Diving in Venezula

We had both planned on doing a two tank dive off of Los Frailes islands in Venezula. This was the most highly rated dive site off of Isla Margarita. But then as you saw on the previous post...there was no way Paul could go with me... So, Paul took me in the dingy to meet the divemaster at Juan's Marina. Paul was going back to the boat and was under strict instructions to DO NOTHING and see if his thumb would stop bleeding! The divemaster a young Argentinian man drove up in his (old) van! This was just the first of my suprises...Off we went to a fishing beach about 40 minutes away...and I do enjoy the boats!! I use to tell my son that the next boat I own would be one of the "panga's" the local Zihuatanejo fisherman's boat...I've now changed my mind, and I've tried to talk Paul into getting one for his dingy...but these "pragues" (and I may have misspelled that) are REALLY COOL BOATS!!

Of course I had never been in one but Paul told me that they just cut through the water...no bouncing...no muss...no fuss...
Much to my suprise...I WADED out to the back of this "prague", climbed in the ladder...and there were the tanks...propped up by the ribs...this was going to be our dive boat! Three 75 hp Yamaha's to get us the 18 miles to Los Frailes...
It WAS a great ride....even with the water that was sloshing around in the uncovered part of the bilge area! And falling off backwards, off of any boat...once you have the BCD and tank on...well...the type of boat just doesn't matter....I made it safely to the dive site!
The clarity was horrible...but...I tried to forget about that and enjoy taking pictures....

This is a French Angelfish (Juvenile)....

This is another Yellow Line Arrow Crab....
This is a Squirrelfish....
The first dive was a current aided dive...we were dropped off and the current, which was minimal aided us in going around the rocks and to the place where the boat picked us up....

Slender Filefish (Juvenile)....
Sharptail Eel.....
Scorpionfish....

French Angelfish (Intermediate)
Same guy (or gal).....

Three-Rowed Sea Cucumber....there was another darker form that I saw quite a few of...and wasn't sure of what they were...it looked like a lot of cow dung on the bottom of the ocean...so I didn't take a picture of it...while I was trying to find out what this guy was...I saw what it was I was looking at...sorry no picture...but I will tell you it was a Donkey-Dung Sea Cucumber!!!

Then the CURRENT hit....and I mean...swept away current...so fast that there was no way of getting any pictures because by the time I saw anything...it had already gone past...it was my first time in this amount of current...it was quite fun...and I did try to swim against it a few times...but to absolute no avail...it still was taking me fast as I swam against it!

When it finally subsided ...a few more pictures....

Cocoa Damselfish (older Juvenile)... A Shy Hamlet....
And a Blue-headed Wrasse...
Then back up to the boat...for the return trip on the "prague" dive boat! One of the 75 hp Yahama's would not start...they tried a few times on the crossing...once there I waded back to shore...and THOSE boats on the beach....

How cool are they????
So needless to say...except for the "experience"...diving the Los Frailes....well....it was an experience!!!! AND, for those "non-believers"...when I got back Paul actually HAD taken it easy (well for him anyway)...only a little engine maintenance!!!

Windlass Vs Thumb Windlass 1 Thumb 0

Saturday April 19th 3:30 PM Hugo Time. Polamar is also known by cruisers as Rollamar. This is due to the waves sneaking around the point and making the anchorage Very rolly. To fix this I use a line hanked onto the anchor rode and fed through the portside winch to turn the boat into the waves. This cuts down the wind coming down the hatch....meaning HOT. So when the waves are not bad, I let this line out so the boat can aim into the wind. Long story short...I was up on the foredeck, hand on the windlass switch bringing in some chain...hand slips, thumb gets caught in the windlass. OUCH...rips the thumb nail almost all the way off from back to front. Yep, lots of blood...Was going to just tape it up tight. After a few bandage changes and some urging from Joyce, decided to head in and go to the emergency room. Upon arrival at the ER we walked into a dingy room with 40-50 people...doors into the clinic area were barred and guarded. Joyce was able to get this lady's attention...she...she took one look at my oozing blood and leads us through the barred door down some filthy halls to this room...we stood there for about 5 min...Joyce gets the attention of a nurse...she get this other younger...more professional lady.....she takes the blood soaked bandage off of the thumb...then puts on some gloves and starts to putz with the almost detached nail...ouch...

