As I travel over the years, I collect flags from each country where I have actually stayed–just passing through an airport to make a connection doesn’t count!  I’ve added another flag June 19-27, the Dutch Island of Curaçao in the southern Caribbean.  All of the native Antillian inhabitants we encountered were happy to see us, pleasant, always ready to laugh, and provided excellent service.  No request was too much trouble for them and their laid back lifestyle might be a model for a less stress-filled life.  Never in a hurry.  We were on “island time.”  Simply relax and enjoy.  We had the advantage of spending eight days on the island and met great folks from all over the United States and Canada in addition to a few folks from the Netherlands.  Our dive hosts (The Dive Bus) were Brits.  Wonderful people all.

This was yet another dive trip to a spectacularly beautiful diving location.  With crystal clear waters, very friendly native inhabitants of the island, and beautiful weather and water temperatures (85 degrees F and 80 degrees F+ respectively), Tim Schaeffer and I did 15 dives, including my first night dive, with The Dive Bus dive shop in Willemstad.   Tim, having spent a year working and diving on the island a few years back, was familiar with the dive shop owners and arranged for different dive locations he was familiar with around the island so that I would experience the full beauty and culture of Curaçao and different dive conditions.  It was beyond thoughtful of him to plan it as he did and I am forever grateful for yet another lifetime experience.

One of the dives we did was a night dive.  As a relatively new diver with but 42 dives in my log book, my first night drive was initially unsettling but it took but a few moments for me to get into the experience.  Although there were five divers in the group, each with very bright flashlights (or as the Brits say, torches), we were surrounded by darkness where who knew what lurked beyond our light beams.  However, the advantage to night dives is that you see nocturnal sea critters that aren’t out during the day.  It was an exciting experience.  I saw a relatively large Caribbean lobster (no claws like New England lobsters) the locals call “bugs.”  The highlight, though, had to be an up close look at an octopus.  They are amazing creatures.  If you’ve never watched the Netflix movie My Octopus Teacher, it is a fascinating documentary of one diver’s relationship with an octopus over the course of daily dives for a year.  It is an eye-opener regarding how highly intelligent these creatures are.

On another dive, we encountered both baby and adult sea turtles.  The dive spot we went to included a fishermen’s dock.  When the fishermen come in with their catch and tie up along the dock, they gut the fish and prepare them for market right there at the dock.  The unwanted parts (aka, entrails) go overboard.  As the fishermen do so, they start banging on the dock.  The sound carries in the water and the turtles know this is the signal that food is available and they start to appear seemingly out of nowhere.  Suddenly, as we were diving just off shore, we were surrounded by about 8-10 turtles of various sizes.  One large adult started swimming straight at me.  I remained motionless so as to not spook him (or her).  The turtle got within two feet of me and stopped eye-to-eye.  Stared at me for a bit, cocked his head sideways as if to say, “What the hell are you doing in my living room?” and then peacefully swam off.  It was the highlight of that dive.

Another dive location, named “Tug Boat” for good reason, was a relatively shallow dive that ended at the sunken wreck of a tugboat.  The boat rested in but 15 feet of water so we had plenty of time (and remaining air) to explore around the outside of the tug.  It had a fairly large hole in its hull that likely was the cause of its demise.  Extremely rusted with the rudder and pilot house practically gone because of rust, it was fascinating yet eerie to imagine what had happened here.  Although I’m sure the locals know the story behind it, I never found it out.

Click here for video—> Tug Boat Dive Video Curacao  

(I have blue sleeves, orange fins and mask in the video)

Diving has opened up a whole new world to me full of camaraderie with other divers, the challenge of continuing my education and training to dive safely and expand my capabilities, along with an indescribable excitement sprinkled with a little danger.  The moment I enter the water, I am struck by how insignificant we humans are in that strange new environment.  We are but guests in a world filled with wonder that is not our own and where we are not the apex predator.  I am responsible for myself in terms of safety, knowledge, and troubleshooting in a foreign environment, but am dependent upon my dive buddy for critical help in case of an emergency.  It is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before and I can’t wait to do it again!

Next dive trip is back to Cozumel in November to complete the required dives for PADI specialty certification in (1) Drift Diving, (2) Underwater Navigation, and (3) Underwater Digital Photography.  I already have Advanced Open Water Diver certification, and specialty certification in Peak Performance Buoyancy and Enriched Air Nitrox (higher oxygen content).  With five specialty dives under my belt, I will soon qualify to attempt the Rescue Diver certification (perhaps the toughest of all) and, ultimately, Master Scuba Diver–the highest level of certification and recognition a recreational diver can achieve.  That one will hang right next to my diplomas !

That’s the plan.