Ay, Calypso! – Feb. 5, 2007
Today we rose early to get ready for our dive at Poor Knights Island with Dive! Tutukaka, a National Geographic certified PADI shop. We arrived around 8 am to get fitted for our gear, and were off within half an hour on our boat, the Calypso, named for Jacques Cousteau’s famous boat. It took just under an hour to reach the island, and we were both feeling a little queasy when we arrived (we didn’t take any seasickness medication).
It was an overcast day but still beautiful. The island is protected in many ways…it is a marine reserve, and no one can even set foot on the island.
We got underway for our first dive with our dive instructor Nick, and a girl and a New Zealander guy who looked oddly like Frodo. It was pretty cool. We went into an udnerwater cave (don’t worry, Dad…it was real short and there was air at the top). We saw eels, scorpion fish, sea slugs, nudi branch, and a slew of kelp and fish. It was a pretty cool first non-class dive for Jonathan, but old hat for Jess…who did her 12th and 13th dives.
Back to the boat for lunch included Jonathan bringing up his breakfast on the ladder of the boat. Seasickness had gotten the best of him. We went to a new location, in between which we went inside the world’s largest sea cave.
Jonathan remained on the boat for the second dive trying to recover while Jess went on the second dive. We headed back after seeing a bit more of the island and going through several arches.
Hi guys! This is so cool. I feel like I’m on vacation too!! See you!
Kendal
How is the food? do all the dairies remind you of Frederick?are you sick of lamb yet? can you understand the Kiwis’ accent?? and who saw who’s nudi branch on that second dive? you all look very happy & healthy…glad you’re having a good time!
Did you know Jacques Cousteau has a really HOT grandson who’s single? Yep.
Have fun! Bring back his grandson – his name is Phillipe.
PS – take the seasickness meds, Jonny. You get sick on a Merry-go-round.
Oh Jonathan, I feel for you! Same thing happened to me when Skip and I went on a snokeling boat trip in Hawaii. Looks like you are having fun despite the seasickness which matters most! Have a great time and thanks for sharing it with us.
Brave candor, brother. I like that. Fair Fowle warning: I got seasick on a ferry in Nova Scotia when I was nine and still haven’t heard the end of it. That’s how it starts. Soon enough Tim will tell you about how he survived 30-foot seas as a fisherman in Alaska on a daily basis. He’ll also tell you how Chris cowered in his ketch in big swells near the Channel Islands. That shut him up for good, because Chris used to proudly say he’d never been seasick and remind me how much money he won in the ferry’s slot machines. Not taking kindly to being twice the loser and since most of us measure our manhood on our sea legs, I’ll then say without compunction that I haven’t been seasick since and tell the tale of my sailing trip with Baba when I was 18 — that I had a three-hour watch in the dead of night in 10-foot swells. Originally I think they started out as 5-foot swells. They were probably 3 feet. And I was scared as shite. Anyway, I suspect this might be why Jess will never admit she’s seasick, even if she is. Or she has the stomach of an Orc.
Just reading the word “boat” on this 17″ monitor makes me seasick. Daily update on DC metro-area weather: it snowed a few inches last night and most schools are closed…teachers everywhere are hysterically cheering while Stay-At-Home-Moms pull out more fists of hair.
Did I give you a whole bottle of dramamine when you left???
You are your Mother’s son!
You are truly a deRosa Jonny.
My college class is really getting a kick out of this. Thanks for helping us learn about blogs.