The room looks like the restroom of a country garage....lying on a stretcher on the other side of the room (actually not more than 3 feet from me) was an old lady...looked like she waiting to die. It was perhaps her daughter that was getting entertainment watching my dolar (pain) as well. They usher me into a chair..lady gets out a needle and proceeds to stick my thumb with novacane...ouch...especially when she sticks the needle under the nail in several places...hurt more than the windlass.
Of course they wanted to know how this Gringo ripped his nail off...since it was with rusty chain...yep a tetneaus shot....by this time everyone was having a good time...except the patient...you see those 2 water bottles on the cart...one is bedadyne....the other peroxide. As she is stitching the nail back onto my thumb (four stitches), I continue to bleed on the cart..the bottle of novacane you see on the table...and the dirty floor. When finished she takes the water bottle with the peroxide, holds my hand over the trash can and proceeds to clean up the blood.
On goes a guaze and some tape....fini...Joyce asked who we pay....no charge....no paperwork, no taking of my name...just gave me script for antibiotics and pain pills and out we go...
My thoughts...If a Gringo comes into the ER...they go to the front of the line...get taken care of quickly...at no charge....I'm sure this is Hugo's way of showing the world how efficient his health care system is.

It's 8:48 Hugo time, Happy Tax Day

April 15th 8:48 Hugo Time Isle of Margarita Venezuela. Yep 8:48 Caracas Time. Old Hugo is so egotistic, that he has his own timezone. Its 1/2 hour off of the rest of the world. We arrived Saturday afternoon after a rolly ride from Union. Good thing I bought those 17 gallons of diesel...had to motor all of the last 50 or so miles...wind just died. Friday morning I came down with the Tobago Cays Two Step, Montezuma's revenge and the crapolas all mixed together. I ate nothing Friday, forced some fluids and laid in the cockpit all day . I had enough energy to let Joyce get some sleep between 10 and 1:30 pm. I took the watch at 1:30am.We always share here on the Lady H....at 4am Joyce is up and in the head..she announces she is now sick. She staked out her spot in the saloon and proceeded to vegetate for the next 12 hrs. Now remember I was sick the day before...and been up since 1:30....she was sick....really sick...when late in the afternoon I spy a native boat 20 miles form nowhere coming our way and that I needed the shotgun and flare gun....well she got the flares and back in her nest she went. After an hour of cat and mouse they motored off to the east. As we were motoring into Polamar, Joyce stayed in her nest...she was really out of it. We anchored, I started to get the dink in the water... but I ran out of gas...just went below made Gin and Tonic Grande...proceeded to watch a few TV programs and crash...Joyce never moved....poor girl. I was able to get the Internet up and running....Fast forward...Now Sunday AM...Joyce still not moving much, but did get some fluids down....I found a bag of Frito's and cured myself...still tired but the Frito's did the trick. We went in late Sunday bought some ice and a few jugs of water...then both crashed back on the boat. I will let Joyce do the pics...

Tobago Cay (Horseshoe Reef) and Mayreau gunboat wreck dive

Looking at Horseshoe Reef you would not think that there would be an area because of currents and wave action that you could dive...but of course the locals knew...a spot where there is a "hole" between the reefs going down to 60 feet and a sandy bottom! Best clarity we have had for awhile! And, as you can see Paul is getting much more comfortable 50 plus feet under the water!!!

Split Crown Feather Duster on Dark Volcano Sponge....

I'm getting better at finding the things that you might just "pass over" because they are camouflaged and perfectly still! This is a Spotted Scorpionfish.....

And, better at finding some things that I find are unusual...this is Fragile Saucer Coral...

