Tropical Paradise...in a nut shell!!
I"m letting the pics speak for themselves, uh, with a few detailed ad-libs! THe first 2 nights we spent in a haven hut in the hill of a beach overlooking a gorgeous cove- breathtakingly magnificent-went snorkeling-saw a baby shark- about 2-3feet...and so much natural underwater beauty!! Chilled,read, got silly- great family run and isolated "resort"!! Then we hit the relatively "big" town so I could get certified for my advanced diving course - which I did!!! Jason joined us on the boat the first day and snorkeled around while I dove and learned about underwater navigation (a bit different then just following fish, which is what I prefer, but its a good skill for not getting lost under the sea!!) That evening we walked the beach and chose our fresh catch straight from fisherman's boat.... and it was grilled right in front us! The first fish I had eaten on my trip- a blue marlin- but then I saw one the next day swimming and felt horrible!!....
The next morning I went on my deep dive- 30m (100ft.) and saw a HUGE SHARK!!! about 15 feet long- and thick as can be (must of just ate) my regulator dropped out of my mouth and tears swelled in my eyes....(ofcourse I am seeing my brother shake his head at me) He was a black tip reef shark- not interested in humans (don't worry mom!!) then we saw more grey reef sharks later- it was awesome!!! sorry no pics- just a mental note that keeps swimming through my brain! To top things off-- that evening we went on a night dive- just us-underwater by moonlight and flashlight- now thats an experience!! Basically we chased a 4 foot long baracuda for about 20 minutes waiting for him to get his dinner on- and right in front of our eyes he grabbed a rabbit fish,cut it in half with those deadly teeth and then swam back for his second helping- quite impressive!!!
I love diving and being part of the underwater world!- the feeling of being weightless and learning about maintaining bouyancy to look into crevices and under corals.... finding fish feeding, chasing others and defending themselves- its so amazing! I could easily make a life out if it! ;) In honor of graduating from my course an our last night on the island, we went to a party on the beach. There were fire throwers, people dancing and the island life vibe kicking strong- ofcourse I ran into 3 people from my travels while on the island too- its almost like being at home hearing "Laura" all the time! More thumbnails ...
| 
11 votes 
