Dinner sept 9 veggie meat stew/ rice.

We woke up before the alarm and actually had to be ready to go by 720, but we pretty much laid out all our supplies the night before. We’d just gotten new masks before the trip (which was my bday present, other than of course, being in Africa) but we were glad we got to try them with the attempted dolphin swim, so we knew they were ok- otherwise we’d be going down and have no idea, which would be intimidating as hell.

Brekky was fired eggs and bread with jam which was good, but it was short as Kerry was calling us to his pickup for the ride into town for the divers/ snorkelers. He had a king cab so Marta, Marina, Carlene and Gordon rode inside, but Bryan, Mat, Amber, Lindsay, Jillian and I rode in the bed. We put down some camping mats to make it a little more comfortable- and it was tight, but it was only a few miles to town.

It was funny ot see the kids who ran waving and yelling at us- and the looks on the adult’s faces, shocked and surprised to see a whole truck of us riding along. One guy was riding his bike faster and faster to try and catch up to us (in a fun way) but he almost biffed it hard when Kerry slammed the brakes to avoid a pothole or something. We all laughed and he rode off next to us. 

The dive shop was cute and had 3 dogs who were all very friendly and wanted belly rubs. We got fitted for fins and a weat suit and it was relatively quick before we were wading through the water to the zodiac pontoon boat we’d be taking to our location. We also had the snorkelers: Jillian, Marina and Marta on our boat which was nice. The others were taking a traditional dhow sailboat ride for the day- including Carlene and Gordon who had to get on the boat at the dock rather than take the 147 steps to the beach like the others would after we’d already departed.

We hopped on the zodiac and all our equipment was set up in front of us, so I sat opposite Bryan as our stuff was situated that way. It was another bumpy, spashy ride to the island where we’d dropp off the snorkelers and got a shirt distance more to the reef.

We actually passed the rest of our group headed out on their dhow ride, which was fun, but they asked where Gordon and Carlene were who were supposed to be on their boat, just having gotten on sooner than the rest. The island was gorgeous with pretty dunes. This was “where the toilet is anywhere”, which meant “go behind a dune”- so we trekked a ways to find privacy. Behind the dune I could see other dunes creating kind of a crescent-shaped oasis with a lagoon. I figured there were crocs but didn’t see any- though it turns out Mat said he did.

We had our dive brief which goes over all the details of the location and the route of the dive. Jorge was the guide for our group- but there were also 3 Germans who went with a white lady guide (which I guess was surprising actually, but I didn’t realize it until now). Jorge drew the shapes of the reef and such in the sand and showed us this is where there’s a big gap in the reef (which means strong current) and the place was called Fishbowl. He drew our route and told us what we might see at the shark cleaning stations and so on- and also mentioned if the current were strong we might have to crawl along the bottom (which was a bit alarming), but I felt better at least after understanding the plan.

This was also a location where we all have to get in the water at the same time (lest someone be dragged away with the current) so we had to move a  bit fast and there wasn’t much time to think before we were descending.

The night before Bryan was pretty congested and kept waking up stuffy and had to blow his nose a lot- enough that when we went to sleep he wasn’t sure he could even dive. I knew he’d want me to do it without him nonetheless, and I had intended to- but knowing what I know now I am so glad I wasn’t going without him. When he’d woken up that morning he felt a little better and could actually breathe so he decided he’d give it a try- and this was the test: could he equalize and descend?

I started going down and was following the guide, but I looked up and saw Bryna not making it very far, so I wasn’t sure if he couldn’t equalize or what, to which I started to panic and wondered whether I should go up or stay. But after a few seconds Jorge put an extra weight in Bryan’s BCD (the vest you wear to dive) and he was able to descend. 

I was a little panicked still but felt better knowing Bryan was ok and so we continued to go down. This dive was to be 12-15m (just on the cusp of my waterproof housing’s capacity) so I didn’t bring it. I was a little nervous that I’d not have enough to keep my mind distracted from panic without a camera,  but the dive was pretty hard as it was so I wouldn’t have used it anyway.

The current was so strong and I was having a hard time adjusting to neutral buoyancy as well as not getting flipped around and had to keep swimming hard against it to follow Jorge. I prefer to be right with the guide as not only does this keep me focused but then I usually get to see all the things they point out that sometimes others in the back miss. This time it was so much less about seeing anything than just surviving, but it got better about half way through the dive. Then I was able to relax and pay more attention to the fish, which included 2 gray reef sharks, puffers, 2 crocodile fish and others- but the visibility was not great so it was a bit like seeing the sharks for a second or two as they flashed in and out of our visibility.

