Scuba Diving --2019 Adventure

Diving the East End of Grand Cayman with Ocean Frontiers was excellent as always. The dive operation takes good care of us.

The Caymans are always a place to see turtles and we weren't disappointed. We saw several small ones and one huge loggerhead.

I'll share the turtle pictures and video today and then show you some of the other things we saw that Bob actually got a picture of. It's not easy taking pictures when the motion of the ocean is moving you around and the subject of your photo can run and hide--make that swim and hide. He does a good job but we have at least 30 pictures for every good one that we get. So, wading through them still and I will continue to post more for those who like to see what we saw.

Turtle Kisses

Diving is always an adventure. You never know what to expect. An unexpected appearance of a Caribbean gray shark. A dancing juvenile drum fish. Lobster peeking out of a crevice in the coral. A turtle feeding off the vegetation on the bottom. It was the last one that caught our attention on one dive a few years ago but it was what happened after we spotted the turtle that was so much fun.

You see, the turtle spotted us as well and was attracted to Bob or perhaps it just wanted to come in for a close up. Whatever the case, its curiosity brought it right up to the camera Bob was using and for a moment we all thought Bob was going to get a turtle kiss. The video is so much fun to watch and I'm thankful that our grandson Tyler allowed me to use it.

Turtle Kisses

Usually the marine life gives you wide berth when you are diving but there are occasions when they become as curious about you as you are of them. On several of our dives this year we saw a turtle. This particular dive we saw a little guy. As we were swimming along, He seemed to be headed for the surface but started toward us.

Oh my gosh, I thought, this guy is going to give us an up close look before he veers off and heads up. Turtles have lungs and so they must surface periodically to breathe. They can spend a long time underwater. Hours to days depending upon the type of turtle and whether it is feeding or sleeping or hibernating.

This little guy was in no hurry to get to the top. He was more interested in Bob. We weren't sure why unless he thought the camera in his hand was a food offering. Later, when we watched the video, we thought perhaps the sound that Bob's regulator was making attracted him. (The diaphragm or o-ring in his regulator wasn't lubricated properly when we had our equipment serviced. It's happened before and doesn't affect your breathing but does create the irritating whistle.)

The turtle just kept coming until I thought it was going to kiss Bob. He started backing up and then the turtle must have remembered he was on his way to the surface and he headed on up to catch his breath. We were still trying to catch ours after a wonderful encounter and something to remember for years to come.