to be at an airport 70 miles away by 6:30 am Friday regardless - so I just left at 4 rather than 5 for a slow trip in. I was going in a day earlier than actually required to catch my boat but didn’t want to play that trump card yet - just might need it later…?
The regional airline ground crew had to launch a flight held over from the night before as well as mine at virtually the same time, and I was amazed at how comical that went down - just not something this minimal crew often does I don’t suppose, but we got out safely and not too late. Once away, my journey was pretty simple: sleep all the way to Houston, take a fast break in the clubroom then board again, sleep all the way to Ft. Lauderdale, take a long break in the clubroom there then board the little prop plane, sleep crossing the Gulf Stream and much of the Bahamas, grab bags, check-in with officials, cab to the hotel, done! I did eat half a subway sandwich packed for the trip somewhere in there, and I do have to take a stand on that hometown employee never touching my food again - she just ruins them, but I did okay with trail mix and clubroom snacks.
Our group was scheduled to sail Saturday on the M/V Caribbean Explorer with no other chances in the week to catch up to the boat if missed, so early on in the message board discussion I strongly encouraged my dive mates to arrive on Friday as I planned. This had always seemed the obviously prudent approach to me for anyone boarding a sailing vessel, and we had people flying in from several states, one Canadian Province and one country in Scotland so it seemed even more so the thing to do, just in case anything went badly. Our leader was busy leading other things when this trip fell into place so another member checked on the few hotels on the island - finding only one that did not require a 7 day minimum, so she booked all 8 rooms. I think we could have squeezed all 18 members in there, but at least 16 booked to arrive on Friday with the other two taking non-stop flights from nearby states on Saturday. The Scottish lass was going to do a few days in Florida and arrive Friday but she had to cancel long before the trip and her spot was filled from the waiting list.
Things did go wrong here and there, of course - but one late bag arrived on Saturday, the traveler from Canada trying to make it in one day finally arrived the second afternoon, and his long missing bag of scuba gear was eventually returned to his home. The boat furnished him with enough rental gear, and we sailed at high tide.
Sunday’s diving was nice, cooler than expected but fun, and we were going to do the first night dive after dinner until one of our incurred a medical emergency. We’ve been asked to not publicize info on this, but I can say the crew did great and the skipper probably would have done the impossible at getting the diver back to port if he had to, but for the nearby good neighbors yachters with a speed boat who came to the rescue. Of all the yachts around Exuma with little dingies, we were so lucky to have them so close and willing; the odds against that were significant, but we knew it was an extreme sport when we got our C-cards and passports.
Monday brought more nice diving, food, diving, food, diving, food, but we skipped that night dive as well to make San Salvador island for the New Years Eve fireworks - which went off at 11 pm? Never learned why? The island is officially on Eastern time but maybe the locals prefer nearby Puerto Rico time? Such happens in some border towns I know.
Tuesday found us diving off of San Salvador different spots throughout the day, and we finally got a night dive there even after the bad weather news. The skipper explained that a strong northwestern front was pushing in Wednesday afternoon and was going to make the seas ungodly for boats, totally undivable, and we had to run hide after the morning dives. We could hope for improvements in time, but such was the plan.
Wednesday we started with two dives at Shark Reef. This company does not chum the water for shark dives like some do, but we did form a circle around the usual feeding bucket to see if the sharks would swim by? Nah, they’re dumb, but not stupid - they know that boat doesn’t feed. Did have a couple of nice dives on the nearby reefs tho, and saw a few cruise by. Then it was lunch and back to safe harbor on Exuma. The onboard bar opened early.
Thursday and Friday were down days indeed: eat, drink, lounge, shop, edit pics, and a side trip to Stocking Island. A couple did find seats on departing planes, but most of us just made the best of each others company until Saturday’s departures. Sleep to Ft. Lauderdale, clear officials and take a clubroom break, sleep to Houston, a short clubroom break, sleep to Lubbock, then the last 70 miles home.
Some adventures are more fun that others, but I ain’t ready to quit yet…!!
