Dolphin Dive Trip Report (Bahamas Sept 20-27, 2008)
#1
Posted 20 September 2008 - 08:08 AM
Your freindly neighbourhood Shadragon was delayed, cancelled and diverted, but at least I have my dive gear this time. For the record, carpet covered airport concrete is a remarkably firm mattress. More on that later...
Squid, CaptMorgan, DiverBabs and I are waiting to take the same flight. Weather looks great. 83F in Ft. Lauderdale. Slight cloud.
Wish you were here...
Tech Support - The hard we do right away; the impossible takes us a little longer...
"I like ponies on no-stop diving. They convert "ARGH!! I'M GOING TO DIE" into a mere annoyance." ~Nigel Hewitt
#2
Posted 20 September 2008 - 11:10 AM
Your freindly neighbourhood Shadragon was delayed, cancelled and diverted, but at least I have my dive gear this time. For the record, carpet covered airport concrete is a remarkably firm mattress. More on that later...
With the luck you've having with planes, maybe you ought to try trains, just allow an extra 2 days for delays!!!
Bill
Time on earth is precious, time underwater even more so. Live life one day at a time. Dive your @$$ off!!!
#3
Posted 27 September 2008 - 12:20 PM
Well I'm back safe and sound, I saw Kamala get on the first airplane safe & sound.
What a great trip! Snorkeling with those wild dolphins was very exhilarating! My favorite dive sites were Tuna alley and Victory Reef!
It was great getting to meet several new people, everyone got along great & hope to see you all soon again!
Holly
#4
Posted 28 September 2008 - 02:31 PM
The trip was fun as usual. The highlight for me personally, was getting to snorkel for about an hour with about 7 very playful spotted dolphins. What a treat!!! I couldn't make myself get out of the water until the last one left. They played the seaweed game ( a game of keep away) with us. They whirled around us clicking and squealing, clearly enjoying the encounter as much as we did! Amazing!
The shark diving - Not a shark feeding - just dove in an area where others do and they are attracted to the sound of the boat. They were awesome. We had about 7 sharks just swimming around/with us during the dive. They are so majestic... always one of my favorite things. After the dive was over they came to the surface in hopes of a hand-out. Several folks got in the water to snorkel with them on the top as well. Very cool!
to Capt. Lowell and his crew for a great trip.
"Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young." - Dorothy Canfield Fisher
#5
Posted 28 September 2008 - 03:00 PM
#6
Posted 28 September 2008 - 05:19 PM
I was a bit skeptical being a DIVER an all but the dolphins and sharks were quite the highlight of the trip. I would do it again in a heartbeat and hope to offer another trip like this again!
p.s. will add more later...just getting back and had to leave the house for open houses and showings. Will be back in the office tomorrow...
Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
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#7
Posted 28 September 2008 - 06:16 PM
In spite of having to run north away from Kyle, I managed to get in 19 dives. Victory Reef and Tuna Alley were among my favorites. I loved going thru coral tunnel formations & poking my head into little caves & all. We usually had very good visiblity (oever 50 and up to 80 feet).
The boat crew was the best, Gene was very knowledgable and gave us a lot of insight to the dolphin behaviour. Capt Lowell was great and his crew very friendly and accomodating!
Loved meeting up with and diving with several new people: Kelly, very nice guy, Duncan who is an awesome swimmer and really got close to those dolphins. Squidly is definitely the life of any party! There were others I wish I got to know better! I'm looking forward to seeing you all in the future. Babs, you can room with me anytime, you're the best!
BFN,
Holly
Edited by a_fl_mermaid, 28 September 2008 - 06:18 PM.
#8
Posted 28 September 2008 - 06:40 PM
Babs, you can room with me anytime, you're the best!
BFN,
Holly
Ditto! You're a great roomie Holly!
By the way... I have your green strap for your suitcase. You left it behind. I'll get it to you soon.
Thanks all for a fun time!!
"Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young." - Dorothy Canfield Fisher
#9
Posted 28 September 2008 - 07:45 PM
#10
Posted 29 September 2008 - 07:22 AM
Yes, It was an amazing trip! Those dolphins were the most fantastic creatures!
In spite of having to run north away from Kyle, I managed to get in 19 dives. Victory Reef and Tuna Alley were among my favorites. I loved going thru coral tunnel formations & poking my head into little caves & all. We usually had very good visiblity (oever 50 and up to 80 feet). The boat crew was the best, Gene was very knowledgable and gave us a lot of insight to the dolphin behaviour. Capt Lowell was great and his crew very friendly and accomodating!
