The tide was way out again this morning, even farther out that yesterday. And everyday, a gorgeous sunrise.
Breakfast was at 6:30-7 and we were out on the boats by 7:30.
Tuesday, August 8
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The tide was way out again this morning, even farther out that yesterday. And everyday, a gorgeous sunrise. Breakfast was at 6:30-7 and we were out on the boats by 7:30. |
There was actually quite a bit to do in that half hour from 7 to 7:30, getting
ready to go out every day. It consisted of - if you were female, pulling or
braiding hair back to keep it out of the face mask when snorkeling, getting
on swimsuits, slathering on sun screen, covering up with shorts and long sleeve
shirts, gathering up snorkeling gear and checking it out to make sure everything
needed was there, stuffing gear into a pack along with a journal/notebook and
the bird and fish identification books, several quarts of drinking water, camera,
and binoculars, and then grabbing a life jacket out of the front shed area.
I tried to make sure all my stuff was together in the evening so that the next
morning wouldn’t be quite as hectic.
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Once we were all packed, we walked to the boats, threw our stuff into them and then we all had to work together to heave and shove and slide the boats down to the water line and into the water far enough so they would float. The other thing that went into the boats was the gas. Usually 3 five gallon containers. Most of us got into the boats by stepping into them while they were still in only a few inches of water, but once the boats were loaded, into the water and floating, one of the guys would push the boat out deeper and hop/jump/flop into the boat from waist deep water and we would be under way. It is interesting, the things you don’t think to take a picture of while you are actually there doing it, and then later wish you had a picture of, like the boat loading, the fish gathering, us actually snorkeling . . . |
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We rented a third boat and driver today, Memo (Guierrmo) Smith. It turns out that Memo's great grandfather was an Englishman who jumped ship here in Bajia and the local people helped him hide until his ship left. Mr. Smith stayed and joined the community. As he took us out to the islands in the bay, he tried to catch his dinner, ahi-ahi, and had Micha hold the pole. We didn't catch anything. |
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Once in the boats, we motored around, circling several different islands, learning about birds. The ones I really remembered from the day were blue footed boobies (yes, their feet and legs are really blue), brown boobies, pelican, yellow footed gulls (they are NOT SEA gulls), and great blue herons. There were more birds, but my brain was full and I couldn’t fit any other types in that day. And, we saw a huge osprey nest. Osprey go back to the same nest every year and add to it. This nest must have been 4 or 5 feet high. |
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After about 2 or 2-1/2 hours, we pulled onto the beach of an island that faced another island that was within swimming distance. There was a strong current running between the two islands, but it was exhilarating swimming across to the other island. Once Jeff and I were on the other side, we rested for a couple of minutes and then snorkeled around the rocks there. We saw stingray, bullseye puffers, a big golden grouper, large angelfish and others whose name's I didn’t know. After twenty minutes or so, Jeff and I decided we’d cross back over to the original beach to snorkel there. First we worked our way up along the rocks where there wasn’t much current, until we were pretty much parallel with the boat on the other beach, and then we shoved off. Whoa! It was definitely not as easy getting back! First, I’d been swimming around a bunch and I wasn’t as rested as I was on my first crossing, second, the current had picked up and was stronger than it was before, and third, I made myself more exhausted by stressing over the swim back and scaring myself. I should have just kept my head down and kept swimming, but since I was stressing over the swim, I kept stopping and looking up and fighting the current. It took longer to get back to the beach and the boat. Then, once we were on the other side, quite a bit down-current from the boat, I was, all of a sudden, not so tired and ready to explore some more. It’s amazing how you can scare yourself and tire yourself out without really trying or even doing too much. |
We all got back to the station about 1:30 and were all very ready for lunch.
Our 4 o’clock lecture was BIRD A&P (anatomy and physiology) - Basically, why birds are shaped and built the way they are. Why? For flight.
A free night with no 8 pm lecture. Half of us went one way, to Guierrmo’s for a drink and the other half went the other way, to Hotel de Luna for a drink. We sat around drinking, talking and listening to “Guy and Gregg Adventures” for a couple of hours. Guy and Gregg have been going to Bajia for years and have had quite a few unexpected adventures during their times there. It was an enjoyable and relaxing time.
