Bonaire May June 2018 - Brush With Diving Fame

Our Go To book on fish

June 2018 - sorry for the fuzzy pics.  Poor cell phone camera.

Ned's slide show

Ned Deloach is one of the guys that wrote four key reference books used by divers all over the world to id the sea life they see when diving.  Actually, I think he has more than three books (7 others + EBooks ) at this point.  But for this part of the water world - three that matter: "Reef Fish",  "Reef Creatures", and "Reef Coral."  Check Fishid.com for more info.

Ned Deloach on the right

As new divers, we would reference these books after each dive, trying to figure out exactly what we saw.  I usually looked through the book just ahead of a dive to get my mind thinking on what I might see.  Even seasoned divers use these books.

Anna in pink

Well, one of the dive resorts brought Ned and his lovely wife Anna in for a week.  The opening night talk by Ned was open to the public so we went.  Ned gave an hour long interesting and fun talk with slides.  Quiet Anna was there for support.  However, it turns out she is quite an aficionado on Blennies, the small, elongated bottom dweller that take up pages 312 to 367 in the Reef Fish book because there are so many different kinds.  In fact, the resort bar is named Blennies in her honor.   

sv Stargazer and sv Casa Blanca with their Blenny eyes.

sv Blue Blaze and sv Honey Ryder with their Blenny eyes.

The resort had a week of scheduled dives with this famous couple (for a fee, of course).  We chose to continue on our own.  At the first nights talk, Ned and Anna challenged us all to look closer as we were diving.  As part of that challenge, they handed out a check sheet of 80 fishes and sea creatures to ID during the week - honor system, one sighting each, multiple parrot fish don't count.  At the end of the week party, if we had 50 of the 80, we would get a pocket guide of one of Ned's books.   

Ned autographing his books

Challenge on!  I kept a close eye out and check off the fish/sea creatures as I saw them.  I ended up with 75 of the 80.  Not bad!  Ned chatted briefly with each person when he signed our books, asking about a specific fish we saw and congratulating us on the number we saw.  Such a nice guy.  And his wife was just too lovely.  She is the one that told me that diving behind the yachts in the mooring field is her favorite dive spot in Bonaire.  It was fun meeting them and working the challenge.  Our two books (Reef Fish and Coral) have really gotten a work out.  

At the end of the week party with Ned and Anna, there were several people running around with matching shirts.  I figured a dive club until I noticed the age spread.  It was obvious that it was a family reunion of some sort.

Finally, I had a chance to read one of the T-Shirts, it seems Grace and Phil hold the world record for "World's Oldest Married Scuba Diving Couple".  And have for several years.  Each year various family members fly in to witness them retain this Guinness World Record and help them celebrate.  I asked one of their daughters if she could share their specific ages as the t-shirt from last year only had the cumulative age of 171.   "Dad will be 87 this summer and mom will be 87 later this fall."  

WOW!  How kewl is that!  We felt honored to be in their presence and to be able to meet Ned and Anna.  BTW - Ned and Anna travel the world and are often at various dive resorts around the world speaking.  Maybe they will be on island someday while you are on dive holiday.  

Bonaire May June 2018 - The Diving

Tom gearing up to go diving

May / June 2018

Sabrina snorkeling 

After reading the other blogs postings about Bonaire, you are probably thinking "But what about the diving?"

Tom prepping to dive off the back of the boat

We did do a fair amount of diving.  We went through two Tank Fill cards, 22 refills on each card, so.....44 or so dives total.  In the end, we were diving every day and sometimes twice a day.

Sabrina diving

We also did a lot of snorkeling.  Many mornings, Laura and I would go snorkel in the shallows in front of our boats - say 10 ft of water or even less.  There were tons of interesting little sea creatures and every stage and color of Parrot fish.

Tom diving

One of the selling points of diving in Bonaire is that there are many dives sites that are accessed from the shore.  This means divers can come to Bonaire on a dive holiday and have the freedom to do a bunch of dives on their own, no dive boat or guide needed.  All the rental car companies have dozens of pickup trucks for rental.  In the back there are wooden palettes so you can easily lay down a bunch of dive tanks safely and drive to the various dives sites.

Sabrina diving - not cold, trying to keep my hands in and not flail about

While walk in dives sites are a big attraction for most holiday divers, it wasn't so much for us.  All we had to do was dive off the back of sv Honey Ryder.  See, her bow was in about 25 ft of water at the mooring and her stern was in about 50 ft of water, right on top of the wall drop off.  The wall runs all along the mooring field.  In fact, pretty much around the island.  No getting lost in underwater valleys that go this way and that.  One world famous diver told me her favorite diving site "is just at the edge of the mooring field behind all you yachties.  It's just lovely along there."

