Weddings and Permits

I'm writing while underway to Providenciales Turks & Caicos.  We are crossing the Caicos Passage.  Wind is calm and the seas are 4 ft rollers out of the northeast.

Anchored in Mayaguana - 6 ft water

We stuck out the first major weather front of the year in Mayaguana.  Winds at times were gusting over 33 knots.  I’ve got a new confidence in my 75 pound delta anchor as we had 2 foot swell in the bay during the blow and the anchor never moved an inch.

Last blog I told you I would report on Ms. Eden’s wedding on Saturday.  We got as dressed

The Bride - Ms Eden

up as we could.  I had dress shorts on and my best Caribbean shirt on.  Sam wore a long dress.  The wedding started at 2 pm, but the bride did not arrive until 2:45 pm (sounds like my wedding day…LOL).  We could immediately see that we were under dressed.  Most guys wore black pants and a tuxedo shirt with a bow tie, and the women were dressed in short and long dresses.  Folks on Mayaguana are very religious, we were told that this is typical church clothes.

I had a very interesting observation at the wedding.  Ms Eden grew up in Freeport on Grand Bahamas Island which is the second largest city in the Bahamas and the largest cruise ship port.  Ms Edens dad was waiting outside the church.  I struck up a conversation with him about the spearfishing talk at the school but he had no interest.  I got the impression from him that we were not welcome.  I wasn’t sure if it was me, so I asked Sam and Ryan and they had the same vibe.

Patrick - Fisheries Warden

As it turns out, Ms Eden arrived and called out to the three of us before she entered the church.  Once again her dad didn’t acknowledge us.  The wedding party went into the church.  There wasn’t a seat in the small church, so we waited outside.  After the ceremony, Patrick, the fishing warden, gave us a ride to the reception at the other end of the island.  The reception was a very formal setting with catered food.  We looked to see if there was place cards.  No place cards.  Same vibe as at the church, so we left and went to Patrick’s restaurant.

I thought about this a lot over the last 36 hours.  The Mayaguana people couldn’t be warmer to us as visitors, yet every person that was from Freeport wouldn’t give us the time of day.  When I visited Freeport years ago I didn’t like the attitude of the people.  Being a major cruise ship port, we overwhelm them in their own city as the “ugly American tourist”.  I was certainly one of those during my visit years ago.  I don’t know if this is the reason, but they certainly weren't from Mayaguana and it showed.  What I do know is that Ms Eden grew up in Freeport, but she should be the poster child for Mayaguana’s friendly attitude.

The next day, the stalled front was moving out and wind went down to 15 knots, so we put

Snorkeling looking for Dinner

the wet suits on and headed for the western reef.  It was 5 days since our last dive Tuesday, and it would be the last dive as we were heading to Turks & Caicos and the airport to get home for Christmas.

This reef was the best reef we have dove on this trip.  Hard coral on the top of the reef, but there were holes that went down to sand at about 45 feet and there were lots of fish in these holes.  The deepest I had shot a fish was at 40 feet, so I’m sure Ryan was thinking this was my final exam.

Swimming with a Spotted Eagle Ray

We located a Yellow Fin Grouper, and Ryan told me how to approach the hole he hid in.  The first dive to 45 feet scared the grouper as I didn’t come from over the top of the hole.  The second dive, I settled on top of the hole, I poked my head over the top of the hole, but by the time I got the pole spear lined up, he was gone. 

Breathing Up at Surface

We weren’t done yet, I breathed up at the surface for 4 minutes and got my pulse down to 74 before the next dive.  I wear a heart monitor that displays through my dive watch, so I can tell when I’m ready to start a new dive.  I download the dives each night into my PC.  It has also shown me some great data prior to and during the dives.  Ryan dove down and showed me the hole the Yellow Fin was now hiding in.  He actually marked it with a live conch! 

I took my final breath, loaded the pole spear, cleared my ears and started a proper dive entry.  It took 15 seconds to get to the bottom.  After 30 feet you are negatively buoyant, so you don’t kick, you just sink and stay relaxed.  I got to the bottom at 49 feet, and started my slow movement towards the hole.  I was looking in the hole that was at the sand bottom.  These fish are very camouflaged, so you have to look carefully or you miss them.  I looked in that hole for the next 15 seconds and could not make out the grouper.  I surfaced with my dive watch showing 48 feet and 52 seconds total dive time.

Ryan was laughing when I got to the surface.  He said I was looking in the hole on the sand bottom, but the grouper was sitting 3 feet directly above me in a hole in the reef.  I never saw him.  That was 4 dives for one grouper, I was done after 4 max depth dives.  Ryan has not shot a fish on this trip, as he wants Sam or I to shoot all the fish.  But being the last day, Ryan grabbed my pole spear, gave me the video camera to hold, and he went down and showed how easy it can be.  We ate that Grouper last night for dinner.  Delicious.

Spearing the Permit Jack.  Great Fish Salad For Lunch Today

We got in the dink (short for dingy), and rode to another part of the same reef that was in 30 feet of water.  This reef was even better that the first.  It had the same type of structure, but was loaded with Permit Jacks and Grouper.  We switched turns taking “scouting dives” to look under the reef edges.  During these dives there were 3 reef sharks “monitoring” us.
When Ryan came up he said “Dive down and shoot the silver fish in that hole”.  I finished breathing up, loaded the spear and dove.  I got down to the hole, this time I got the spear lined up with the hole before I looked in.  As soon as I looked in I saw the silver fish.  I had no idea what it was, but it was silver, he turned sideways and a shot it.

I almost missed as the spear went in just below the backbone.  I was able to pull him out of

Permit Jack - Fighting the Good Fight

the hole, but I never had a grouper that fought like this.  I started for the surface, but he was almost overpowering me.  I can’t imagine world class spear fishermen who shoot fish over 100 lbs, but that is what the hip reels and float lines are for.

You will see that the video is a little jumpy as Ryan was on lookout for the sharks.  I was thinking the same on the way up.  Ryan had always told me that once you hug the fish, it is yours and the sharks won’t bother you.  I was trying to do this, but the fish was putting up a good fight and I couldn’t get him close. It felt like I kept fumbling a football!

When I go to the surface, the sharks showed up, not at the bottom like usual, but at the surface, “jaws like” with the fins showing out of the water.  We took a few pictures, put the Permit Jack in the dink and got out of the water.

Ryan did a few deep dives out on the wall while I spotted for him.  But as tired as I was, it now hit me that this diving adventure is over and it’s time to get back home with the family for Christmas.  Jackie is coming from school in NYC and AJ from Hillton Head.  I’ve got a meeting with a client in North Carolina, Thursday, then everyone will be home Friday for Christmas.
  
The Caribbean adventure continues on December 29th.  This time with Julianne back on board along with AJ, Jackie and her friend.  

Merry Christmas and thank you so much for reading.  I have really appreciated all of the comments that you have left for me.