July 25 – Aug 21, 2008
Scott & I stuck to Terry of trimaran Manta like glue all summer. With his
years of experience diving these waters we didn\’t feel the need to stray any
further than his wake. Often our group of diving multihulls included s/v
Rhumb Line (Mick & Joyce), s/v The Heavenly Star (Monty), and s/v
Rapscallion (Henry & JJ).
We were generally out 5-10 days, coming back to a mooring at Puerto
Escondido for 3-5 days then out again. I didn\’t need to stock up on mass
quantities of food since I knew I\’d have shopping opportunities frequently.
The in port days were convenient to work on boat projects & do other
business from the internet café.
There were just-ok dives, good dives and great dives but we always enjoy
getting wet & blowing bubbles. Mick & Terry were often \”on the hunt\” with
their spear guns. They also enjoyed zooming around under water on their
motorized scooters. Seeing Joyce in tow holding onto Mick\’s legs was a
comical sight. If the sea life was not that interesting you could count on
Terry to entertain with underwater antics. I have always taken diving very
seriously. This summer I learned I could play more & still be safe. My
diving became more instinctual & relaxed.
One dive I got a cramp in my toes that made it impossible to kick with that
leg. I handed my fin to Scott & tried to stand on a rock & massage it &
stretch it – everything I could think of. But the minute I tried to use
muscles in that leg it cramped again. So we cut the dive short & I \”limped\”
back to the surface. Of course it went away immediately upon getting in the
dinghy. Cramps are weird that way.
My goal was for 2 dives a day, but we moved around to many different islands
& anchorages, so often only dove once per day. If we only dove once I made
it a point to at least swim or snorkel. Being in the water was the only
thing that made the heat bearable.
Isla Ildefonso is known for hammerhead sharks this time of year. We did 2
dives, but no luck at seeing sharks there or anywhere in the Sea of Cortez.
After one successful hunt, \”Rhumb Line\” hosted a cabrilla \”fish fry\”. The
idea of frying anything in the heat was beyond me. We are one of the few
boats with air conditioning but I did not volunteer my galley. Mick & Joyce
bravely endured the heat & mess. With her homemade tartar sauce it was
absolutely delicious.
We did host the \”chocolaties\” (clams) grill-fest. Terry taught us where to
stick your knife in the sand & lift them out from hiding. The messy part was
done in the cockpit: prying open the shells, scooping out the meat &
chopping it. We used Henry\’s recipe of mixing the clams with salsa, garlic &
parmesan cheese. Scott & I are not big on clams, but we were happily
surprised – they were quite good. Of course just about anything with enough
salsa, garlic & parmesan cheese becomes edible.
Besides diving & eating, we watched a lot of DVDs. I found it too difficult
to read in the heat, but watching a show or movie was good entertainment. We
love our Sirius radio & are so glad the reception is good down here
still. Scott
finally got the still and video camera gear in the water, but mostly for
getting used to it. Scott posted a few underwater photos in our Photo
Gallery (**06, 07 & 08 – 2008 – Puerto Escondido & San Diego).
*
Diving in \”The Sea\” with Terry is an experience we will never forget.
Scott & Cindy