The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

We got up at around 6:45. We ate bacon, eggs, and bread. After breakfast, Simon had us and two other men watch a PADI learning how-to-dive video. After that, Simon had a talk on identifying coral, then all the divers went out to identify coral.

LuRue is sure she overheard Simon say to someone that then he would figure out what to do with Montana and LuRue. But no one came and Montana & LuRue were stuck on the tiny island with nothing much to do. For awhile they looked at reference books on coral to try to identify the different types. Then they went up on the roof of the main building & tried to take a panoramic picture. From the roof one can see all the shores of the island. Worse yet, one can see all this inviting Caribbean ocean practically inches away from anywhere on the island.

They were getting desperate to get into the water. LuRue asked one worker if we could swim where we had been a couple of days ago, but he said no, that the sea was too rough & the current was too strong. Right at the dock, there is an enclosed marina about the size of a large pool. The guy said it would be OK to swim in there, so we did. About half of the area is so shallow, our stomachs practically rubbed on the bottom. Then we swam over a sunken tire, some soles of old flip-flops, the guts of a lion fish, but we did spot the rare tomato fish (a half-slice of a tomato). But eventually we found a deeper part where there were actually a few fish. It was also deep enough that we could practice some of our diving skills learned on Tuesday. OK, so it wasn't the snorkeling experience that you would want to write a post card about, but at least we got away from the confines of the island and into the water!

After our "swim", everyone came back & just as the lunch bell rang, Polly, Simon, & some others came over to discuss our dilemma. Everyone feels very badly that the weather has been so lousy & that no one has had the diving experience they expected. We agreed & said we understood, but were hoping that we would think of some solution, such as snorkeling in one safe section. But Polly explained that the currents around the island can be strong enough to carry even the strongest swimmer away. But they had all discussed the situation & saw that it would be safe for one of the guides to take us snorkeling that afternoon. We jumped at the chance & after lunch got to go snorkeling for about an hour with Harry.

Montana joined another game of volleyball & they played until almost dinnertime. LuRue talked with some of the others, particularly a woman from California & another from Wales.

Dinner tonight was fresh-caught lobster from just offshore, finished off by desserts.