Tom diving

When we weren't diving off the back of the boat, we would hop in our dinghy and go to sites north and south of us.

Sabrina snorkeling in the National Park

Tom had 25 or so dives under his belt when we arrived.  I only had 16 dives in my logbook.  Diving in Bonaire gave us the chance to really develop our diving groove as partners and establish a routine for before, during and after.  Invaluable, important experience. 

Pic by Laura

We did do one shore dive together with Laura.  Tom did his first wreck dive as well.

Laura the fish with the fish

There is a dive shop on every corner.  We used Dive Friends at the Yellow Submarine, a great dive shop.  Tank fills were $6.  If they didn't have our tanks ready, we would just grab one of theirs.

So many fish

Stenapa is the official marine park office.  There is a junior ranger program of the local kids, events, dives, talks and such.  Additionally, there are a couple of coral farms and other interesting things - sv Blue Blaze helped move sponges on the Salt Pier as part of a sponge relocation project, very kewl!

Tom free diving down to check out the coral farm

We even did a night snorkel.  Some super, duper glow in the dark shrimp/worm things were supposed to be out 30 mins after dark on the third night after the full moon.  Did you catch all that?  Well, Tom and I met up with sv Celilo and their visiting son Phillip to snorkel and see this phenomenon.  We arrived at dusk and waited for the right time to slip into the water.  Then we watched and waited.  And waited and waited some more.  It was our first time snorkeling at night and felt a bit weird.  Honestly, it felt like a Snipe Hunt.  Remember those when you were a kid?  Usually a group of older kids (scouts) would take the younger ones out at night hunting for the elusive snipe, basically making them run around the woods or prairie like silly fools looking for an animal that didn't exist for the pure entertainment factor of the older kids.  I even said to Mike at one point, "This feels like a Snipe Hunt."  He snorted into his snorkel and mask but assured me that this was real.  Finally, we saw some glow in the dark things firing up. 

Tom heading to a night snorkel

sv Celilo - night snorkel

But you probably want to know specifically what the diving is like in Bonaire?  FABULOUS!!  The reefs looks good, with fish and sea life everywhere.  We saw the most amazing creatures.  And because the entire island is a protected marine park, there is an abundance of sea life.  It is like diving in a big, fancy aquarium.  Seriously!  So kewl!

Laura getting ready for a dive at Klein Bonaire

We were lucky to be with sv Blue Blaze as Laura and Jason are master divers, commercial divers and Jason is a marine biologist.  And we took full advantage of them.  "Hey Jason, we saw a long, skinny fish that was green and blue with a hooked snout.  What was that?"  He would usually say "If it had blah and blah, that is a long snout whatever.  Those are really cool because......."  They pointed out the Yellow Jawfish to us.  We had never seen one and didn't know what it was.  "BTW, the male carries the eggs in it's mouth." Jason explained.  WHAT!  When Laura and I would go snorkeling together, she would spot something kewl and call me over "I am going to dive down and point something out" .  I would follow along to see what she had spotted.  Then we would surface and she would tell me what we were looking at and all about it.  They also loaned us dive computers and helped fix some of our gear.  Thank you sv Blue Blaze!!!!

Tom prepping for another dive

Actually, being around sv Blue Blaze and then on our own, we started slowing down on our dives and really looking.  Not just at the big stuff but the little stuff as well.  On one morning snorkel with Laura, I spotted THREE octopus!

One of the hundreds of dive spots around Bonaire

So yes, the diving is brilliant in Bonaire.  Go dive there!

Bequia 2018 - Diving

Getting read to dive Devil's Table - pic by George

February 2018

Roberta and John sv Freedom - getting in the dinghy is never easy

We decided to take advantage of the good diving in Bequia try out my new gear.  Additionally, John off sv Freedom is experienced and willing to go with us.  I am still very much a newbie.

Tom and Sabrina going down -pic by George

Being a newbie with new to me gear, I was nervous.  Mainly about my dive computer.  I read the manual multiple times but still...... I learned to dive mainly because I just want to go down 20-30-40 ft and look at the sea life.  I just want to float around, watch and wait to see who will swim by or pop their head out.  Deep dives, cave dives, wreck dives, night dives......um no.  I have no interest at this point.  In fact the idea of a few of those sort of freaks me out.  I may change my mind, but for now....shallow dives with pretty coral and sea life is just fine.

Tom and Sabrina still going down - pic by George

Our first Bequia dive was Devil's Table.  It was good.  Lots of fish, lobsters, coral, etc.....I did freak out a little at the end because my dive computer started blinking and I didn't know what it meant.  But I realized it was okay.  I went back and read the manual yet again.  I also messed with the settings some more so I could get used to it.

