belize — Page 7

Belize – Tuesday 12/4

December 4, 2012

The sound of Kristen tossing her cookies kept us up all night. Poor Kristen. In the morning Nick made a comment about how he felt bad for her. A few minutes later he made a comment about eating breakfast. I said, “Nick, Kristen is sick. There is no breakfast.”

“Damn it, Kristen!”

I managed to make coffee, but just barely.

Kristen bowed out of today’s dives, which was most unfortunate because we saw dolphins.

Nick, Curtis, and I moseyed to Caliente for lunch. I had a Caliente Splash and a Mega Chicken Burrito.

After lunch I wasted no time getting to the pool to catch some rays. I was able to find a good spot just before the sun dipped behind the building. Damn it. I stayed poolside anyway and caught up on some reading.

Kristen was up and about when I got back to the room. She was going to brave dinner with us, but by the time we were ready to eat, she was back in bed. Poor Kristen.

The three of us ate at Elvi’s Kitchen. I had a mojito, coconut curry shrimp, and coconut pie for dessert. It was delicious, as expected, because it’s Elvi’s. Hopefully Kristen will feel up to eating soon so we can go back.

Tomorrow we are diving Turneffe. Sounds like it’s going to be a long day. We’ve got to be on the dock at 5:30AM, and it’s a two hour boat ride one way. I’m both looking forward to it and exhausted just thinking about it. Unfortunately BRK is sitting the trip out. I hope she gets out of bed and cleans this dump. Or at least finishes her 30 Days of Thanks posts. (Kidding, Kristen.)

View all of today’s photos below.

Esmeralda, Dive 73

December 4, 2012

Dive: 73
Belize Dive: 7
Date: 12/4/12
Site: Esmeralda
Avg/Max Depth: 47/66
Temp: 79
TBT/CBT: 0:56/60:18
Buddies: Nick, Curtis

It was tough getting back in the water, knowing this dive probably wouldn’t live up to the last. Fortunately the water was less choppy the second time around. This dive site is the only one I recognize from previous years. The surge made it hard to take photographs; video really is the way to go. Below is a compilation video of the dive.

Nick spotted this turtle. It’s probably as up close and personal as I’ve been to one. I got some good photos and videos of it.

View all of my photos from Esmeralda below.

Mosquito Canyons, Dive 72

December 4, 2012

Dive: 72
Belize Dive: 6
Date: 12/4/12
Site: Mosquito Canyons
Avg/Max Depth: 51/87
Temp: 81
TBT/CBT: 0:54/59:22
Buddies: Nick, Curtis

This may be one of the most exciting dives I’ve ever been on. Screw the eagle rays and the turtle and the shark who was obviously disgruntled by the lack of attention.

This dive had dolphins!

Here’s the amazing video that Curtis shot.

Here’s my little compilation video of the dive. The dolphins are near the end.

View all my photos from Mosquito Canyons below.

Belize – Monday 12/3

December 3, 2012

After skipping out on dive 2, Kristen and I returned to the condo for some sun and relaxation. We indulged in a couple of drinks and ceviche by the pool. The weather was perfect. Just enough clouds to keep the sweltering sun from relentlessly beating on us. When the boys returned from their second dive, cklahr went to lunch, while Nick and I ate leftover pizza.

I read while inside to escape the sun, then took an epic nap. BRK wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed in bed with a request for soup while the rest of us went to dinner. We ate at Caramba. They provided us with complimentary rum punch and conch ceviche. I ordered scallops in garlic butter with coconut rice and beans and a garden salad with ranch. Best. Ranch. Ever. No, for seriously this time. Unfortunately half of my rice became polluted with broken glass when the rum punch slipped from my grasp and shattered on my plate. The scallops were salvageable though. Sigh.

There was a Chinese restaurant next to Caramba, and soup was on their menu! However, when we got back to the condo, Kristen was tossing her cookies and didn’t want the soup. Oh well. At least it’ll reheat well when she’s ready to eat.

Dos Cocos, Dive 71

December 3, 2012

Dive: 71
Belize Dive: 5
Date: 12/3/12
Site: Dos Cocos
Avg/Max Depth: 57/90
Temp: 79
TBT/CBT: 0:54/58:28
Buddies: Nick, Curtis, Kristen

The seas were rather rough today. We loaded into a big boat with 12 other people and braved the waves. I’m usually fine on rough water until we come to a stop, then the rocking gets to my belly. I masked up, donned flippers, and threw myself overboard before any seasickness could set in. I prefer putting on my gear off the boat anyway. It’s a lot less awkward.

We split into three groups. The four of us, as well as another couple, dove with Rudy. We did cross paths a few times, and each time this happens I’m reminded that I should pay better attention to what our Divemaster is wearing, because at a distance under the water, everyone looks the same.

Once about 20 feet under, the dizziness went away, but the surge was still strong. Everything is constantly in motion, so it’s hard to get photos. I did see this eel swimming next to me. It disappeared in the rocks and then my eyes were open wide trying to find where it went. It popped it’s head out a few feet in front of me. I really wanted to panic, but I figured since there was nowhere else to go at the time but forward, I should take some video. It gets kind of bouncy because I was swimming through a narrow space and my tank hit the rocks on the other side, and I was a bit jumpy at the time anyway, so…