Final Stop back at Bequia - wreck diving at night

Stargazer of Southampton
Susie and Adam (both think they are skipper)
Wed 4 Jan 2012 13:57
01:01.12, 13:00.56N 61:14.66W
 

We have returned to Bequia to pick up some water and do a couple more dives before heading away from the Grenadines and up to St Lucia at end of the week.

 

An evangelical preacher visited Bequia the other day – we heard them arriving in the ferry from St Vincent – lots of singing and clapping – I thought they all seemed rather happy for 8am on a windy and wet morning.  They set up on the stage under the Almond Tree ashore and kept going all day til about 6pm with singing, clapping and LOTS of ‘Hallelujah’s’.  I made Adam stop and listen a couple of times and although the preacher was doing lots of talking – nothing actually seemed to be really said at all, apart from the one line I remember ‘This is not about religion, this is about Cheese!’ – well – that is what I thought he said but I could have been wrong.  We spent the afternoon wandering about town waiting for the washing to complete in the launderette.  Luckily along the waterfront there are some little hotels that have cafes doing tea and cake so we could escape the preaching.

 

Diving yesterday on a wreck just a little further up from the Devil’s Table Reef around the corner from where we anchor.  It’s a nice wreck – large trawler type that must have been down a few years as it is covered in life.  The top of the funnel reaches to just 2 m below the surface with the bottom in about 18 metres.  Some pictures below of the day and night life.   When you travel in the dingy back to the boat at night there are lots of bright blue needle fish about a foot long that hunt right near the surface and go jumping out of the way of lights – one of them jumped onto the front of the tender last night as we zoomed by.

 

We did a day and a night dive on the wreck as there are not many wrecks suitable in position for diving at night – worn out today.  Unfortunately our battery charger went ‘pop’ last night when we were running the generator, the pop was accompanied with the smell of burning plastic so today Adam is investigating.  Hoping we don’t have to buy  a new on in St Lucia but we will have to wait and see if Adam can do any magic.  The down side of boats is that there is always something to fix.

 

 

Hundreds of Fish hanging around the shady side of the wreck

 

 

 

Adam trying to film a couple of Barracuda

 

 

 

Upper deck

 

 

 

 

There was a fair amount of weird and wonderful life – especially at night. . . .

 

Arrow crab’s covered the sea fans and black coaral which was all over the wreck  and were stalking about on the decks looking like big spiders

 

 

 

Trumpetfish – always escape being taken pictures of in the day – but they are not so quick at night!

 

 

 

Slipper lobster – OK not the most exciting looking beast – but really sweet and this one made it to the very top of the funnel – I have no idea how – they don’t really look like they are made for vertical climbing.

 

 

Fireworms everywhere during the day on the sea fans and coral – but none to be seen at night