Tom - pic by George

The second dive we did was the Moonholes.  I let John know that I didn't want to go too deep - not more than 40ft or so and that I would be looking at my dive computer quite a bit so I can learn and get used to what it is saying.  It was a great dive in terms of fish and coral.....I am told.  I saw some stuff but I did spend a lot of time looking at my dive computer.  But that is ok and just what I planned to do.  Numbers and levels in it are starting to make sense.

Sabrina and Tom - pic by George

Tom is there with me as my official buddy.  Some of Tom's gear is not working (the depth gauge) so he depends on mine.  We will need to start shopping for replacement gear for him as well.

*I had hope to insert a video here that John took of Tom and I diving but that didn't work. Maybe in the future.     

I am still getting used to my gear but it fits and works well and I am very happy with it.  Also, I flail around way too much.  But I am sure as I do more dives, I will get more and more comfortable with it.

Thanks again to Sandy for my gear!  And Laura and Jason. 

New Dive Gear

Tom and Sabrina

January 2018

New to me BCD

I have new to me diving gear.  NICE gear.  Really, really nice gear.  And of course there is a story behind it.

So nice.  Designed for women

While we were stateside last summer (2017), we met a friend of a friend Sandy.  She is a fellow sailor, sailing on Stockton Lake in Missouri and holiday charters in the BVI and such.  In chatting with her I also found out she and her husband/partner are divers.  They have been on many a dive holiday in fabulous dive places around the world.  "But I really don't dive any more.  I had a scary experience last time so I think my diving days are over." she said to me.  Hum?  So of course I said "Any interest in selling your dive gear?"  This totally caught her off guard. "Oh.  Um.  Well, I don't know.  I.... Hum.....I...."  I told her to think about it and if so, I would be very interested and we went on to chat about other things.  By the end of our time visiting she brought it up again.  "I will think about it and let you know."

Built in weight pockets

A week later she contacted me saying she did want to sell and that we should meet at a cafe with internet so we could look online at "fair market value.  The gear is really nice stuff and I have taken really good care of it."  "Sure.  That sounds like a good plan."  However, she was busy and then heading out on holiday.  No rush.  Just contact me when you get back.  Then I did not hear from her again for some time.  Eventually, she sent me an email to say she had broken her back in a boating accident and was home in a brace and in no shape to do anything including selling dive gear.  "Of course.  Can I bring you anything?  Sailing magazines, etc...?"  I knew her partner was taking care of her but I thought at the very least, sailing mags to pass the time.  No, she was ok.

NICE

We were started to pack up our stuff stateside to return home to sv Honey Ryder when I got a voice message from Sandy.  I called her back.  She was still at home in a back brace rehabbing but much better.  "If you want this dive gear, why don't you come out to the house and just get it."  I went.  She had it all out.  Really nice stuff.  Top of the line ladies BCD, regulator, and dive computer.  I tried it on.  It fit perfectly.  She explained how she had it all serviced locally each time before a dive trip and then again after.  She had all the paperwork but the dive computer manual. She apologized profusely for not having that.  Really?  Come on.  Everything is in such good shape.  I think I can download a manual. 

Breath in, breath out

"I love it.   I will take it all.  How much?"  I asked.  Sandy immediately said "Just take it."  "Noo.  Sandy no.  I must pay you.  Please."  She said "No.  Just take it, use it and enjoy it.  I would rather someone have it that it going to really use it and enjoy it than hassle with selling it and such.  Just send me some pics."  I was flooded with gratitude.  Such generosity.  I thanked her over and over and then left.

Dive computer and regulator

In the car, I called cruising friends Laura and Jason that happen to be commercial divers as well.  I told them about my new gear.  "Holy shit Sabrina.  That is nice gear.  I mean top of the line stuff.  And she just gave it to you?  Wow.  You now have nicer gear than either of us has." was what Jason said to me.  "Will you two help me learn it and such?"  "Of course."

Silver tank is my new tank

I took it all home to Trinidad, packed it away and started prepping the boat for this season.  sv Blue Blaze (Laura and Jason) sailed out of Trinidad up to Grenada before us.  Laura sent me a message "Hey.  There is a cruising boat here selling a nearly new dive tank for half price $80 US.  You want us to buy it for you?"  And that is how I got my dive tank.

Securely stored in the aft head

We were too busy messing about in Grenada to go diving.  And the dive site I wanted to do is on the west side of the island.  So the first diving in my new gear took place in Bequia.  That story next.
****BIG Thank you to Sandy in KC.  And to Laura and Jason for finding me a tank.