Afraid to go near the water?
Daniel Kessler
scary...
Madagascar - island of Nosy Bé. While diving in the Indian Ocean off
the island of Nosy Bé and in between dives ...had a tour of the
island...one of the things to see - according to the guide who arranged
to afternoon tour of this very beautiful island...was a rathe impressive
waterfall of a stream that fell 50/75 feet into a large pool. The idea
of taking a dip seemed an inviting prospect -- but then, I had heard
that some of the fresh water there might be the home of bilharzia --
schistosomaists -- or snail fever, a disease caused by parastic worms
that somehow gets beneath the skin, mostly found in Africa...
Salt Water Crocks...and how about diving in the murky waters of
mangroves that fring an island, such as Palau? On my 2nd trip to Palau
-- arriving too late in the day for the dive, I did ponder going near
the water jsut below the Palau Hotel - the water murky around the
mangroves, but thought better of the idea.
Diving with the Sea Snakes off Marion Reef in the Coral Sea -- After a
27-hour steam on a dive charter, we finally arrived at Marion Reef,
which is so far off Australia and you have to look at a map of the world
to find it since it doesn't show up on any map of Australia that I've
ever seen.
Of course, these greenish/blue sea snakes are quite long and very
curious about humans, and have a deadly venom -- it is not unusual for a
6-foot denizen to approach you the minute you jump into the water out at
Marion. Somehow, they seem more loveable than most snakes --so it is
possible to get used to them approaching except when I was all hunkered
down photographing some tube worms and had failed to notice one that
came right over my shoulder and right up to my face mask - I almost
freaked out! I just couldn't help it! Thank God these greenish/blue
sea snakes are not like those nasty coral banded onces...I find them
even more scary.
At another point on Marion, the diver master had arranged a "shark feed"
and everything was going well --all of the divers - some very
experienced with their cameras were photographing until a huge
leviathan, a shark of immense size -- caused all of us to immediately
head back to the boat as fast as we could...I don't think it was a
"great white" but it was very scary, arching its back and behaving in a
very agressive fasion...
Fiji...Miles of Viti Levu on the way to Vanua Levu, we stopped the diver
charter for a dive -- I couldn't help but notice that the water was
"boiling" and when we jumped in...all of us were thrown off guard by
huge currents that scattered us everywhere. One of the downward pulling
current had some divers at 150 feet before they knew it. Very scary...
Maldives - and speaking of strong currents -- I've never expericenced
any thing like the strong current carrying water out of a lagoon as I
did one time in the Maldives...if you turned your face ever-so-slightly
to the side -- you were in danger of the current ripping your face mask
off...that's how strong it was. They had a well-known current dive in
Palau - but nothing like this. Also, the current one in the Maldvies was
a long, long ride. Some time after, I was down in the Bahamas where I
dived the so-called "current cut"...and that was puny by comparison and
only lasted seconds.
Jer
I can't tell if he's bragging or complaining.
--
jer
email reply - I am not a 'ten'
Greg Mossman
> > only lasted seconds.
>
> I can't tell if he's bragging or complaining.
When he comes back to accuse you of being jealous, you'll know.
Besides, everyone knows that the really strong current dives are in
the Tuamotus.