Shit nights sleep, the cold I’ve got just gets worse and I’m throwing up phlegm and coughing like mad...it’s not much fun. Anyway, enough feeling sorry for myself.
Alarm woke me and I really didn’t feel like going but had some breakfast with the two boys and we jumped in our taxi to go to the diving school. When we got out the guys there were not expecting us, I think we’d gone to the wrong location, luckily we kept the taxi there and he took us down the road to Miss Ocean but they weren’t expecting us either. Was getting a bit pissed off but they were good and the lad we were dealing with made some calls and it got sorted out. So he then took us to another location right by our hotel and I think this is where we should actually have met in the first place!! Ah well.
The good thing was that there were other people there but more experienced so instead of being with them we had the lad for the three of us. So we got set up and a quick refresh on the basics and putting the gear together and then got on the boat and the others also came along and joined us. I think they were beginners as well but it was fine. Got some looks as we were the only westerners!! It was very choppy getting out to the location, only about 10 minutes so not far but the waves were making everything very rocky.
So we got our stuff on and went over backwards into the sea and went towards the road we needed to use to get us down to the sea floor. Jack and Lewis cane in and we started to dive, however, I didn’t like it and panicked a bit and returned to the surface. I couldn’t see anything and I couldn’t breathe, it was horrible, I really considered stopping, but we loosened the chest straps and that was better. But it took all my self control to push down and dive, it really was only about 2 or 3 metres of visibility down there. The typhoon had swirled up all the sediment and was buffering us about. I couldn’t keep sight of the boys and that scared me loads, I was worried we’d lose jack. I also had problems equalising and a few times I needed to stop as my ears wee really hurting with the pressure.
About 10-15 minutes in I gradually relaxed and assumed a bit more control of myself and breathing and it went okay. We saw some shrimps and crabs and a few fish but otherwise just moved along and kept close to each other. Eventual returned to the surface and got on the boat where Lewis and I were both then throwing up, we weren’t the only ones!! A few of the others were the same. We went back to shore and were asked if we still wanted to do the 2.00pm dive but we all agreed we didn’t want to and so we called it a day. That was fine. We’d done it and proved we could manage, but the view underwater was so poor there wasn’t much point going again
So we sorted a few things out, got some food from Family Mart and came back to the hotel, bloody hot again, but we had spaces by the pool so that was good and we just crashed out and relaxed in the sun, shade or the pool. It was nice just sat there doing nothing more than people watching. There are a lot of Chinese here and a number of Europeans but we’re definitely outnumbered.
I was quite wiped out by the scuba diving and slept, I also had a real issue with my left ear, I simply couldn’t pop it and that only got sorted out he following day, so I couldn’t really hear much when spoken to.
We stayed by the pool until closing at 6.00pm and then played cards for a bit before going to change and get ready, had a couple of tinnies left over from last night so had those and then walked into town for our usual frustrating and fruitless search for a restaurant that we can all agree on. The one that looked really good was packed out but we made a booking for tomorrow and we walked on a bit further and found a nice local one and had more beers and tried sake. It was okay but not something I’d want to taste again, just not a taste I appreciate as opposed to tasting horrible. The food was really good and they were so nice when we left as the waiter, owner and kitchen staff all shouted their goodbyes.
We walked down the road to a cocktail bar we liked last night but didn’t go into then, tonight we did go in and ordered drinks. The loud group of friends from our hotel were all there playing games and being boisterous but it was fine watching them and gradually we joined in when singing or clapping so it was a good atmosphere. We had more drinks, the girls were all on cocktails, and then the noisy lot left but new people came in. It was nice.
Once we’d had enough we went to Family Mart again to get nibbles for tomorrow, some more beers and sweets for sitting on the seafront. Charlotte was annoying a lady that worked there as she kept walking out of and into the shop to set the melodic beeper off. So we went down and sat watching the stars and sea and then entered some philosophical discussions about the end of the world, God and how little time humans have been in earth etc. That was nice hearing them talk about that.
We then went back to the hotel and it was about 12.15am so it was quite late. A nice day but that scuba diving was definitely an experience!!
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