My So-Called Dive Life

8/11/2006 - Return from Cocos

Oh no!!! Max is ahead of me on entries! Gotta post gotta post gotta post!!

Well let's see...I'm back from Cocos...7 days of diving, 22 dives total. I could probably stretch that in 22 entries...which would put me WAY ahead. It would probably also annoy the heck out of everyone...so I'll refrain. However, I did log and narrate all the dives (mostly) and will be happy to share all 11 pages with anyone that needs help going to sleep. Just email me.

So..in summary....Wow!!

I’m back. The trip was amazing. The Undersea Hunter crew was professional and provided service in the highest manner.

So let’s just say...Amazing. Splendid. Awe-inspiring. To try and sum up the week is just impossible other than to say as a diver...a serious diver...it’s a trip that must be experienced to be believed. To see a whale shark, hammerheads, galapagos sharks, silky sharks, dolphins, schools of jacks, a mobula ray, and hunting tuna...all in one dive?? It’s just truly marvelous.

The diving wasn’t easy. There was current on almost every dive, thermoclines that were truly WICKED. The viz would be perfect, and you could see ahead (or below) the telltale blurring of the cold water currents upwelling. The water would go from clear and blue to murky and green in seconds. Your lips would be blue from the cold. The surge was incredibly powerful and could rip you loose from your hold on the rocks and send you tumbling. But the action was awesome and everything I’d hoped and dreamed of witnessing was there to behold.

Topside...it was interesting. The group seemed to just naturally segregate into the europeans...and the Americans. With two girls (also there solo) from the UK on the american side to balance things out. It’s not that they were mean, but whether it was a language barrier...or just a difference in cultures, I don’t know. My roomie was a cute perky girl from England, Helen, and she was SIMPLY FABULOUS! We entertained ourselves having either “British” days or “American” days, where we challenged the other to speak in fashion. On “British” days, I was banned from saying words like “Awesome” or “Dude” or “Y’all.” I instead had to use words like FABULOUS and SPLENDID and SMASHING. It was all in all quite fun, and I loved hearing my roomie try and talk with an american accent. The crowning moment of the contest, I believe, was when she took her reg out of her mouth at 80 feet and yelled “AWESOME!!!!”   But we had a great time and we’re already planning our next dive holiday in the Maldives next year.

Technically speaking, all dives were all on a 32-33% mix.   The shallowest dive I logged was 67 feet on the checkout dive. The deepest 114 feet. The structure made for nice multilevel dives, spending the time at depth around the rocks, then drifting out into the blue where the skiff retrieved us 1 by 1 as we ran low on air. The dive profiles were as safe as they could be, really, considering it was 3 deep dives a day. 2 hours or a bit more was standard for surface interval, with deep stops and several minute safety stops around 15 feet. (NDL diving was the rule for the week.)

The last day, I was obstinate and did not want to get out of the water. I stayed at 15 feet until I was so low on air I won't even go there.

I wanted to see if I noticed a difference on ease of breathing with my reg...I didn't. Go Atomics! Woohoo!

The crossing home, I was a bit gloomy. I guess...when you anticipate something for so long, and it's so SPECTACULAR...you just don't want it to end. But we spent the time sunbathing on the deck, chatting, and remembering all the wonderful moments.

We arrived to port at 2 am, and they let us sleep til 7, when we were served breakfast and were to get off the boat for the bus to take us to San Jose. I was still being obstinate, the buses had arrived and I was basically refusing to leave the ship. So as I was in the salon, socializing and enjoying the last yummy Undersea Hunter meal, I noticed that everyone around me was quiet and looking towards the door. I glanced back to see what had everyone so quiet...and...

The best TOPSIDE surprise!!?? My wonderful husband and flown into the country and rode the bus to pick me up at the port. I could NOT believe it. I was FLABBERGASTED! (Is that a UK word, guys?) He had planned it all out with the USH office to spend a couple days in the country after the trip. It was so awesome...we went and did the canopy tour (those are a bit of work, btw) and then shopping and to visit all our old favorite hangouts in Costa Rica. It was such a treat and all my gloominess just evaporated at that point. So Ed, if you read this...thank you. You totally Rock!

So that was my trip in a nutshell. I'm getting my Photobucket album sorted out and then will post the link to that. I’ll post a few of my pictures below, and might post another few entries on the trip when I get settled, or in the upcoming dry months as I start school and am spending less time diving. Email me for a copy of the detailed dive reports. Cheers!

Rosy-Lipped Batfish...Endemic species. I spent 66 minutes freezing my tail off to be rewarded with seeing two of these goofy things. The only boring dive at Cocos was Silverado. Usually there is a silver tip cleaning station there..however it seemed to be closed becauase we saw nothing except 2 of these funny buggers.