Wednesday 19 August 2015

Better dive today with 6 of us as Jan snorkeled due bum tum. Hope she didn't catch it from me. Mine OK after a round of Cipro. Pretty good viz with lots of fish, a school of baracuda, Napoleon wrasse, large snapper and a cool nudibranch - black with white dots in grey stripes. Shayne from Champagne (misspelled previously) Charlie had a spare dive computer watch that Jan bought yesterday as hers was old and feeble. Same as mine so don't need additional com cable. Cool! Couldn't test it as she's too floaty to snorkel down to 2 meter auto- start without weights.

Have made unanimous committee decision to blow off Wanci (hoping to find help at market here to restock woefully inadequate egg supply) for return to Tomia area several miles southwest of resort. An atoll with deep and manmade entry channel (guessing dynamite, which locals apparently also use as a rather effective fishing enhancement) looks to have good protection, excellent diving and no loudspeaker-enhanced call to prayers. The 5-a-days in previous Tomia anchorage featured a loud, live performance from someone astoundingly tone-deaf.

Thursday

Learned from advance boats on HF net this morning that atoll near Tomia sucked. Bad anchorage, murky water. Bugger! New plan is to stay here another day, go to "mall" in one of the villages for fruit, veggies and most importantly eggs then explore a large stilt village nearby. As rising tide washed away previous plan we regroup and wait for low water to write another. May go back to Tomia or overnight to next scheduled, Lowoleba (supermarket, ATM - yes! Welcome ceremony, gala dinner - maybe!). There are reputed to be whales.

Jack