First Week in the Logbook

At night here, the temperature drops towards the daily lows of about 80. The absence of the sun and the breeze blowing through makes being outside very comfortable. On a clear night, you can see so many stars here. I was sitting over by the cliff the other night looking out at the ocean, in the moon and starlight I could make out the nearby islands, and watch the dark ocean knowing that the water was still as warm and easy to swim in as it was in the middle of the day. Maybe it was the cannons I was sitting next to, or the clouds travelling past that reminded me of sailing ships blown by the trade winds, but my imagination was alive. I stared out into the mist in the direction of the Columbus Channel, and in my minds eye I could see pirate ships emerging out of the gloom. I knew some of the rich history of this area, and that it was a pirate hideout, but we ended up learning all about the piratical exploits in the area in class the next morning. If you don't know the story of Calico Jack, you should look it up. He's the guy Jack Sparrow is based (very loosely) on.

So the internet has been down here for a couple days, but its all good. I got my first dive here in, and I have been snorkeling so much. I swear it is the most peaceful thing. I just drift and the surge carry me up and down over corals and sponges, and schools of reef fish, all in gorgeous visibility and dappled by the reflections of the tropical sun above the surface. Everything here is amazing and I could sit in one spot watching a patch of the reef for an hour. Every trip I make I see something remarkable, stingrays, giant barracuda, lionfish, and so on. The sights are special in themselves, but I love the sounds once my head is underwater. The most obvious is my steady breathing through my snorkel but you can also hear the sounds of the water moving and the constant crackle of crustaceans, and any boat engines from a very long way off.

I went to this island, Moxy Bush, to practice field identification of mangrove and sea grass species. It was one of the most beautiful places I have been to. The island is completely covered in mangroves, you can't actually progress very far inland. The dense vegetation makes the island appear like a pristine emerald set in the light blue sea. The surrounding ocean is very shallow sand flats, only ankle depth at some points, so the water was an amazing color. I literally felt like I was in the middle of a postcard, just sitting in the water, staring out across the ocean while being watched by the snowy egrets perched in the mangrove forest behind me.

Some of the locals I have met here are real characters. Many of them go by aliases, so I know these guys by names like Chucky, a friendly fellow with half a mustache, or Tweak, who is just as ridiculous as his name suggests. One of the locals that I've hung out with a few times responds to the name Money. Overall it has been an awesome first few days. I took my first freshwater shower this morning and it felt amazing. My body is already visibly changed, I am a lot darker, burnt in patches, I've got some blisters and mosquito bites and jellyfish stings but it's all good. I'm really loving life here.