We eventually got off and on our way, and to add to my nervousness, since I had completed my Nitrox (enriched oxygen) certification yesterday, this was also my first day diving with enriched air. So, to put it bluntly, by this point, I was scared shitless (literally).
I would be remiss if I didn't comment on the composition of the group I was diving with, because it really was an interesting bunch.... There were six Russians and their dive master, a Japanese couple, me and our dive master. One of the Russians was so fat (and let's be honest, I know I have no room to talk, but this guy made obese people look like Calista Flockhart). To make matters worse, he wore a speedo. A tiny, tiny speedo. Now, as we all know, spandex is a privilege, not a right, and if that speedo could talk, I'm sure it would be yelling and screaming for dear life, bless its heart. And it was like looking at a traffic accident. No matter what you did, as it went past you, you couldn't help but look. But I digress...
We eventually got out to Peleliu which is an island in and of itself. It's gorgeous and is at the convergence of the North Pacific and the Philippine Sea, and the currents can be tricky there. Here is a picture of the island (just the tip):
So our first dive site was called The Wall. It was essentially a vertical drop off where spectacular coral grows and fish congregate. It was very nice, and the currents were not too overwhelming at all. Here are pictures of some of what I saw (including a hawksbill turtle, out of focus, sorry!):
So after this dive, when we got back to the boat, my dive master asked me how many dives I had done before, and I said that that dive was my 16th, and he said that I was diving like someone with over 200 dives. That made me feel very good, and boosted my confidence (at least for a short period of time... Just wait for it...).
So then we had lunch (and believe me when I say fat Russian's lunch didn't stand a chance...), and were back at the second dive site about an hour later. As we were getting briefed on the second dive site, called the Peleliu Expressway, we were warned about runaway currents and uplifting, etc, etc, and were told we would likely be using our reef hooks to hold ourselves in place so that we could watch the sharks. There were a number of problems I had with this instruction... Where to start? Hmmm... First, I had no idea what a fucking reef hook was, nor any clue as to how to operate one. Second, I'm sorry, did I just hallucinate, or did you just say we were going to stand still watching the sharks circle us?!? So I raised my concerns about 1.) not having a reef hook, 2.) not knowing how to operate one, and 3.) my reticence to sit hooked in place as sharks came flying at my face.
I was given a reef hook (well, more accurately, one was shoved into my pocket right after I was shown where to clip it onto my BCD, which is a fancy term for a blow up vest). Three or four people were sharing opinions about the use of them at the same time, and that confidence that was built just less than an hour and a half before was gone, and all that was left now was panic and sheer terror. I was so overcome with fear and busy going over in my head all this new information about the use of a reef hook, that when I went to do my backwards blue water entry, I almost went in without my regulator in my mouth (you know, the thing that actually gives you air...). So much for someone who has had over 200 dives... At any rate, I eventually got in the water (with a regulator!) and quickly realized why it was called the expressway, because the current was strong and zipped me along the edge of a sheer drop off. Along the edge were tons and tons of sharks. Here are a few of the things I saw (and most of these pictures did not come out because I was hauling so much ass that they were all blurry, so you won't get to see much:
In the middle of the dive, my dive master banged repeatedly on his tank, gave the sign for shark and pointed at a shark in the distance. By this point, we had already seen like 20 sharks, so I kept taking pictures of pretty purple coral. My dive master just kept banging and banging, and I was like, what is this guys problem, I saw the shark, what is the big deal? So I look back up and realized that this shark was a lot bigger than the other ones we had seen. MUCH bigger. And then I see that its head is a different shape, and THEN I realize that it was a hammerhead shark, and finally understood what all the fuss was about by the time I got my camera turned back on, there were about three people between me and it, so I never got a clean shot of the hammerhead, but the picture in my mind will just have to do...
Towards the end of the dive, we saw another hawksbill turtle and a manta ray. We never had to use our reef hook, so all that worry was for nothing. And when we were done and on our way back to the dive shop, I realized that it really wasn't all that hard at all, you just had to use your commonsense and not freak out. Had no one made a big deal out of it and kept freaking me out, I would have had no issues at all. After we were back at the dive shop, the dive master told me he thought I had done a great job, and that I was ready to do just about any dive there was to do. Just so long as I remembered to use my regulator...
Then this evening, we had a former Palauan senator come and talk to us about his thoughts on US-Palau relations, which was interesting because essentially he thinks the entire country of Palau is on US welfare. An interesting guy.
Tomorrow will be my last day to dive in Palau (we fly out late Saturday night/Sunday morning so I can't dive on Saturday at all). I have no idea where we are going or what we'll be seeing, but I know it will be good. I hope it's another wreck, though...
I wish I had the time/energy to tell y'all about dinner tonight with two of the ladies on the trip (Carolyn and Shirley) who filled me in on all the gossip and talked all sorts of shit about one of the other ladies on the tour (Judy), but I'm too tired and I've written too much already...
Hope the two people who actually read my blog enjoyed this edition. If nothing else, I had fun writing it...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Koror, Palau
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