Pos 16:44.983S 179:42.940W

20130708 Monday

Boarding the dinghy we set of the barrier reef linking the two islands at the head of the bay. The reef rises steeply to within centimetres of the surface and we have to dive down to find a suitable spot for the anchor that won’t damage the coral.

Kitted up and jumping in I swim to a nearby head of coral just in time to see a shark slipping behind it. Quickly switching on my camera I head around the otherside to catch him head on, but tragedy strikes!

The camera fails to activate and I then notice that the waterproof door that protects the card and battery is open and the camera has flooded. Bang goes my prize winning shot and my camera.

Ironically the reef is full of fish and with its clear water and good light conditions for photography was ideal. Having returned the camera to the dinghy and removed the battery in an act damage limitation, I spend the rest of the swim feeling like the shark had got my arm.

Returning to the yacht I go through the motions but seeing water between the screen and the outer glass it’s pretty obvious that the innards have been flooded. The battery has cooked so the signs are not good for recovery.

Weighing anchor we set out around the island to a Resort on the north side which according to the information off the internet was “Yachtie friendly”.

We pass a landing craft and several small resorts on the way until we finally arrive at a rather spectacular development complete with a mini-marina. We have difficulty find the bottom to anchor off the beach here, as once again, we come across the Fjord like coast line with steeply shelving bottoms that rise sharply.

There is a large mooring buoy and we try to contact the resort for permission to use it. Two gentlemen appear at the end of the jetty and when we make contact we are told they are not “Yachtie friendly” and would we kindly disappear! Their loss!

It's too late to go very far before sunset and we try several bays before we finally find one of a sandy beach with a few huts ashore. Even here we are within 50metres of the shore and its 12 metres deep.

Despite a weak connection I manage to get onto Amazon and order a new camera. I had already seen a write up on the new Olympus TG1 which fixed some of the annoying aspect of my TG510. The new one has the lens in the middle instead of in the corner where you finger easily fell into it, was good to 12 metres as apposed to 10 and had bigger buttons making it easier to operate underwater.

Imagine my surprise when I discover that there was an even newer version, the TG2 which now goes down to 15 metres. Casting care to the wind and putting my faith in plastic, I pressed the purchase button. Shan now has another 5kilos for her baggage.

As the sunsets, Tonton’s off preparing beef bourguignon with rice and asparagus for dinner. During the evening we decide that tomorrow we will have fish, the last of our Mahi Mahi. Steak is fine, but we starting to feel a bit cannibalistic and need a break.

Bob the Blog