Hoy nos espera un día de lo más completo. Por la mañana tenemos dos buceitos en barco con Black Beard Sports y por la noche el Kayac en la Bahía Bioluminiscente de Mosquito.
Aunque hoy podíamos dormir un poco más (tampoco mucho no vayáis a pensar ...jaja), hay fuerzas....llamemoslas "de la naturaleza" que nos lo impiden.....en este caso....es un grupo de gallos que parece que tienen una reunión encima de nuestro apartamiento y a las ....adivináis....5.30....nos dan el toque de queda....
En principio habíamos quedado con Jordi, nuestro Dive Master cerca de casa, a las 7.45 para que nos "alcanzara" a la tienda de buceo, lo cual yo agradecí enormemente, porque ir con la cámara, desde nuestra ubicación.....es un poco ....digamos...."cansado"....jejeje. Y a las 8.00 éramos las primeras ... Poco a poco fue llegando más gente....aunque tampoco ahora podría decir los nombres, porque aunque se presentaron ....no se si mi oído no está muy despierto a esas horas...
Tenemos las conversaciones típicas y en breve nos subimos todos a una furgoneta. Somos 7 buceadores y dos Dive Masters, pero una vez en Muelle Mosquito, nos vamos a dividir en dos embarcaciones.
Con nosotras viene una pareja, con la que no conversé mucho (que raro en mi....ahora que lo pienso....pero así fue)...
La primera inmersión fue "La Iglesia", el porque de este nombre....ni idea....pero me gustó la idea de ser solo 4 buceadores y un Dive Master....me encantan los grupos pequeños...jajajaja...Kim y yo, como siempre al final...disfrutando como enanas....pero cuando Jordi da la señal para subir....miro mi ordenador y casi me da un pasmo.....¿cómo?????? ¿tenemos que subir ya??? pero si solo han pasado 35 minutos....pero si tengo más de media botella...pero....¿porqueeeeeeee???? si apenas he calentado la cámara.....
Pero bueno hay que hacer caso y salir......esto me lo aprendo para el próximo viaje....preguntar si las inmersiones tienen tiempo límite....porque 45 minutos o hasta la reserva.....para mi no es suficiente....jajajaja
Total, que subimos, hacemos un pequeño descanso para tomar agua y algún snack y a la siguiente inmersión....(un inciso: buceando hay que hidratarse y beber agua ...aunque el cuerpo lo que te pide es ....echarla....jajaja)
Siguiente punto...."Finges"...y tampoco preguntéis ...porque tampoco sé porque el nombre...jajaja
Esta inmersión dura un poco más, pero a los 45 minutos nos toca ir para arriba, y volvemos al punto de partida...allí ya están los otros compis y tras cambiarnos y hacernos la foto de grupo, nos vamos a la furgo y de vuelta a la tienda.
Nos despedimos de todos y nosotras nos dirigimos al supermercado, tenemos que llenar nuestra despensa....pasamos por una tienda de productos ecológicos y encontramos salmón que tiene muy buena pinta...
Y ya más cargadas no podemos estar.....nos dirigimos a nuestra humilde morada...el motivo es que a las 7.45 de la tarde tenemos que estar de vuelta para la excursión en kayac a la Bahía Bioluminiscente. De modo que tocaba cenar....a las 6.30....yupi los horarios "guiris"...jajaja
Mientras Kim se encarga del Grill, de la cena, yo me encargo del blog y de documentar la escena...jeje
Yo solo poso para salir en alguna foto....pero la que nos preparó un delicioso manjar fue Kim....
Salmón al papilote, con espárragos trigueros y ensalada....
Y de aqui a la aventura...otra fuego nos esperaba para llevarnos a la Bahía Mosquito (que no es el muelle Mosquito.....el que dos sitios distintos, en distintas zonas de la isla se llamen igual...y ese nombre....hace pensar que en la isla....¿habrán muchos mosquitos? SI, SI y SIIIIIIIII.......nunca me han picado tantos mosquitos....en tantos sitios....incluso en el cuero cabelludo....increíble....)
De esta parte del día....más bien de la noche...no tenemos documento gráfico porque las cámaras no captan esta parte....yo de hecho, siguiendo las recomendaciones, no lleve material ninguno...Kim llevo su móvil sumergible y la go-pro....pero solo aparecen imágenes negras.
Seleccionamos a la perfección la noche para esta actividad....justo la noche sin luna, para que se pudiera apreciar más el efecto de la bioluminiscencia. Este efecto es creado por unos seres microscópicos llamados dinoflagelados, que al mover el agua desprenden luz.
Al llegar a la bahía nos disponemos en Kayacs de 2, y tras remar una milla (creo recordar...o era media....mi cabecita....que mal está), nuestro guía Ernesto, nos contó un poco de la actividad de estos pequeños seres, y después seguimos con nuestros kayacs a la zona de los manglares, aquí la experiencia fue espectacular, porque la bioluminiscencia es más intensa y porque ya no la veíamos solo cuando metíamos los remos en el agua, o cuando metimos nuestras manos para ver el efecto....sino que se veía cuando los peces nadaban....era espectacular....y tras un rato de navegación, recogida y a casa.
Una experiencia para ser vivida...
DAY 9, 28-01-2017: SHARKS AND BIO BAY
The day starts at……05:30 hrs…..because of the chickens…….first it is the rubbish trucks and now we have chickens that like to wake us up early…….