And then I decided to cross over the sandy bar to the other side (always keeping my dive buddies - in this case Paul and the divemaster in view - for those that worry about me)...and I'm going across the sandy bottom looking over to the rocky bottom to the right, and, yes, you can scream into a regulator...I was much closer to him when I first saw him...and I backpedaled sooooo fast...then when he just sat there....I took this picture...wow...sure scared me though....

Southern Stingray...although I really wanted to identify him as a Roughtail Stingray because of the spiny area on his upper tail ...and I would...but the book says they are absent in the Carribbean...so I'm back to Southern Stingray....this was a picture as I went back over the sandy bar to rejoin Paul and the divemaster to point out my "find"!!

Sand Tilefish.....

Sand Diver...being very still and hoping I wouldn't notice him....

Then...the divemaster sees another Southern Stingray...much larger....he calls me over to get a picture....

And then he decides to get him to swim....and kids...don't try this at home!!!!

And AWAY he did swim (thank heaven) and I got a few really great shots...

Up, a short rest at Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau and on to the second dive for the day...a wreck of a gunboat just off of this island. The first little guy I saw...well let's say...he saw me...was this Sergeant Major...these are called Blue males...as he was guarding eggs...and he kept darting straight at me then away...if he would have only stood still for the picture...I would have left him alone sooner!!!!

This little guy is a Sharpnose Puffer...
This is a Coney...Golden variation....
Some of the wreckage and the coral, sponges and creatures that have grown on it in the 100 years it has been on the bottom....
Another hiding and smaller Spotted Scorpionfish...
Redband Parrotfish (Initial phase)...
A first....Yellowline Arrow Crab...I would have missed this guy as he/she was small and tucked behind some coral...the divemaster pointed him/her out!
Close up of the Yellowline Arrow Crab...AND the divemaster did not tell me what it was...I was able to figure it out using my new books...having lots of fun with the books (as Paul laughs at me)!!!
A Bicolor Coney testing the "personal space" of a Spotted Moray Eel.....
Stripped Parrotfish (Initial phase)....
Variegated Feather Duster and haven't as yet for sure identified the Star Coral or sponge in the background....

And this was a VERY lucky lobster....Paul couldn't bring him up as we were in a Marine Preserve....

Spotted Trunkfish and Blackbar Soldierfish....
Netted Barrel Sponges among the wreck...

And a couple of Blackbar Soldierfish....Okay....that was a lot of pictures...hopefully you enjoyed...

Off to Margarita....

Ap 11 7:02 AM Just a quickie....we are off to Margarita...a long overnight. The weather shows decreasing winds over the next 48 hrs. I was down to my last 12 gallons of diesel. This guy on a big old steel boat is the only fuel available. They goes down to Margarita and buys the stuff, pays the duty and sells it for $2.77US a gallon. If I wasn't going to Margarita I would have filled up, but .40US sounds better. The normal price down here is about $5US a gallon. Was looking at fuel bladders for next yr. A 150 gallon bladder cost about $620. Filled with $.40 a gallon diesel you would save $540 US. Really have to look into this....We went diving yesterday....Joyce will have the pics up when we get to Margarita....

Tobago Cays

So we left Mayreau after having a wonderful lunch ashore. I swam back to the boat...then off we motored to the Tobago Cays.

When we got there we anchored all by ourselves over near one of small islands with a beautiful beach...then a squall came through!

This one didn't last long...and the sun was back out!!! Within a half hour of putting "the hook down" (as Paul puts it) a charter cat came up within 15 feet of where we were. Not close enough to ask them to move...but still so very close when there was plenty of room!!! Thankfully they ended up moving over to where all the other charter cats were....

Only to return the next morning....so we didn't have the beach to ourselves...but I did snorkel in....

There were TRILLIONS of these little red things....baby shrimp...This picture was taken under the water...and then when I got up on the beach...it was a good thing there were so many...because once I got up on the beach it was filled with little dried ones that didn't make it!

I climbed up the steep rocky path... to the top of the little island for the beautiful view...looking toward Union Island.

Beautiful view with the Lady H...

A larger view of where we were anchored...

And a walk down the beach before swimming back to the boat!