Jillapalooza

IM IN UR OCEAN. EATIN UR CARDZ.

Victoria Tunnels, dive 51

Dive: 51
Belize Dive: 9
Date: 11/30/10
Site: Victoria Tunnels
Avg/Max Depth: 45/73
Temp: 81
TBT/CBT: 0:55/41:24
Buddies: Ted, Nick, Curtis, Kristen, Cindy, Ellie

After a fairly uneventful surface interval, Rudy took us to Victoria Tunnels. The highlight of this dive was a nurse shark that came to play. I skipped out on swimming through a really awesome tunnel when Rudy caught the shark. I’m amazed how they just let themselves be manhandled. I was touching it’s sandpapery back when Rudy handed the shark to me. It was heavy enough to start sinking me. Rudy gave it a fish while I was holding it. It got all squirmy until it was able to OMNOMNOM it. Very fun experience. I’m catching my own shark next time. Gonna rub its belly . . .

Here’s a still from Curtis’s video:

Devil’s Tunnels, dive 50

Dive: 50
Belize Dive: 8
Date: 11/30/10
Site: Devil’s Tunnels
Avg/Max Depth: 56/85
Temp: 81
TBT/CBT: 0:46/40:29
Buddies: Ted, Nick, Curtis, Kristen, Cindy, Ellie

Rudy and Loidy took us and the Texans to Devil’s Tunnels, aka Christ of the Abyss. When the dive first started, everyone was busy looking under a rock or something (I later found out there was an octopus). It was a bit crowded so I hung back. While I was looking around, I spotted a POD OF DOLPHINS!!1! I was so shocked it took me a moment to come to my senses. Once I did, I started grabbing for Curtis’s camera, remembering there was a metal clip I could use to bang on my tank. Then I remembered Cindy had the camera. I tried waving my arms and making a scene, but everyone was engrossed in the octopus. I swam the longest 10 feet ever to get to Rudy to alert him. By that time the dolphins had made good time and were quite a bit farther away. I’m kind of glad I didn’t have the camera because I might have tried to chase after them!

There were lots of fish on the dive, another jellyfish, apparently the dolphins came back although I didn’t see them, and Cindy ran out of air on her safety stop. Good times, good times.

Belize – Monday 11/29

After our two really freaking awesome dives, Rudy took us to Caye Caulker to hang out for a couple of hours. We ate lunch with him, Martín, and the two Texans at Rainbow Bar and Grill before walking around the island.

Everything on the island was tiny and a little shabby, but in a quaint kind of way. It was small, too. Standing on the beach, I could see across the caye in some places.

There’s a spot called The Split, where a hurricane split the island in half. We waited there for the boat to pick us up. There was a bar there called the Lazy Lizard. Some of the tables are submerged in the ocean. It was a fun place to hang out.

Rudy took us for a boat ride through the mangroves before heading back to Ambergris Caye. We were pretty beat by the time we got home hotel. Nick took a nap (aka went to bed) at 6:30. We were too tired to go into town for dinner. We were going to order in, but no one was answering at The Melting Pot delivery service. The pizza place we wanted to order from was closed as well. Kristen was getting all emotional from hunger and went to Foot Prints to look at their dessert items. While she was gone, Curtis and I ate Pringles, Triscuits, and recreational cheese. We ended up saying “F*ck it” and going to bed without dinner.

Coral Pillars, dive 49

Dive: 49
Belize Dive: 7
Date: 11/29/10
Site: Coral Pillars
Avg/Max Depth: 43/72
Temp: 81
TBT/CBT: 0:50/39:43
Buddies: Ted, Nick, Curtis, Kristen, Cindy, Ellie

We stayed on the boat for our surface interval. After that Rudy took us to Coral Pillars. Let’s see . . . the only thing I can remember about this dive is that WE SAW A SCHOOL OF 25 EAGLE RAYS!!1! It’s one of those things that very rarely happens. The most Rudy had seen before today was 16.

Curtis took this video while I was snapping away:

Here are more pictures of other stuff:

Another turtle:

Triggerfish:

Queen triggerfish:

Gray angelfish:

Hol Chan Canyon, dive 48

Dive: 48
Belize Dive: 6
Date: 11/29/10
Site: Hol Chan Canyon
Avg/Max Depth: 52/73
Temp: 81
TBT/CBT: 0:57/38:53
Buddies: Ted, Nick, Curtis, Kristen, Cindy, Ellie

Today Rudy took us, along with the two Texans, to Hol Chan Canyon. Not too long after getting in the water, my tank slid out of my BCD again. Kristen was quick to fix me up, then Rudy came and tightened the strap. Hopefully that won’t be an issue any longer. We gave Rudy permission to hunt lionfish on the dive, so he brought down his spear. Nick held it while Rudy was fixing my tank but gave it back before I could get a proper picture.

We saw 8 eagle rays. Unfortunately I was too far away to get a picture. There was a giant school of little blue fish that sway by. I did get those:

The dead lionfish started to attract groupers. There were a few friendly ones that hung around us for the dive. While I was busy photographing one, I almost missed the turtle that I was hovering over. Good thing Kristen was there to point out things I missed. The turtle just sat there while I took pictures. Well behaved sea creatures around these parts.

Right before our safety stop, Kristen came to the rescue again and pointed out a jellyfish. Apparently I missed the jellyfish on one of the other dives even though there was a big commotion around it. I had to clean up these photos a lot to remove the debris that floats in shallow water. I’m quite happy with the outcome.

While we were doing our safety stop, Kristen decided to purge her wetsuit. A big air bubble got stuck in her ankle and she started rocketing to the surface. To her embarrassment, Rudy had to come and rescue her. Lolll.

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