Today is the day that I accompany the girls to Scubaputi diving centre to experience first hand the joys involved in diving. We were all up very early and were ready for our pick up well before the appointed time. Henry, pronounced 'Onri has run the dive Center for the past 15 years and with his wife they run a very efficient organisation.
The location is beautiful!
A long wooden jetty runs out over the clear shallow tranquil waters of the lagoon,
palm trees stretch their trunks out over the beach while in the distance the waves crash on the reef.
Lisa had brought the log books and certification cards which were checked as we were expertly kitted out with everything we needed. Lisa dives in only a rash vest and shorts but Kerriann requires a full wetsuit to stop her from getting cold during the hour long dive.
The wetsuit provided was very 'fitting' and Kerriann was most impressed by how flat her tummy looked once she was encased in the thick neoprene!
A dive briefing was held, our destination explained and with Kerriann still encased in her tight wet-suit we carried our dive equipment down the long jetty and onto the awaiting craft that would take us out of the lagoon to the dive site.
The water inside the lagoon is almost still and glass-like in its appearance.
I sat at the rear of the boat as Onri gently opened up the big engines to speed us on our way.
Large waves churned out behind us disturbing the tranquil waters
but as we cleared the near shore Onri really opened up the engines and we sped across the water
Kerriann took some photos of the mountains as we had not had the opportunity to see them from this angle before.
Ophunahu bay was spotted in the distance,
the Legend spread out over the hill above the intercontinental.
As we entered the pass to reach the open water we were surrounded by dolphins! Onri slowed the boat to a crawl as they flipped and swam all around us.
Kerriann took a video as they swam beside the boat while Lisa and I gazed over the side inches away from their glistening bodies. They spend a few minutes swimming and jumping around us before they moved away allowing us to continue our voyage.
Once through the pass the swells were large and the boat dipped and rose as they moved beneath us. Onri opened up the engines once more and we surfed along the waves churning up white water in our wake. Fish darted in the bow wave, flying fish broke the surface as they skimmed out of the way.
We passed the moto close to Tipanier, slowing as we approached the first of two marker bouys.
The first marker was missed by both Onri and Lisa as she scrambled up to give him a hand,
For the second marker Lisa took charge of the grab hook and soon we were pulling the secure line aboard.
While Lisa helped Onri to secure the boat I tried on Kerriann's dive equipment.
Even though it was a small, it was still a bit big and so I made the decision to stay on the boat while they did their dive without me.
Everyone got ready for the dive, did their final checks and quietly slipped beneath the surface as I settled down to wait
They returned an hour later full of tales of black-tip and lemon sharks, moreys and turtles. Onri led a very relaxed dive they said, pointing out things with a calmness and ease.
The dive had been wonderful and both girls talked non stop about the things they had seen and done as we powered our way back through the waves to the safety of the lagoon.
As the sun shone down on the still water of the bay we washed our equipment and hung up to dry. The log-books were filled with the details that we needed and Onris official 'stamp' before we retired to the beach to warm our bodies.
Although Kerriann had worn a full wet suit she was still chilled by the end of the dive and so we sat in the full sunshine as she warmed herself up sufficiently to be able to consume a banana split with Lisa and myself!!
Orni's wife dropped us all back at the house just after lunch and we were eager to tell both Rascals and Pepsi all about our adventures. The cat unfortunately was just not interested and slept through the whole rendition of the mornings events.
Ron called at 3pm to see if we wanted to go to the Hilton this evening to watch the sun set. It is a full moon tonight so the moon will rise one one side of the Island just as the sun sets on the other. We said we would be delighted and have arranged a pick up time of 5.30pm giving us plenty of time for an afternoon of relaxation and swimming.
There was a cool breeze blowing as we made our way down the long wooden walkway between the water bungalows of the Hilton.
The water on the edge of the reef broke in crashing white waves as the wind drove them firmly to shore.
In the distance a large rain cloud deposited its load on the far side of the Island temporarily blocking the sun set but none the less dramatic in it appearance.
As we sat quietly the sun broke through the clouds sending sunbeams flying in all directions.
Behind us the last of the suns rays highlighted the top the mountain throwing the 'Alfred Hitchcock' silhouette into sharp profile.
Lisa took a few more photos as the cloud gathered itself once more and sure that we would not witness the moment of the sun set itself, we adjourned to the bar for refreshments.
Half an hour later we were back out on the jetty as the most amazing full moon climbed out from behind the mountains of Cooks Bay.
Lisa set her camera to long exposure and took some wonderful shots of this incredible globe as it climbed ever higher in the sky.
The moons brilliance was astonishing, the whole landscape was bathed in a light that allowed you to walk without a torch.
We drove up to the Belvedere (which means 'beauty to see' in French) to see if we could get some photos of the moon over the mountains but the angle was wrong and the moon was
Lisa took a few more photos as an experiment, the long exposure making it almost impossible to get a good true focus and with a fine collection of night photos, then Ron drove us home.
Tupa hunting tonight night was most surreal as the whole garden was lit up with the moons rays. Only under the trees at the far end of the garden did darkness reign. Needless to say we had a good catch but nothing has beaten our record of 19 so far. We popped briefly next door to invite Gary and Sarah to join us but we all got chatting late into the night and Tupa Hunting was abandoned.
No comments:
Post a Comment