GTC - BJ's Check Out Dives

It was a little overcast this morning and we were both pretty tired, but BJ was determined to get certified so we went off to the boat. We did her 3rd and 4th dives. We had another student and the dives were on the north side of the island. These dives were around 50 feet and the fish were amazing!!! We went down to the “pet” groupers. These are about 40lb fish that don’t mind being pet. Brendal even had one in a full fledged hug. It was amazing to see how friendly they were. We went on to some great dives. We went through some caverns; saw a lion fish, a coral banded shrimp, tons of angel fish, sea anemones, a drum fish, a bunch of tarpon, and lots of different kind of corals. BJ got her first kiss under water. It was great, but I was a little nervous about all the grouper that were checking us out. But then again, she has always been an exhibitionist!!

From experience, I can tell you that these are some great waters. I saw more types of sea life in just 2 days than I saw in over 200 dives in Bermuda. I can’t wait to do more diving here. I took a bunch of pictures under water, but we will have to have them developed to post them, so when that happens, we will update this date.
Again, we just ate at the bar with our favorite bartender, Renee. She is not real nice, but she really is nice.

As you can tell, the entries are getting shorter. There is so much to do and see, it is hard to get time to reflect everything (and don’t forget about that work thing), but we will try. Also, sometimes we go days without internet connections, but rest assured we will keep it going.

The Food
The Bluff House
What can I say….the Mahi Mahi!!!! Grilled and blackened.

GTC - BJ's 1st 2 Dives

We met up with Brendal at 8:30AM for some last minute instruction and gear check out. We went to the south side of the island to a reef that was only about 30 feet. BJ did great!! We were greeted by the local 3 foot barracuda. Her mask did not fit her properly and that aided in her advanced ability to clear her mask. The second dive, she changed her mask out and had a much better dive. Since she is basically the only student, these became great dives. She would have to do her checkout stuff for about 5-10 minutes, and then we would just explore the reefs. We saw quite a few fish including 2 stingrays, 3-4 lobsters, and a plethora of other reef fish. The visibility was about 60 feet, with the water at about 78 degrees. BJ also experienced her first Goombay Smashes that Brendal brings with him. We left the dive center and went and saw some of Brendal’s friends, who are tourists staying in a local house. They extended us great hospitably by offering us some freshly cooked lobster, potatoes, and these great biscuits. After that, we went to sundowners. BJ was done with this day by 9:00PM, so we had Brendal take us back to the dink and went to bed early.

The Food
Not enough!!

GTC - Goodbye to new friends

We went snorkeling with John and Tina. This was BJ’s first time, and had a blast. The first sight was a little choppy, but then we went to the lee side of the island and the water was much calmer. We saw some barracuda, starfish, jelly fish, and a bunch of other fish. The main goal was to get her used to snorkeling, I think it worked.
We grabbed lunch at the only place that was open on Sunday in the settlement of New Plymouth. We went to McIntyre’s. It was terrible.
BJ was tired, but continued with her classroom work for the dive class. If she keeps this pace up, she will be certified soon. After her classes, we just met up at the Bluff House for drinks and dinner and said our goodbyes to John and Tina. John finally showed his sense of humor, and he is actually funnier than most Brits!

The Food
The Bluff House
The Mahi Mahi at the bar is the best. The grouper is also good, but the mahi is excellent!