Mr Bud and Rainy Day Diving...

We have needed the rain...well, "we" meaning the island collectively. The laundry that I hung up to dry on the other hand, well that is another story...it remains...stubbornly waiting for sunny weather...yes, it is the laundry that is stubborn...not me...I'm going diving!! Mr Bud is a relatively close dive and one that I had not been to before, so, I thought if I went with the FI dive boat then Paul and I could go when he is ready. At first I was going to follow the group on top of the wreck...then I decided to go inspect a little bit of the hull first. Found some beautiful color...and a very colorful open mouthed bi-valve! Then I wandered around the wreck...had to take some pictures of the ladder...comparison pictures to ladders on other wrecks you know...the wheelhouse...and the coral that has decided to take up residence! From the wreck we wandered over to the wall...and what a surprise that was! Scrawled Cowfish...Coney resting inside a sponge..we went along the top of the wall for awhile... and could not see to the bottom...then we went to the top... and the fans.......

sponges and coral were gorgeous!there was even this extremely well-hidden Seahorse with no good way to get a picture of the shy little critter the way he was tucked in between the Sea Fans and Coral but a fun find...A 54 minute dive to 67 feet with 1200 lbs of air left. And it rained...and rained...I pumped out Hugo in the morning (pushing two metal pieces together to engage the sump pump...okay not like pushing a button...but at least it was not with the manual pump)!! I remember when I was in Costa Rica (Pacific side) the dive shops would close down in June for the rainy season because the visability got so poor. Here? We go diving!! And, off we went to Caribe Point....down the sandy spit...I saw this little Black Bar Soldierfish with the critter hanging onto the top of his head...wonder if that bothered him. Then around and down to the wall...and a beautiful wall this was indeed...for lack of finding out exactly what it is...I call it black coral...one of these days I will find out what it is exactly called and share it with you...BUT...it is beautiful and thick on parts of this wall! Some were even "flowering"...Pederson Cleaning Shrimp on Corkscrew Sea Anemone...Banded Coral Shrimp on a Giant Sponge....Came across this Spotted Scorpionfish...can you see him better now? Beautiful Coral.... Then up to the plateau around 45 feet or so where there were Plumes...and Plumes...and even a Green Moray swimming between them! I did get a movie of him...but cannot get it uploaded so that will be shared another day, another way for any that might be interested! 90 feet, 52 minutes and 900 lbs of air left in the tank!To a night dive...and the first critter found out and about....

A Spotted Moray...don't know what he was doing...but he wasn't moving around and had his nose stuck into the sand. There is something to be said about diving at night...pitch black...except for that which your light shines onto...there are things out at night that you don't see during the day...like this Basket Star Coral...it unfolds at night to feed...and when your light shines onto the coral...it looks brighter somehow than when you saw it during the day...you shine your light...look for movement and find a very large crab out at night feeding...you shine your light...look for movement and find a tiny little Octopus...always careful not to shine your light too long...or the night predators may become night prey...I didn't even let others know about this find...worried for his/her safety...Then my first night big Octopus...and he/she ducked under the coral on the left of this picture within seconds...to another even larger Octopus that moved along...not quite so hurriedly...until I didn't want to shine my light any on it any longer....
And, as the dive began...the dive ended...another (or even perhaps the same having gone to a different area) Spotted Moray...this time swimming along the rocks. So, I've slept...had breakfast...it looks like it's going to rain....and...yep...I'm going diving!!