The View from Luna Vista - Day 2
Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 12:07 pm
I have not figured out how to drop the photos into the text without seeing the link. Since it is taking away from beach time, you'll have to figure this out yourselves. I'll see if I can learn how to do this later -- like next week at work. 
We started out with the breakfast of champions.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2243/252 ... 72ed24.jpg
"...where drinking before 10 am is not just acceptable....it's wrong if you don't."
After a more traditional breakfast than the one above, we spent some time studying the PADI book to prepare for our open water diver certification class. Late in the morning WWWT called us to tell us that they were heading to Caneel Bay. We prepared our equipment and took off for town. After a stop at Deli Grotto (Aloha Tuna x2), we were on the way to Caneel. There is additional parking behind the building and unless you are ravenous, the sandwiches are large enough to share. Quality was excellent with freshly baked bread and very fresh toppings. We met WWWT and spent some time enjoying the beautiful water and great company. The real headlines come from the snorkeling excursion that came next.
Diana and I headed under the dock to the left side to knock the rust off our snorkeling skills and try our new Sealife Ecoshot underwater camera. The camera worked well, but the operators need more work. The first problem is that we did not use the right settings. As a result, we got some useable photos but the color is not as good as it could have been.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2041/252 ... ab5ecb.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2290/252 ... 1a1902.jpg
We shot 46 photos before the AA batteries died and we tossed out 16 photos immediately. The other 30 are OK to good. We'll work on that the next time.
We swam from the Caneel dock out to the point separating Caneel and Honeymoon. The water got just a little rough as we approached the point. We agreed to take a slow swim back to the beach and headed back.
A bad day on the beach is still better than a good day at work. On the way back I lost my right fin and while putting it back on I got a cramp in my right calf and had to stop. I was looking for a sandy spot to rest but it was too deep. Then I got a cramp in my left calf. (PADI tells us this happens when we use a muscle more than it is accustomed to being worked. That definitely happened.) Now I am tired, cramping and in rough water just a little too deep to stand. The waves pushed me into a sea urchin who took great exception to this invasion of his territory. He stuck about 20 spines in my left ankle. I regained control and swam back to the Caneel beach.
Although neither one of these guys was the actual perpetrator, this is what to watch for when swimming.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/252 ... 51ce66.jpg
WWWT shot some photos for your clinical albeit strange interest in such things. Perhaps she'll be posting them in another thread.
The Caneel staff was very attentive and interested in helping. The Chris Sawyer Dive Shop staff advised using vinegar or ammonia to calcify the spines. I asked how to apply it and she said fill a bucket and soak it. It is important to note that Caneel does offer beach service and it was excellent both for drinks, food, and medical care. The Caneel staff brought a 5-gallon bucket with a 50-50 mix of vinegar and water. The initial step stung a lot but then it wasn't too bad. The additional remedy was rum administered by mouth (PO) as needed (PRN & Ad Lib). Whether the soak, or the aloevera, or the PRN rum, or the time since the hit did it, it is now feeling better.
Today, we'll do a little more studying for tomorrow's class. After that who knows. We'll tell you about it when it's over.
JIM[/img]
We started out with the breakfast of champions.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2243/252 ... 72ed24.jpg
"...where drinking before 10 am is not just acceptable....it's wrong if you don't."
After a more traditional breakfast than the one above, we spent some time studying the PADI book to prepare for our open water diver certification class. Late in the morning WWWT called us to tell us that they were heading to Caneel Bay. We prepared our equipment and took off for town. After a stop at Deli Grotto (Aloha Tuna x2), we were on the way to Caneel. There is additional parking behind the building and unless you are ravenous, the sandwiches are large enough to share. Quality was excellent with freshly baked bread and very fresh toppings. We met WWWT and spent some time enjoying the beautiful water and great company. The real headlines come from the snorkeling excursion that came next.
Diana and I headed under the dock to the left side to knock the rust off our snorkeling skills and try our new Sealife Ecoshot underwater camera. The camera worked well, but the operators need more work. The first problem is that we did not use the right settings. As a result, we got some useable photos but the color is not as good as it could have been.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2041/252 ... ab5ecb.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2290/252 ... 1a1902.jpg
We shot 46 photos before the AA batteries died and we tossed out 16 photos immediately. The other 30 are OK to good. We'll work on that the next time.
We swam from the Caneel dock out to the point separating Caneel and Honeymoon. The water got just a little rough as we approached the point. We agreed to take a slow swim back to the beach and headed back.
A bad day on the beach is still better than a good day at work. On the way back I lost my right fin and while putting it back on I got a cramp in my right calf and had to stop. I was looking for a sandy spot to rest but it was too deep. Then I got a cramp in my left calf. (PADI tells us this happens when we use a muscle more than it is accustomed to being worked. That definitely happened.) Now I am tired, cramping and in rough water just a little too deep to stand. The waves pushed me into a sea urchin who took great exception to this invasion of his territory. He stuck about 20 spines in my left ankle. I regained control and swam back to the Caneel beach.
Although neither one of these guys was the actual perpetrator, this is what to watch for when swimming.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/252 ... 51ce66.jpg
WWWT shot some photos for your clinical albeit strange interest in such things. Perhaps she'll be posting them in another thread.
The Caneel staff was very attentive and interested in helping. The Chris Sawyer Dive Shop staff advised using vinegar or ammonia to calcify the spines. I asked how to apply it and she said fill a bucket and soak it. It is important to note that Caneel does offer beach service and it was excellent both for drinks, food, and medical care. The Caneel staff brought a 5-gallon bucket with a 50-50 mix of vinegar and water. The initial step stung a lot but then it wasn't too bad. The additional remedy was rum administered by mouth (PO) as needed (PRN & Ad Lib). Whether the soak, or the aloevera, or the PRN rum, or the time since the hit did it, it is now feeling better.
Today, we'll do a little more studying for tomorrow's class. After that who knows. We'll tell you about it when it's over.
JIM[/img]
I hope that is the last boo boo of the trip. That rum is good medicine though. 
I am glad you are feeling better.
