My So-Called Dive Life

12/25/2006 - End of year ramblings...

Well it's been quite a year, on the surface and under the water.  In July I went to Cocos Island, a trip I've dreamed of and planned for almost 2 years.  It was everything that I had hoped for...and then some.  The constant action and big animal encounters was almost overwhelming. And my roommate turned into a friend for life, visiting me last month for some wild topside South Beach partying.  (Pics on MySpace.)  The downside was that I found it hard to get back in the water knowing I couldn't top that experience.  My next trip back in the water was in FL with rippin' awful current, making my Costa Rican "advanced" diving look tame kids play.  But later in the fall I was able to reprioritize and find the joy in diving.   My goal was to get 70 logged dives, and I fell 3 dives short, despite driving out to Ocean Point  several days last week hoping to find divable shore conditions to check out the wreck of the Breconshire, a steel steamer that sunk in the late 1800's.  No such luck, swells were high and surface chop looked like it would make for a lot of surge, not fun conditions for the wreck that lies offshore 100 yards.  Also checked out Pepper Park, in Ft. Pierce, and didn't see any better conditions.  Sooo...have to settle for 67 logged dives for 2006.  I'm headed down to Key Largo next week after to meet up with friends and dive.  We have a drift on the Speigal Grove and then a night dive on the Duane scheduled after, which if we're able to make it happen (weather cooperates) will be AWESOME!  And the BD and I might grab a trip out of Boynton on the way down so he can see a couple of the wrecks there.   The diving off of Boynton is so overlooked, but it's beautiful.  I've seen 40 Goliath Groupers on one dive on the Castor.  Current can be a little tricky but worth the effort.  So not sure I'm going to make any "goals" for 2007.  Just not sure I'm in that place.  I'm changing jobs the second week of January, going from ER to Recovery Room (and DAYS again...after 4 years on nights.)  And still thinking about going back to school.  I need my Tropical fix every couple of month so I always manage to make it to the Keys to get wet, or Dave talks me into some spearfishing (and flag carrying) off of Boynton.  No need to set goals.  I'm on Island Time.

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