So, up early …….. Leisurely breakfast. Walk down to the close by hotel get to our ride to the shop (it is easier to tell people and the taxi to pick us up at the Bravo Beach Hotel as, like most places in Puerto Rico, there are no street signs or house numbers so we can give someone a real address). Yordi meets us and takes us to the shop so we can finish up the paperwork for the next 2 days. Meet a few of the other divers: William and Jordan (cousins), Kim (single diver) and Todd and Jen (married couple). We talk more at the shop with the workers. Gabe, the dive instructor and main dive master notices my hat from Catalina Divers. This hat is from a very small shop on Catalina Island, which is a small island off of the southern California coast, where I have dove many times. I start talking to him about the shop and the diving there. He and Cristina (also a DM at the shop) are planning on going to Mammoth for skiing (also in California, big ski resort) in just a few weeks so they are planning on diving with Catalina Divers for a day. I look at him very perplexed and ask “Why do you want to go diving this time of year there?? It is very cold!!!” So, it is cold for me……diving in summer there is actually chilly for me too. I have to wear a 7mm full wet suit with a hoodie and gloves and everything in August and September, and that is when it is warmest. They wish to try diving in the kelp forests (which are amazing and should be done by all as they are not a reef system and very awesome…..but I have not been there in a very long time so all the pictures that I have are on real film so I cannot include one, sorry). I can understand the desire to dive there. I have actually been thinking about needing to go back and experience it again as the diving is amazing in its own right. So, just to let you know, the water temperature is going to be a balmy 59F (15C) or less (most likely less) this time of year….that would be very cold….especially when you do not have a dry suit to dive in, which they don’t…..they are crazier than I am !!!!
I tell Cris that she really should do the diving there but in summer. She refuses as it is too cold for her…..she does not know what she is missing!! Totally different environment!!
But I have digressed from the travel blog…… back to it we go!! We load up in the van once all the gear is loaded up (and we have reminded them that Cris is special and needs the DIN adaptor so she can breathe under the water) and we are off to the pier to get on the boat.
There are 4 divers on our boat. We have Todd and Jen from Ohio and Cris and I. The RIB is captained by Alex and our divemaster is Yordi. For those who do not know, a RIB is a Rigid Inflatable Boat. There is no ladder. We will have to pull ourselves up and over the inflated part of the boat to get back in…..there is no graceful way to complete this activity. There is really no place to sit on the RIB as well except for the sides and the “queen” seat. Todd and Jen take the queen seat and Cris and I endure the ride on the sides. Alex is a young captain and it shows as he drives the boat rather fast over waves.
We get to the first dive site. In we go with a back roll off the RIB…..hate that entry as I will have my masked ripped off about every 1 in 4 entries…..and the first entry is no different!!! Find a sleeping nurse shark and schooling fish. Also find a Southern Stingray buried in the sand. Cris does her paparazzi work……and I video it!!
Poor, blinded by the flash stingray!!! We are enjoying the dive and slowly making our way up with the depth when we get the signal to go up to the 3 minute safety stop. We look at our gauges…….what??? I have half a tank of air….and we have only been down for 35 minutes!!!!! We are diving as a group so we must follow the group so up we go to the safety stop. Look at the view and enjoy the last few minutes of the dive.
After our graceful entrance to the boat, we go to a protected cove and have a short surface interval for a drink and snack while they change tanks for us. Another back roll into the pool for the second dive. Shallower dive with nice corals and life. At 45 minutes we get the signal to go up……..we both have about half a tank of air….what a waste of air!!!! Attempt to extend the dive by a few minutes by taking my time to get to the safety stop as we all have to go up together…..Yordi gives me a little look as he knows what I am trying to do.
Another graceful entrance to the RIB and the trip back to the pier. Unload the boat and load up the van. Take the group picture, load up and travel back to the shop. We discuss when we need to be at the shop for the adventure for the evening…..Bio Bay!!! Walk back to the house for showers and lunch.
After cleaning up and a bite, we walk back to town so we can get provisions from the store. Find some nice salmon in a little shop and decide to have it poached for dinner with some grilled asparagus and a small salad. We get food for another dinner and for lunches and snacks.
Decide to take a rest for the afternoon. Cris takes off with her book to the “beach” and I take a nap on the couch. Prepare and cook dinner….nice and light and full of flavor. There is no real eating area inside of the house so we eat outside….which is great for me…..but the mosquitos love Cris and she gets bitten many times. Guess she is the sweet one.
Walk to the shop and get on the van. Now, we were told that we did not really need to be there until 19:55 hrs (we were also told to be there at 19:45 hrs) so we got there in the middle of the times. They are waiting for us….and for some other people. We sign in, get in, and wait…….the driver calls the other people and they tell him that they just got on the last ferry to the island……they will not get in for another hour or so…..a little late for the tour…..so we are off. Drive to bay.
(Cris NOTE: and it was because they lost the two previous ferries because they were full, so once again THANK YOU TO STEVE to come and pick us up).
Many other people there for their tours with other companies. They have put in a walk way that has glow in the dark “pebbles” in it that light our way to the kayaks. All the kayaks are doubles so Cris gets in the front and I get in the back. We had been warned that no pictures will come out but I take my GoPro just in case. In we go and we paddle off into the bay with the group. Ernesto and Chris are the guides. They are full of information. We are allowed to dip our feet and hands into the water. Wicked cool how they light up with the disturbance……pity that the videos did not come out. So, word to the wise, you can look up a video on You Tube on this bay…..but it has been photo shopped to enhance the blue of the animals. We see a fish swimming and a few fish jumping. We paddle over to the mangroves and learn about them as well. After about an hour, we go back to the beach and get out of the kayak. Quick trip back to the van. The van drops people off at a fancy resort, the “W”, that costs about 600USD/night…..that is how much we are paying for our beautiful house for the 4 nights we are there!!!!! Way too much!!!
Back to the shop we go and then a nice walk back to the house. We are tired from the day’s events so off to bed we go as we have more diving tomorrow……and Cris has a dancing date with Steve!!!!!
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario