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day 6Because Cole had offered to take us on a night dive, We took this day off from SCUBA and decided to go free diving instead. Stacy took the opportunity to break in her new fee-diving blade fins. I was amazed how her breath hold diving showed so much improvement. I think that in the end SCUBA actually complimented her free diving. She had greater confidence in the water, especially on deep dives.Ascending from a deep dive Stacy got stung by a small Man-of-war jellyfish. A sting from this animal can really hurt. She was in a bit of pain, but thankfully one of the dive boats was pulling into the same dive area we were in. We swam over and the Capitan had a spray bottle of vinegar. That helped the sting. Within an hour Stacy was content and asleep again on the beach. We spent the rest of the day napping, sunbathing and skinny dipping on a beautiful beach. Really we needed the rest. This was after all a vacation too. We were just super stoked to go on a night dive. This would be our first dive as certified SCUBA divers. | |||||||||
In addition to having a beach day, Stacy and I spent a lot of time socializing and hanging out with the super cool dive staff. We talked with Jimena Valiente and Tanguy Pelon, another dive instructor pair at the village. Unfortunately they will be
leaving soon to explore the waters of Nicaragua. They are certain to be missed. We also hung out with Cole that day. It was nice spending some quality time with my "bro".
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While in the village Stacy and I traveled around by quad. It was really cool speeding around the area this way. I let Stacy take the wheel a few times, although it was hard for her to shift so I did most of the driving.
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Normally night diving is an activity reserved for "advanced" open water certified divers. Stacy and I had just received our initial "general" open water certification, however Henry (Pilu's partner) had offered to give us additional training for the dive
and escort us that evening. If you do not have your advanced open water license, or if you are not able to hire a dive instructor to give you additional training and escort you on the dive, you cannot go night diving.
Reporting back to the dive center at around 6pm, all the night dive participants gathered their gear and loaded the truck. On this night dive would be Cole, his wife Maribelle, Henry, Stacy and Me, and Cole's friends Troy and Mike. | |||||||||
We loaded the boat. At night the panga launching seems even more dramatic. Taking off from the beach at sunset was really cool. The whole group was amped to be going out. The energy was amazing. Thankfully the wind was totally gone on
our last day and the Sea was completely calm.
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The current was rather strong, so once we got to the "El Bajo" dive site, we dropped from the boat quickly and descended right away. What was to follow was one of the most magical experiences of our lives. The reef was just on fire.
There was activity everywhere. We saw a giant and colorful sea worm and all kinds of fish and lobsters and eels. Cole, who has been diving the reef since childhood, said that it was probably his "Best Dive Ever"! He even saw a rare sea snake on
the dive! Closing the dive lights and viewing the bio-illuminating marine life was just unbelievable.
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The most unusual part of the dive was on re-surfacing. It was a moonless night, but the stars were so bright in the unpolluted air that when we got to the surface is seemed luminous. We hung out on the surface for a while taking time for some
pictures and sharing stories.
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It was seriously one of the best experiences of our lives. We topped the night off with another great dinner at the Coral Reef. Having shared in such a magical dive, it was a late night of partying among super stoked friends.
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