Loved meeting up with and diving with several new people: Kelly, very nice guy, Duncan who is an awesome swimmer and really got close to those dolphins. Squidly is definitely the life of any party! There were others I wish I got to know better! I'm looking forward to seeing you all in the future. Babs, you can room with me anytime, you're the best!
BFN,
Holly
Holly, thanks for the most descriptive report to date. I realize you were probably the first one back home, so let me hastily add that I look forward to reading the experiences and impressions of others as time permits. P.S. 19 dives! Girl, you are a machine!!
Speaking (er, writing) of looking forward to something, please you guys help assuage the pain of us left ashore with gallery posts when you get the chance. Somehow, scraping barnacles off Miss Magic's bottom last Saturday does not seem to compare.... though feeding the sheepshead I attracted was fun.
Living Vicariously through the Lenses of Others,
Finally broken to plow and harnessed to the traces. How may I help you today? Questions welcomed to charlies@singledivers.com
"My secret to maintaining this goofy façade? It ain't no façade." - Brad, the
"I don't make up jokes; I just observe Congress and report the facts." - Will Rogers
#11
Posted 29 September 2008 - 09:43 AM
Great trip. Very memorable. Swimming with Dolphins and Sharks (OK, I didn't do the shark snorkel thing, but a lot of folks did...) and getting in a pile of dives on the Cat Cay, Bimini and just off Freeport. Weather cooperated for the most part. A great crowd of old and new friends. Viz varied from 20 - 100' depending on the site. Lots of drift dive opportunities with the rushing tide and Gulf stream action. Temps varied from 83 - 86F.
Captain and Crew were great with a last minute replacement cook rising to the challenge and serving up some amazing meals. She even went diving for the first time with us on the Bimini barge! Dancing and leg wrestling on the sun deck, getting to a Karaoke bar in South Bimini on a Partridge family bus, and a decent little fish fry on Friday night rounded things out.
Mantas, Stingrays (17 on one dive alone), Turtles, Reef and Nurse sharks. Morays, Scorpion and Rock fish. Tons of Lion and Angel fish. Thanks to Squid for his buddy skills. We had to repair my BC at the end of the 35' mooring line on one dive. Other highlights included an aborted anchor recovery and the discovery of a huge Samsonite bag (nothing inside it except an aero crab unfortunately).
On the trip home the 'Park and Fly' van hit an overhead roof structure in the parking lot which gave us (Babs and I) a momentary start. Topped off the trip with a pleasant water side mini post trip HH with ScubaSki, DiverDeb and DiverBabs in Fort Lauderdale.
Tech Support - The hard we do right away; the impossible takes us a little longer...
"I like ponies on no-stop diving. They convert "ARGH!! I'M GOING TO DIE" into a mere annoyance." ~Nigel Hewitt
#12
Posted 29 September 2008 - 10:46 AM
During the trip we decided to blow off a night dive and head into Bimini for a Karaoke night. I remembered your post above and decided to go for a walk. Look where I ended up...You may be thinking of the Sand Bar (aka End of the World). Any photos I may be in on the walls, are not me - just someone who looks a lot like me...
I am open to bribes to stop revealing what I found there...
Tech Support - The hard we do right away; the impossible takes us a little longer...
"I like ponies on no-stop diving. They convert "ARGH!! I'M GOING TO DIE" into a mere annoyance." ~Nigel Hewitt
#13
Posted 29 September 2008 - 11:48 AM
Awwwww did you say hi to Sarah?? Did you order a backpack!? Things always get a little hazy in there, so I am certain you cannot really know for sure anything you saw!I am open to bribes to stop revealing what I found there...
Once in a while, it is good to step back, take a breath, and remember to be humble. You'll never know it all - ScubaDadMiami. If you aren't afraid of dying, there is nothing you can't achieve - Lao-tzu. One dog barks at something, the rest bark at him - Chinese Proverb.
#14
Posted 30 September 2008 - 04:23 AM
#15
Posted 30 September 2008 - 11:16 AM
During the trip we decided to blow off a night dive and head into Bimini for a Karaoke night. I remembered your post above and decided to go for a walk. Look where I ended up...You may be thinking of the Sand Bar (aka End of the World). Any photos I may be in on the walls, are not me - just someone who looks a lot like me...
I am open to bribes to stop revealing what I found there...
OK, I lost my Single Divers T-shirt there three years ago.
I'm not proud but stuff happens
Is it still on the wall?
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