Glovers Reef Atoll - continued

The next day couldn’t have been more different, which was great as we were going diving.

What can I say about the diving?

Kitty, our petite divemaster, took us to 2 sites, Southwest Channel and Cuda Cove.

WOW!! It was simply the best diving I have had since I used to dive in Saba. So much to see and new things too, such as white striped Toadfish. It was so good at one point there were 3 divers all calling to show things they had found.

We saw a huge (6-7ft) free swimming green Moray that was thicker than Roger’s thigh. The lobster we found were big enough to feed 4 people, one of them has antennae so long they reached from my finger tip on my right hand to the fingertips on my left hand (but unfortunately they are out of season, plus this is a reserve so we wouldn’t have been able to catch them anyway). The same with the crabs, they were so big that their shells were the size of a cushion.

The barrel sponges we saw were so big I could have hidden in them. The diving was so good, we decided to stay another day and do some more.

Food, beer and power on board are a bit tight at the moment, as is diesel. We have been at sea for 14 days now and the only landfall that was any use was Dangriga. We stocked up with some fresh veggies and only a dozen beers as they were in bottles and we don’t like them on board. But as the seas were so rough and the dinghy struggled to cope, we couldn’t get as much as we would have liked. We did manage to get rid of the rubbish but were not able to get any diesel.

So we are being creative in the galley; that is Sheralee and I are (and still producing better food than the meal we had ashore) but it is good as we are using up all our perishable food before we leave Beaujolais in April and head back landside.

We are also being creative in the drinks department. As beer is rationed we are serving more cocktails, which is rather interesting.

Our evenings are being spent dining and chatting by candlelight to conserve battery power. Or as a special treat we can have a light on and play Cuban Dominoes (we’ll teach y’all when we see ya) Yes before some of you say it, Welcome to cruising!!!!

It is much more fun than the sailing we did down the Mexican coast where you could plug in to shorepower, top up the tanks and buy anything you wanted. It is also preparing us for what we can expect in the Pacific, so it is good practice.

I, for one, will be changing the way I victual (stock the boat). It is all part of the challenge I expected.

Well it is only a short while before our next dive so I’ll finish this entry later.

Wow what a dive! As Roger had not been able to do a night dive as his speciality when he did his Advanced Diving course, we took advantage of the night diving here and Roger, Rob & I went out with Kitty and another diver. The seas were quite rough and Chad did a splendid job of keeping the boat steady as we dropped over the side.

I have never particularly enjoyed night diving, but wanted to share it with Roger as it was his first one and I am his buddy after all, and I am so glad I did. We saw so many huge crabs and lobster and lots of little stuff too, but the best and scariest part, was when we were doing our safety stop.

We all turned off our torches and agitated the water to enjoy the phosphorescence which was lovely. But what was even better was when you stopped, instead of it being pitch black, the whole sea was a mass of tiny lights.

It was like being in amongst the stars…inner space. All the little luminous creatures were suspended in the water and it felt like millions of little lights shining on us. We just hung there, inside this inner cosmos, filled with awe of the changing luminescent constellations surrounding us.  

Getting back in the boat was a bit hairy as the sea was rougher than before and it was only due to Chad’s excellent boat handling that we were able to get on board. It was truly a wonderful experience.