DIVING PUERTO LOPEZ

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DIVING PUERTO LOPEZ



Day One





I popped out of bed and made my way downstairs with my dive bag and underwater camera. Maria, the manager, and self-appointed Spanish instructor ordered me a moto, the trike, and the driver had no trouble finding the dive shop, even though I didn’t know the name.



I needed a new mouthpiece for my regulator. I had been getting a bit of sea water with my inhalation and sure enough, when I inspected the silicone mouthpiece there was a small cut in it…just enough to let water enter when I breathed in. I wanted Jorge to exchange the damaged mouthpiece with the mouthpiece from my back-up regulator, my octopus. Instead he put a new mouthpiece on for me and wouldn’t accept any payment for it.



A German man and his son, Damien, were also diving today. When they arrived we got in the truck and went a block or two to the pier. It is the first pier I have ever seen that is paved with tile. It is very clean and durable, too. I bet it can be slippery when wet, though. As I set off to go to the boats, Jorge called me back and I had to fumble around to find a dollar to get a ticket. I thought the ticket was for an underwater reserve, but it is a charge to use the dock. The government put it in, but the city charges everyone who uses it. It is not total profit, however, since they must pay salaries to the ticket seller, and the man who punches the ticket at the other end.



There were so many boats…lots of fishermen ply these waters. And then there are the dive boats and the whale watching boats and boats for snorkelers and other tourists, and sport fishermen. The boat we were on was small. Most important, the seating was along the sides of the boat, not in the forward direction. Once we got underway there was terrific pressure on the neck and spine. The boat ride was one of those where the bow rises and then the boat drops back down with an audible bone jarring crash. The ride is an hour to an hour and a half long depending on how many humpback whale sightings there are. This day we saw dozens and they were magnificent. I jumped up and grabbed my little sport camera and tried to get photos of the leviathans as they breached. It was thrilling to see them, they were bigger than our boat. It was frustrating, too, because of the delay between my seeing them and my finger responding to the order to snap the photo. You could see for miles in any direction and with a careful scanning of the ocean’s surface you would discover scores of spouts of water vapor as the whales rested on their journey. They often rolled on their side with fin raised, and if you were lucky once in a while an enormous tale dripping with water would swing high above the sea as a whale dived.



When we got to Isle de la Plata, the Silver Island, the boat captain decided which site we would dive depending on current and weather conditions. Our first dive was at Big Rock; the second was at Aquarium (every island has a dive site named aquarium). The water was on the cool side, and I was glad for the shorty I had borrowed to wear over my three millimeter suit. I was a little uncomfortable the first dive because my neck hurt from the boat ride and I was having mask troubles. But I got some good photos. There were lots of reef fish, large parrot fish in different colors and moray eels.



The second dive we saw a moray every twelve feet, it seemed. We dove an extensive reef of thick corals full of little nooks and crannies. Swimming over it we startled several large turtles taking naps snuggled down on the coral. That was a treat. We looked for mantas on the sand beyond the reef, but I never saw any, although some divers said they saw one from a long distance away.



The ride back was just as hard on my neck and I tried to support it with the life jacket we were required to wear, but it did not help much. The staff sprawled out on the deck which seemed like a better idea than sitting upright. I was really glad to get back to shore. I carried my gear to the other dive shop and left it there since I would be diving with them the next two days (I wondered if I had the stamina to take that boat ride again). Management said they would rinse my gear and let it hang to dry. I had left my dive certification card at the first shop and it was quite a walk to go back to get it. I was so tired I asked if I could pick it up the following morning.



Right next door to the dive shop was a small restaurant and I ordered vegetable soup because I wanted comfort food…my neck hurt and I was freezing. The soup was amazing and I had a side order of toast to go with it. Then I decided to walk back to the hostel. My energy was spent but I still had to rinse my camera, set up all the battery chargers, view the day’s photos and transfer them to my computer. I had no trouble falling to sleep.

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Photos

Cozy Family
It is always a delightful surprise to discover a pair of morays.

Peek-a-Boo
The corals offer lots of nooks and crannies, habitat for eels and fish.

Trumpet Fish
The trumpet fish is difficult to photo for he always turns to escape. This one is about three feet long.

Model Fish
He gazes at the photographer long enough to snap a photo.

Take-Off
The visibility was good, not great.

Two at a Time
"Oh, no...more visitors."

Another Face Shot
These coral masses were four or five feet high and extended for city blocks.