We reached a point where we were supposed to anchor ourselves to the ground with our hands (not new coral) and lay in a line to watch the sharks, but the current was ridiculous and I weas grabbing and dragging along trying to stay still. If you laid any way but exactly horizontal the current would catch your flipper and try to flip you over. In all the struggling however, suddenly my weight belt came off- which is totally an emergency and very dangerous because if you start floating to the top and don’t wait to let the nitrogen out of your blood you can get the bends. 

I yelled “uh oh”, and thankfully Mat and Jorge were right nearby and grabbed me to hold me down. Jorge got my weight belt off the bottom and secured it again, which was a huge relief. I thought, “well, that’s just about thw worst that can happen”…Surprisingly, I was able to relax after that point and enjoy it more but it was still a really strong current to contend with and my legs were tired.

It was finally time to ascend and when we got out Lindsay said that was the most exhausting dive she’d ever done. She and Amber are relatively new to diving, but have been other places more recently than us- so while we have more dives under our belts, they have the comfort of recent experience. I struggled to get my BCD off but found out there’s a strap that breaks the shoulder away so you can pop out- otherwise I literally would have dislocated my arm trying. And the water is relatively rough on the surface, we’re holding onto the boat’s ropes so we don’t drift away- and then it’s another haul up into the boat. I can do it by myself by kicking with my fins and floating up and then lurching forward onto the boat which is nice, but it wasn’t easy.

So during lunch, Bryan and I compared notes about how we both had some panicky moments but by about halfway through we both felt ok- and I said “Well it can’t get worse”…

We joined the snorkelers for lunch on a different island than we’d stopped before- this time, the national park. This time the toilet wasn’t everywhere and we had to walk a way to the bathroom, but it wasn’t hard to get to There was not a single tree however and I was a bit worried I’d get too much sun, but they brought 4 sticks and a tarp which was set up after we got back from the bathroom. The dive company had packed our lunches and we had “vegetarian rice salad” which was pretty much what I expected- like a picnic type cold salad but also a hard boiled egg. I was so thirsty, as breathing through the regulator makes your mouth really dry, but I wasn’t as hungry so only ate half. Bryan finished his though and again now it was time for the dive brief. 

This one was called Surgery and we’d go outside  the reef to the other edge which we’ve done before but it was pretty dang rough. We left the snorkelers on the beach- and although they thought they’d get to snorkel a second time, they could only either go with us and try to manage the currents (which would NOT have been safe) or stay- so I suggested they stay. Marta is not a strong swimmer and apparently relatively new to snorkeling and this would have been dangerous for them to do. Honestly, even as advanced snorkelers I think it would have been hard and not super productive.

We took off on the zodiac again and it was REALLY rough. I had to close my eyes and turn toward the back because the spray was so ridiculous. Mostly I was worried my mask would get all full of spray and then fog up, so I was mostly trying to prevent that and keep salt out of my eyes. I didn’t mind so much, like it wasn’t awful,  but it would have bene more fun if I could see what I was doing, but I had to just shut my eyes.

This was another place where the current was strong (dare I say, stronger) and we had to all get in at the same time and descend together. Again it felt a tad rushed, but this time Bryan and I were doing fine- however, Amber was having trouble sinking. We’re not really sure how that is as at least we think she grabbed the same weight belt, but who knows. 

However, once Amber started having trouble and Jorge was going up to help her, he told us to go down, but we were confused- and the visibility was shit. Just waiting in the murk not being able to see any point of reference started to freak me the f out and I thought for sure I was going to shoot up and not be able to do it- but the thought of being on the surface alone if the boat didn’t expect me either seemed worse (think Open Water). We have a buoy on a line that Jorge carries with us, so no matter where we go the boat can find us (which frankly makes me feel so much better) and when he went to help Amber he gave me the line. I wasn’t sure what to do other than hold it and let it unroll a bit as we moved (but not too much since we didn’t want it to be too far from our actual location, and this was good- it gave me something to think about while continuing to descend.

Mat and Lindsay had already descended, so for those few moments we were confused as to stay up or go down and not lose them, but thankfully the whole ordeal didn’t take too long, but I was still sucking air and a bit panicky. Jorge tried to grab the buoy from me but I didn’t understand so he was flapping his hand open and closed and I finally realized I was still hanging on to it and gave it back.

