"Go right through for MSU," was what woke me up this morning. I went down stairs, glugged some joe, and got ready for another day of diving. Arriving at the yacht club, I was greeted by the same diving contingent as the day before. We loaded up the boat, and motored out to our first dive site: Blue Chute.
I was one of the last of the group to go down. When I arrived at 70 feet of water, I chilled as James and the last of the group joined up. From there, James led us again down a 30 foot straight-down shaft in the coral. As I exited, I was greeted with the usual panoramic splendor of the wall meeting with both the open sea, and the tranquil dark blue deep. It's just so serene; a reason why I love diving so much.
And then to my surprise, we happen to land on a lion fish. This would be the first time I was able to catch James kill one, so I would be lying if there wasn't any adrenaline pumping through my veins. James, using his lion-fish-killing-implement, hooked it. Then, with his other hand, grabbed his metal dowel that he uses to clang for attention, and repeatedly stabs it. One lion fish down!
And that wasn't the only one. By the end of the dive, he must have killed at least 4 of them in similar fashion. We swam along the wall, and finally started to make our way back up to the boat. By the time I was doing my 3 minute safety stop at 15 feet, I had sucked my tank dry - down to 650 psi. It must have been he lion fish hunt, and all the adrenaline, because I usually end with close to 1,000 psi remaining! Still, what a cool dive!
For the second dive, we motored 20 minutes east to Tarpon Alley. During our 50 minute surface interval, we found a dead lion fish floating on the surface - evidence of another dive boat doing its part in the war against this beautiful-yet-deadly reef pest. Soon, a Thestril bird dove in and swooped it up. The lion fish was clearly too big for the bird, as it kept on dropping it. Well of course this caught the attention of 2 other Thestrils. What ensued was aerial ballet, with each fish taking turns picking up the fish, trying to eat it, and then subsequently dropping it. Definitely interesting to watch.
The second dive itself was really quite good. When I first descended to the bottom, I happen to find a green moray eel slithering from one pinnacle of coral to another. Bummed that I couldn't get a good view of the beast, I continued down the reef and was greeted by numerous tarpon. Some were huge - estimates put the larger ones at 50lbs! Nancy then spotted that green moray eel again. This time it's face was sticking out of one whole, and its tail the other. Eels are really cooling creatures: their mouths open, exposing their sharp teeth, as they breathe. It looks like a shit-eating grin! Nancy also spotted a spotted drum: a really tiny zebra striped fish with these long narrow dorsal fins that stick out of its head. A rare and interesting find!
So diving was certainly a success today. Once we got the gear rinsed off and somewhat dry, we brought everything in and headed out to Over the Edge for lunch. Located on the north east part of the island, they serve THEE BEST Cayman fried lobster. It's essentially pan fried lobster meat in this wine sauce, served with a side of mashed potatoes, red beans and rice, and plantains. One of the meals I look forward to every year; it's simply outstanding.
After lunch, we drove over to Rum Point, which is the eastern point separating the north sound and the Caribbean. They have a few restaurants, places to snorkel, water activities like wave runners, etc. I laid out on the beach to work on my tan, while Mom and Nancy went snorkeling. After about an hour and a half, we called it a day and headed back to the condo.
By the time we got back, it was 4:30pm. Dinner was slated for 5:45pm, as Beth Ruhlstone - the older gal who owns the condo building we were staying at - was joining us. I relaxed and read until she arrived, when we all sat out on the deck to enjoy the waning moments of the Cayman sun. I enjoyed a tasty Cuba Libre, and we had tasty bruschetta as an app.
Dinner consisted of rack of lamb with mushroom risotto and asparagus. Delish! Beth surprised us with desert, which consisted of flour-less chocolate cake. Someone give me an insulin injection! It was just a lovely time listening to Beth's stories - she was born and raised on the island - ranging from baby turtles that hatched in her beach, to the days of hurricane Ivan. It was just like dining with my grandmother. Story after story, yet all were captivating!
After dinner, I felt the need to light up the second cigar of my trip: a Bolivar limited edition petite belicoso. It is a full bodied cigar, with great construction and a nice, oily habano
And then to my surprise, we happen to land on a lion fish. This would be the first time I was able to catch James kill one, so I would be lying if there wasn't any adrenaline pumping through my veins. James, using his lion-fish-killing-implement, hooked it. Then, with his other hand, grabbed his metal dowel that he uses to clang for attention, and repeatedly stabs it. One lion fish down!
And that wasn't the only one. By the end of the dive, he must have killed at least 4 of them in similar fashion. We swam along the wall, and finally started to make our way back up to the boat. By the time I was doing my 3 minute safety stop at 15 feet, I had sucked my tank dry - down to 650 psi. It must have been he lion fish hunt, and all the adrenaline, because I usually end with close to 1,000 psi remaining! Still, what a cool dive!
For the second dive, we motored 20 minutes east to Tarpon Alley. During our 50 minute surface interval, we found a dead lion fish floating on the surface - evidence of another dive boat doing its part in the war against this beautiful-yet-deadly reef pest. Soon, a Thestril bird dove in and swooped it up. The lion fish was clearly too big for the bird, as it kept on dropping it. Well of course this caught the attention of 2 other Thestrils. What ensued was aerial ballet, with each fish taking turns picking up the fish, trying to eat it, and then subsequently dropping it. Definitely interesting to watch.
The second dive itself was really quite good. When I first descended to the bottom, I happen to find a green moray eel slithering from one pinnacle of coral to another. Bummed that I couldn't get a good view of the beast, I continued down the reef and was greeted by numerous tarpon. Some were huge - estimates put the larger ones at 50lbs! Nancy then spotted that green moray eel again. This time it's face was sticking out of one whole, and its tail the other. Eels are really cooling creatures: their mouths open, exposing their sharp teeth, as they breathe. It looks like a shit-eating grin! Nancy also spotted a spotted drum: a really tiny zebra striped fish with these long narrow dorsal fins that stick out of its head. A rare and interesting find!
So diving was certainly a success today. Once we got the gear rinsed off and somewhat dry, we brought everything in and headed out to Over the Edge for lunch. Located on the north east part of the island, they serve THEE BEST Cayman fried lobster. It's essentially pan fried lobster meat in this wine sauce, served with a side of mashed potatoes, red beans and rice, and plantains. One of the meals I look forward to every year; it's simply outstanding.
After lunch, we drove over to Rum Point, which is the eastern point separating the north sound and the Caribbean. They have a few restaurants, places to snorkel, water activities like wave runners, etc. I laid out on the beach to work on my tan, while Mom and Nancy went snorkeling. After about an hour and a half, we called it a day and headed back to the condo.
By the time we got back, it was 4:30pm. Dinner was slated for 5:45pm, as Beth Ruhlstone - the older gal who owns the condo building we were staying at - was joining us. I relaxed and read until she arrived, when we all sat out on the deck to enjoy the waning moments of the Cayman sun. I enjoyed a tasty Cuba Libre, and we had tasty bruschetta as an app.
Dinner consisted of rack of lamb with mushroom risotto and asparagus. Delish! Beth surprised us with desert, which consisted of flour-less chocolate cake. Someone give me an insulin injection! It was just a lovely time listening to Beth's stories - she was born and raised on the island - ranging from baby turtles that hatched in her beach, to the days of hurricane Ivan. It was just like dining with my grandmother. Story after story, yet all were captivating!
After dinner, I felt the need to light up the second cigar of my trip: a Bolivar limited edition petite belicoso. It is a full bodied cigar, with great construction and a nice, oily habano
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