Sunday, February 15, 2004
what a weekend! i am still on a high. yet another great group of people on the boat. perhaps my sister is right, she says it's just how you approach it, maybe my approach is better now, plus we really go out of our way to interact with and annoy the customers. :-)
we had a new group of people this weekend, which is a little unusual. but there were still some familiar faces. it turned out they were from Port Stephens, and we've been up there diving a few times in the past. so it was like, totally cool, to be able to showcase our local diving attractions to them. (sorry, been reading John Howards Blog so i apologise if i, like, sound like him!)
Friday night we motored back to our mooring and spent a few hours telling tall stories and getting to know each other. Mucho fun.
Saturday we are doing the normal routine, so no need to relate, but one thing stuck out. Between the first diver getting in, and the last, about 10 minutes. That has to be an absolute record, especially for 20 divers, I've seen 15 divers stuff around so much that the first diver had finished the dive and was getting out when the last diver was about to get in! These guys were really cool. Plus, no pretensions. They knew what they knew and what they didn't. Totally relaxed and didn't bignote themselves and pretend to be better than they were, which, ironically, makes them pretty damn good. And they were all out of the water within about 10-15 mins of each other. How good is that? we were so totally spoiled with this group.
It's hot, hot and wet. Like (ok stole it from a movie: Good Morning Vietnam) it's hot and wet. It's nice if you're with a lady, but it ain't no good in the jungle. I'm sweating like a, um, something that sweats a lot. I jump on the scooter and go for a snorkle. The boss yells out, Dolphins!!! i look up and they are swimming past a group of our divers, who are snorkelling at the surface. I zoom over there as quick as i can but they are already gone. Perhaps they don't like the sound of the electric motor of the scooter.
Later this evening, while we are waiting for night divers to return, we have the fish under the light at the back of the boat. Snake eels, we think they are newly born. We catch one in a bucket for a photo. they are so cool. Squid, fishes, snake eels, swimming crabs. it's all happening on the back deck tonight.
unfortunately i am the last crew member awake, so that means i have to stay up until all the customers go to bed. hmmmm port, this is gonna hurt tomorrow!
and i am right, at 5:30 the alarm goes off. the cook is going diving. fortunately (for my headache) i haven't brought my dive gear this weekend as i'm suffereing from the after effects of a cold. (but right now, snorkelling down a few metres no probs). she goes diving with one of the bosses, i thankfully go back to sleep. i'm a walking zombie until we get them all in the water i get some time out. later in the day we are all feeling the heat and we are diving into the water from the top deck. aaaaah much better.
this group is so cool. we are going up to port stephens (with the dive club) next month. can't wait. gonna catch up with them and cause a few hangovers myself! Plus diving at Port Stephens is totally cool. they have some cool wrecks, sponge gardens and enough to keep anyone satisfied.
At the end of the weekend, i am totally stuffed. but i'm still high. these guys are so good. no pretensions, relaxed, can laugh at themselves as well as laugh at us. i know why i love this game so much.
we had a new group of people this weekend, which is a little unusual. but there were still some familiar faces. it turned out they were from Port Stephens, and we've been up there diving a few times in the past. so it was like, totally cool, to be able to showcase our local diving attractions to them. (sorry, been reading John Howards Blog so i apologise if i, like, sound like him!)
Friday night we motored back to our mooring and spent a few hours telling tall stories and getting to know each other. Mucho fun.
Saturday we are doing the normal routine, so no need to relate, but one thing stuck out. Between the first diver getting in, and the last, about 10 minutes. That has to be an absolute record, especially for 20 divers, I've seen 15 divers stuff around so much that the first diver had finished the dive and was getting out when the last diver was about to get in! These guys were really cool. Plus, no pretensions. They knew what they knew and what they didn't. Totally relaxed and didn't bignote themselves and pretend to be better than they were, which, ironically, makes them pretty damn good. And they were all out of the water within about 10-15 mins of each other. How good is that? we were so totally spoiled with this group.
It's hot, hot and wet. Like (ok stole it from a movie: Good Morning Vietnam) it's hot and wet. It's nice if you're with a lady, but it ain't no good in the jungle. I'm sweating like a, um, something that sweats a lot. I jump on the scooter and go for a snorkle. The boss yells out, Dolphins!!! i look up and they are swimming past a group of our divers, who are snorkelling at the surface. I zoom over there as quick as i can but they are already gone. Perhaps they don't like the sound of the electric motor of the scooter.
Later this evening, while we are waiting for night divers to return, we have the fish under the light at the back of the boat. Snake eels, we think they are newly born. We catch one in a bucket for a photo. they are so cool. Squid, fishes, snake eels, swimming crabs. it's all happening on the back deck tonight.
unfortunately i am the last crew member awake, so that means i have to stay up until all the customers go to bed. hmmmm port, this is gonna hurt tomorrow!
and i am right, at 5:30 the alarm goes off. the cook is going diving. fortunately (for my headache) i haven't brought my dive gear this weekend as i'm suffereing from the after effects of a cold. (but right now, snorkelling down a few metres no probs). she goes diving with one of the bosses, i thankfully go back to sleep. i'm a walking zombie until we get them all in the water i get some time out. later in the day we are all feeling the heat and we are diving into the water from the top deck. aaaaah much better.
this group is so cool. we are going up to port stephens (with the dive club) next month. can't wait. gonna catch up with them and cause a few hangovers myself! Plus diving at Port Stephens is totally cool. they have some cool wrecks, sponge gardens and enough to keep anyone satisfied.
At the end of the weekend, i am totally stuffed. but i'm still high. these guys are so good. no pretensions, relaxed, can laugh at themselves as well as laugh at us. i know why i love this game so much.