The visibility didn’t really improve as we got deeper which didn’t help my anxiety- and this dive was 18-20m so deper than the last. Usually you do the deepest first, but with the snorkelers on board it made the most sense to do it the other ways- and it wasn’t so deep or for a prolonged time that it mattered  a ton.

But suddenly I was messing with my mask, a little water got in and I felt like I couldn’t clear it and again started freaking out, but I got myself under control again- mostly just trying to stay with Jorge and swim upstream. There was a cave where there was a turtle inside and I tried to see, but it was hard to maneuver and I didn’t want to kick someone in the face accidentally, so I told him I did see it and moved back. The others tried but also didn’t see it, so you must have had to be down further and really get a little bit more into the cave to see- but at that point I don’t know if anyone but Mat felt it was worth the effort.

We continued on and I was worried I was using too much air because of my freak outs, but Jorge nodded that mine was ok when he asked and to keep on, but then I saw him guiding Bryan to the line (to go up to the buoy) and so I started to go up too. He gave me the signal to stay but I shook my head no way, I was going with Bryan. Lindsay got confused too and started to rise but Jorge was able to get her to go back down with him to extend their dive. Jorge said there was a surprise waiting if you had enough air, but I don’t know now if we ever found out what it was actually.

Our safety stop was definitely not 3 minutes but we were rising fast anyway, and got the ok from Jorge so we broke the surface and looked around. There was no boat (but we knew it’d come) and the water was rough, but the boat was on us in no time. We got out and were sitting down and Bryan was asking me questions but I couldn’t think, I just kept saying I don’t know. I really could not comprehend was he was asking me because I was trying to get over the anxiety of what we’d just experienced.

Suddenly we took off and went pretty dang far to pick up 2 of the Germans. I don’t know how they got so far away and they didn’t seem to have a buoy so I also don’t know how the boat man saw them. I couldn’t believe while starting in the same place, we’d gotten so separated? 

Then suddenly we’re headed back again to pick up Amber, but we’d seen a humpback whale while getting the Germans back on board- but we had to wait as we had to turn around and go back for the girl guide and the other German who did have a buoy and load them in. But now we had all the people waiting for pick ups (Mat, Lindsay and Jorge were still down) we got to go closer to the whale and could see it was a mom with a baby and they were really close. It was close enough I could hear the mom grunting and making her noises over the waves, and it was really amazing. Thankfully Amber had her Go Pro (which malfunctioned the dive prior and Jorge’s was full- which carries on our legacy of never being able to really document our dives) and she got good footage of it.

Everyone has been sharing their pics, but I don’t have What’s App and it needs to text me to approve (2 factor) and I don’t want to turn on the international plan just for one text. It’s $10 a day and while it caps at $100 for the whole month, I don’t need to see how much it could really not be that and get totally screwed just trying to do something dumb. But Marina and Jon and Kristin are getting the shares eventually, so I know I will also- and Alma has sent me some on FB messenger too.

The whales finally dove down and we left to pick up the last of our group. Amber doesn’t seem phased by much and she’s really enthusiastic, Lindsay admitted struggling a bit but is again, still eager…but for Bryan and I we decided we maybe aren’t divers after all. He said he really struggled on the last one and somehow was also struggling to clear his mask and then snorted some up and was actually choking/ coughing- which is horrible.

When I first started diving I was struggling with that exercise and a few times went shooting to the top of the pool. But I figured out a strategy, so that if water gets in my mask or I need to clear it I hold my breath (so I don’t accidentally breathe in through my nose in a panic) take a breath through my mouth, then blow the water out of my mask through my nose. When I do it this way I don’t usually have trouble, but on that dive I felt like I couldn’t clear it enough and that became the problem too…

So we decided that we’re not going to plan vacations around dives- like going to an island or a liveaboard boat just for diving- so the pressure is off on why we’re there and how much money we spent to be there. And instead would go places were diving was an option (and of course snorkeling) but whether we dove would be based on visibility and depth…because these 2 were not worth it to us unfortunately. This is of course our personal opinions- Mat had a great time, as he does always, especially doing something he’s wanted to for many years (dive Moz) and it didn’t slow Amber and Lindsay down either- who are headed to Egypt and the Red Sea for more diving after this…but the visibility should be amazing there, so I wouldn’t mind that either. But Bryan said “I want to enjoy diving so much more than I actually do”- and I feel the same…so at least I am not the one holding us back with my anxiety.

