Many of us have found ourselves sitting out a dive due to seasickness, fatigue, cold, losing, breaking or forgetting gear. Sometimes, we have a choice of dive sites and go to one that wasn't so exciting that day while other divers return regaling you of tales of discovery or amazing experiences. You took the blue pill when you should have taken the red.
When I went to Bonaire in 1990, I traveled alone and stayed at Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn next to the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino. It was my first trip to Bonaire. I knew that many divers preferred renting a car, but boat diving was something I really enjoyed, so I purchased the 2 boat dives per day package. I really wanted to dive the Hilma Hooker at some point during the trip. A couple of days we were supposed to go to the wreck, but for one reason or another the destination changed. As the end of my 8 day/7 night trip approached, the crew promised me we'd go to the Hilma Hooker the next day. The evening before the dive, I had been hanging out next door at the Divi Flamingo Beach and met a young couple who invited me to join them for dinner since I was a solo then invited me to dive with them the next morning on a Divi boat. I politely declined explaining that Bruce's crew was finally going to take me to the wreck.
The next day came and we did, indeed, dive the Hooker. I did a little exterior and interior exploration and really enjoyed the dive. That evening I ran into the nice couple who had invited me to dive with them. "Did you go to the Hilma Hooker?" they asked. I replied that we finally did and I had a great dive. I asked them where they ended up going. "One of the walls," they said. I said I was glad I chose to dive the wreck because I had been diving walls on Bonaire and Klein Bonaire all week. I asked them how their dive went. They exchanged secretive looks and one of them blurted out, "We saw a humpack whale!" They went on to tell me the whale swam up the wall close to all the divers and everyone had a once in a lifetime interaction with a humpback in beautiful visibility.
::Shaking my head::
Darn rusty wreck. I could have seen a whale!!! LOL!
What experience did you miss when you ended up sitting one out or choosing the wrong dive site? What was the "best dive you never had"?
When I went to Bonaire in 1990, I traveled alone and stayed at Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn next to the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino. It was my first trip to Bonaire. I knew that many divers preferred renting a car, but boat diving was something I really enjoyed, so I purchased the 2 boat dives per day package. I really wanted to dive the Hilma Hooker at some point during the trip. A couple of days we were supposed to go to the wreck, but for one reason or another the destination changed. As the end of my 8 day/7 night trip approached, the crew promised me we'd go to the Hilma Hooker the next day. The evening before the dive, I had been hanging out next door at the Divi Flamingo Beach and met a young couple who invited me to join them for dinner since I was a solo then invited me to dive with them the next morning on a Divi boat. I politely declined explaining that Bruce's crew was finally going to take me to the wreck.
The next day came and we did, indeed, dive the Hooker. I did a little exterior and interior exploration and really enjoyed the dive. That evening I ran into the nice couple who had invited me to dive with them. "Did you go to the Hilma Hooker?" they asked. I replied that we finally did and I had a great dive. I asked them where they ended up going. "One of the walls," they said. I said I was glad I chose to dive the wreck because I had been diving walls on Bonaire and Klein Bonaire all week. I asked them how their dive went. They exchanged secretive looks and one of them blurted out, "We saw a humpack whale!" They went on to tell me the whale swam up the wall close to all the divers and everyone had a once in a lifetime interaction with a humpback in beautiful visibility.
::Shaking my head::
Darn rusty wreck. I could have seen a whale!!! LOL!
What experience did you miss when you ended up sitting one out or choosing the wrong dive site? What was the "best dive you never had"?
