Hiking, falling off the boat, and shark day

4/18

Ooh boy I can feel my back where it burned 2 days ago! I don't remember what happened that I burned. Maybe just the trips back and forth in the dive boat. Ow!

This morning I woke up to sunlight beaming in! Yay, let's go climb before it changes its mind! Haha. This bay is spectacular and there is a festival called Sail Raja Ampat that brings a ton of sailboats here. Hear that, Bob VanBuskirk? I'm looking forward to getting some good pictures to share.

9AM

So the hike - not exactly a hike.  More of a climb up a very steep hill without any real discernible path.  Mostly footholds and grabbing trees.  I could feel and hear my heartbeat in my ears! I must say my Keens performed magnificently and I was glad I had long pants on. Also, I'm glad we did not attempt it in rain - there would have been no way! But wow, what a view!

Wayag Bay

Some of the boat crew joined us

Notice his bare feet. Ow!

Looking down at the boat

Absolutely glowing. With sweat.

I got some great photos (though this isn't saving my editing changes) and then made my way back down mostly unscathed. John was the hero because he carried a bag full of water bottles to the top. I just had a small scrape near my ankle when we got back.  We headed to the boat and one of the guys, bless his heart, gave me a piggyback ride.  Darlene tried to get a shot of it and I think I outweighed the guy lifting me! Anyhow, he sat me down on the boat and then something happened when I went to go forward and it resulted in me falling backwards into the water and getting a nasty 3 or 4 inch gash down my right shin, a big bruise on my left butt cheek, and a bonked left knee.  Thank goodness for my little Sea to Summit dry bag that saved my camera and Delorme!

When we got back to boat, I rinsed it as best as I could and waited 20 minutes for them to make ice! Good thing I have Bacitracin and Motrin along! Darlene gave me a big bandaid which stayed on quite well through this most recent dive. 

This morning's dive was uber cool! Arturo, boat owner, came with us and guided us.  We swam through this huge hole and then not long after passing through Arturo darts down and spotted nurse sharks!  One was out swimming, and one WAS resting and I was right overhead when it woke up, swam up a little way to shake the sand off, then did a U-turn and booked it off the other direction!  Also on this dive, a 50-foot wall of baitfish aka silversides or silver slides. SOOoo cool! 

Our guide had us going who knows where, so luckily Artur free dove down and redirected us and sent us back through the neato hole, where I saw the hugest bumphead parrotfish that was easily as long as me.  True to parrotfish form, it then proceeded to swim away and poop continuously for a good 15 feet!

Now we have lifted anchor and are sailing towards another island.  We are working out way back toward Sorong. I'm writing this from my favorite spot on the top deck spot, being dried by the air. For once, I really didn't bring enough clothes so I am just hanging out in my swimsuit most of the time!  I just heard the dinner bell so it's time to go down.

4PM: Dive 2 completed. Back up air drying on the top deck. I think we all need our own bait ball to play in! They are made up of thousands of these tiny silver fish and they form a big ball/shape to try to look big to predators. When you start to swim at or through them, they move away and sort of make a bubble  around you. John was most amused playing conductor or The Sorcerer's Apprentice! But when they move away, Wahoo fish come in and eat them. I saw coral that totally looked like potatoes and also some that looks like lettuce or cabbage coral.  When dead, it looks like potato chips.

8PM: Dive three snuck up on us rather quickly. Only 7 of us went.  This was one was like gliding over the moon or little purple planets. It was fun to use my imagination and make up stories about the worlds below and the creatures that inhabit them.  

I saw a black & orange Spanish dancer. That was the highlight of this dive, for sure.  It feels good to be showered up and cleaned off. My leg looks a bit better but oh boy, my left butt cheek is quite bruised! So much so that the dive deck guys pointed at it and winced in sympathy! Owwww

I hope I can stay awake for dinner. Those 3 dives were pretty close together.