2/26/2006 - Ever have one of those days?

My dive buddy Marc begins most of his entertaining stories with,"I did something really stupid once". I think I've been around him too much, because today, it was my turn to do something stupid. We were going for more lobsters after doing so well yesterday. We caught our limits, so I was finally able to fulfill my promise to Susan to feed her.

As I began setting up my gear I realized that my gloves and hood were still in my garage. Marc said I should try for a dive anyway. The water temperature was 50F, down six degrees from yesterday. In my apprehension for the dive I forgot to make sure my neck seal was not folded over. My socks and underwear got soaked and my hands were numb within minutes. I didn't notice those problems as much due to the ice cream headache I received when I entered the water. I tried to get my mind off the cold and get back to the matters at hand. I saw more than 300 lobsters on a single reef. On any other day I would have loved to have been in the water there. I spotted a big one and made a quick grab. I allowed him to pull my hand back into his hiding place so I could get a better grip. Instead I pulled out a bloody hand. I received several nice scrapes from the lobster and the sharp edges of the rocks.

I motioned to Marc that I was cold and ready to return to the surface. He was in hunting mode and didn't seem to notice me. I decided to stay and be his pointer until he was ready to end the dive. He managed to catch three bugs to my zero. While he made a second dive, I took a hot shower and made hot chocolate. I sat in the warm Sunlight watching a pod of dolphins slowly cruise by.

From now on I'm going to tie a string to my gloves like the little kids with their mittens tied through their Winter jackets.

Now that the cuts are beginning to heal I can see them all. 22 individual cuts.