I wake up, and I can’t believe it, it’s 7:50, which means I’ve slept for 9+hours. How great! We’re out for breakfast and then down to the dive boat for our two tank dive trip. The first spot is a lot of people’s favorite and visibility is supposed to be better than previous sites, so I’m stoked. We’re told that as soon as the boat stops, it’s important for everyone to get in and clear the boat as soon as possible, so the current doesn’t take anyone out to open sea. No problem. We’re in and down lickity split. Beautiful coral heads totally packed with splendiferous colors and multitudes of fishies. We swim under some ledges and Matt is working his GoPro. I hope the movies come out. He spots a mid-size turtle feeding under one of the ledges. Cute little dude! As we rise slightly above the ledge, it looks like a giant aquarium with so many shapes and sizes of coral, fish and air bubbles seeping through cracks from the divers below.
We circle the heads of coral, Matt filming and me exploring…occasionally hamming for the camera. There is a bit if a current, but not bad at all. Vis is great for a while, but then things get really dark. I have my flashlight to help out and one guy has a super duper light (will be checking into that when I return). After about 47 minutes, Matt and I are about done, so we do our 5 minute safety stop and pop up to the surface. Before we even get there, we can see that it is really raining hard. The surface is pretty choppy and the sky very gray. We spot the boat and they us, so we paddle in their direction and climb aboard. The rain is pouring down in sheets and everything on the boat is wet. I have a cup of hot tea, and then some of the dark broth they have for us. Hits the spot. We dart to and for picking up divers, then they lower the plastic sheets on each side and were getting a little drier. Most people vote to go ahead and do the next dive, but it starts to lightening, and that puts the kabob on any more water play.
Back at the island, I head straight for the hot shower. Did I tell you that one wall of our bathroom has a sliding glass and wooden slat door?
Look behind Matt in the picture and you can see the wooden slat door on the left (the shower section) and you can see the sheen from the glass slider behind it). You can open both up and shower open to the sea or just close one or the other. Pretty damn nice! We read for a bit and head to the bar for lunch. Our outside station:
Inside (note the sand flooring):
You see, we have half board, so we eat breakfast and dinner in the restaurant (buffets). For lunch, we either eat on the dive boat or from the all day menu in the bar. Oh, and did I mention that the reception area, bar and restaurant all have sand floors? And pretty much no one ever wears shoes? There’s a wooden bucket with a big ladle outside of bungalows and anywhere that doesn’t have a sand floor so you can wash the sand off before entering (even for the boats!). Matt and I play cribbage (he wins first and I win the second), have a good lunch and brave the cigarette and cigar smoke. We read and hang for a while and then I’m off to the spa for my 4:15 appointment for an Oriental massage – a combination of Thai and Balinese styles. It’s so relaxing. I wander in a daze back to our bungalow, stopping on the way at the dive hut to sign up for the morning and afternoon dives. Last day, really? I hope the sun comes back out.
Reading and relaxing before our special lobster dinner in the reservation restaurant. We walk around the island
to the bar for a cocktail and a game of crib (he wins in a close one), then walk further down the beach, then down the dock to the restaurant. Our table is ready, and we start with steamed lobster wontons, followed by corn and basil soup with rocket and a bit of lobster meat. Pretty good, but not feeling it. Main course is sliced lobster tail with bok choy and curried noodles, Matt ordered the salad side. Yummy, but I have reached my limit (and part of it is the other kind of lobster – not chewy like in Maine, but soft amore mushy more like mashed potatoes). Dessert is only okay (no, not lobster ice cream) and I’m looking forward to being back at the buffet tomorrow. On the way home, we try our hand at arty photography. I scratch my name off the morning dive list – a not too interesting wreck. We’re going to dive the house reef from shore after a lazy morning.