Equator Crossing Day!

Today we woke up to rain and before we headed out for our first dive, my mattress was already getting wet! There is a yellow tarp over my bed and a rope and a cup, and the water comes down that rope into the cup, which was by this point overflowing! I put one cup in the bathroom to catch the drips there and started carefully pouring out the accumulated water from the over mattress setup.  Before I headed out I made sure to warn everyone to put away all electronics!!

The first dive was a long wet boat ride and crazy as it may sound, it really is miserable getting wet before a dive! Haha we zipped along, thinking the driver was lost. It was supposed to be a dive around a rock but our dive master and boat crew don't attend the briefings and don't seem to have a clue what's up. Anyhow, we dove wherever they dropped us and it was beautiful.  We saw a turtle, a giant moray eel in a cavern, lizard fish everywhere, Emperor angelfish, coral, a big bommy of the sunflower coral, and once again an incredible rainbow of colors. God's watercolors! Also saw black and blue sea worm, teeny yellow nudibranch (think rice size), squarish sea slug creeping along the bottom, and a few 6 legged starfish.

The other boat took on too much water so after we surfaced we all piled onto the Zodiac and rode back to the main boat. We had breakfast and headed back to roughly the same site for a second time. This time there was more current and I never enjoy that.

Now we are sailing again and heading towards the equator!!! I hope there isn't a big bump when we cross over it! :-)

So I have learned from sailor Tom and others who know sailor lore is that when seamen cross the equator, there are a number of initiation rituals.  We are all "equator virgins" as far as boat crossings, so we are all jumping in the water together.  Tom got an earring and real tattoo beforehand.  I'm not big on commitment so I'll be sporting a darling gold temporary tattoo until the sea dissolves it!

Tom helping me

Jim and Tom taking the plunge

Waiting on the line to get back up in the boat.

Right now I'm up on the top deck drinking hot tea, enjoying the breeze, and actually wearing long sleeved coverup over my swimsuit. I'm almost cold! John and Darlene are up here with me, reading books.  This is my favorite place other than my bed.  I have been impressed by how well I have been sleeping on what is a pretty hard mattress and on a boat! Maybe I am just exhausted?  Being rocked to sleep is kind of nice, I'll admit.

Anyhow, I continue to strive to find the best hair style arrangement to keep hair out of my face and mask. I have too many little short strands! French braiding from one side to the other seems to be good. In case you wondered.

The staff just came down and lifted up my mattress to access some totes that store food!! No way! Coffee is stored under my mattress!

Lunch today was a spicy chicken number, mystery meat, fish, more mysteries and white rice. Thank goodness for white rice!!

Time for a nap or just zone out time to watch the scenery. Love it!  Once again, we are the only boat out here! Nothing for miles!

9:50 PM - The plunge this afternoon was a huge success and Rosa got it on camera. She'd already sailed across in the navy.  The crew thinks we are crazy and were out there with their phones and cameras taking video of the crazy Americans!

We dried off and then the boat started up again and we sailed into the most picturesque bay, called Wayag Bay.  There are all these little islands that are described as mushrooms. I thought they looked like ladybugs.  Anyhow, loads of these islands are around here and this is what you often see photos of when you google Raja Ampat. 

We went for a night dive after watching some smallish black tipped reef sharks swimming around.  I'm not saying I'm crazy but yes, I got in the water after spotting sharks. We saw a ton of staghorn coral, decorator crab, etc.

As it is, it is 10pm and I can barely stay awake to finish this! Goodnight from my bunk!