We went back to the island to pick up the snorkelers, who had pretty mjuch been waiting there the entire time (and all the other tours had left so they were alone and a tad annoyed). There was a park ranger somewhere and some people buildoing a new boardwalk so it wasn’t like totally alone, but they were alone on the gorgeous beach and a bit bored…

We took our bathroom breaks and got back in the boat for the 45 minute ride back to shore. This time the ride was smoother- either because of the wind, or the tide, and I was able to enjoy it more. When we got back, they had tea and coffee waiting (as is traditional) and some kind of cake which was amazing. It was yellow, moist and had some random raisins in it, but it wasn’t spicy as much as maybe buttery. Either way it was really good and I had two little pieces. I was out of my wetsuit and into some clothes pretty quickly but the others were taking longer. We also had to have our dive logs filled out and stamped, so we waited a bit more for that. 

Jorge went over how deep we went, our bottom time, the name of the place and what we saw. I actually realize I did see a fair amount of what he listed- and he missed the puffers Mat and I saw- so that made me feel a bit better about it all. Eventually Kerry showed up and we all piled in the truck again- but this time Amber, Lindsay and Jillian left the tailgate down to give a bit more room. Gordon and Carlene were wet so at least they did some kind of boating adventure but I still don’t totally understand what happened or if they did something different. I know that people lifted Carlene into the boat- but also then back out…so I don’t know, but they were happy.

One the way home the kids were out again and lots of people waved to us. I couldn’t get a good angle or vid without heads in it so I didn’t do too much filming on the way back. I did see a woman just stop and sit down and start breastfeeding on the curb and the other usual oddities (not that breastfeeding is odd, but to just sit down wherever you are is certainly not done in the US)…but we approached a bunch of kids who were playing soccer in the road and they separated and we yelling (nicely), waving and cheering as we waved back- and one kid was even doing cartwheels down the street and got extra cheers from us. THAT was the video I’d wanted to capture so much- and thankfully Lindsay got it (maybe Amber too) and I told them I definitely needed to have a copy of that one.

When we got back the majority of the gang was already at the outdoor bar kitchen in front of Kerry’s house. Bryan and I needed showers and I really hoped this one was good! It turned out to be one of the best showers we have had. I think our water was tied to Kerry’s house and the others’ was tied to a wood burning boiler (so they said their hot water was spotty), but ours was glorious. The little outdoor bathroom off the tent was really cool (and I hope I got a picture of it).

Once clean, we were ready to relax. I was tired and my legs hurt a bit from swimming so hard against the current. I had one last spritzer left and Bryan had a cider so we brought those with us. I wished so badly they were cold, but eh. Jon and Kristin were there and they’d already heard about my weight belt falling off and were asking about the dive. I didn’t want to be too Debbie Downer about it was I said I did have a major freak out and that was a tough one for me- mainly due to the visibility. I told them I’d tell them more later, because again, I didn’t want Mat to think we were unhappy because of him or to poo poo the place Kerry lives (as he was milling about).

He’s from New Zealand but has spent at least half of his life in Africa and bought this place a few years ago ( I think before covid) and he’d been fixing it up and making it more modern. I guess actually too it used to be down on or closer to the beach and now it’s on the cliff…and he cooked up some sausage for the meat eaters that he wanted to share. They seemed to enjoy it but of course we were not interested.

Soon dinner was ready which was veggie curry over macaroni and a salad with feta cheese, which was a nice surprise. We’d broken into the bottle of “Wild Africa”, an Amarula like drink that Marina and Jacquie head presented to me a few days prior as a late bday present- so we brought that to share with whoever wanted it. This was the café latte flavor so a little different than the usual and it was really good. We lingered a little after dinner, but everyone pretty much had to go back to their huts and pack as we’d be leaving by 6am the next day (brekky at 530). This was pretty dang early, but honestly I think everyone but Bryan and I are up at that time as they are older- but then Amber and Lindsay were doing sunrise yoga on the beach…I certainly want to just sleep as much as I can, but I am often up just before the alarm (here in Africa, not at home).

We left our wet stuff hanging and packed everything else. While we were gone, some sugar ants had gotten into our tent and into our chips and had dragged some of the crumbs out and were lining up to take the pieces back to their lair- so Bryan scooped them up and tossed them out of the tent. We left the outer cover flaps open for the night (but zipped the mesh part up as that is a serious rule in Africa- always zip the tent!) to get a good breeze in there- and the wind picked up pretty crazy during the night. Actually, Jorge had said that it would have been questionable tomorrow and definitely impossible the next day to do the same dive trip we did today because of the wind and high waves coming- which Kerry noted also. So I guess we got lucky in the fact we could even do it, even if we were not thrilled with the result.

I fell asleep pretty quickly and 530 came early!