Since I'm having a bit of an "I'm lonely" day, I figured this blog is a handy little way to try to perk up those itty bitty blues. Feeling like I'm talking to home, telling stories, and catching you all up is a great way to feel connected. So where should I start filling you in?
Things I'm learning...
There is absolutely nothing I can do about the spiders, big and small, that roam around here. I've taken to sharing my space (more like jumping back and giving them their space) or gently encouraging my doggie friends to take note of the tasty little treat I kindly point out to them.
No matter how badly I smell, boys will always smell much, much worse.
Politics are politics and they are everywhere. Being asked to do something for several days then getting my fingers smacked for doing it voluntarily is just the way it goes. Smile and nod, then shrug it off. Everyone needs to feel that they are top dog some of the time.
Moody people waste a lot of their time being moody. This is definitely a western issue. I can't change them, no use in letting them bring me down too. My goodness it must be exhausting!
The second I sit down with my cool little laptop, I will be asked to do 17 different things by 17 different people. I've done 8 things so far...
Chocolate, when deprived of it for long periods of time, becomes the holy grail. Seriously. I need some chocolate.
I really, really, REALLY don't like dirty feet. I have dirty feel ALL the time here. It's driving me crazy!!
Swahili is easy but I'm an idiot.
Now on to... Tales from the deep blue...
Had a chance to do a couple more dives and got to finally REALLY experience some amazing sites, pain free, completely in control and comfortable. It's funny that I did my DM certification for the simple reason that I needed to gain some control over my fear of the water but somewhere back there, that fear still rears it's controlling and UUUGGGGLY head from time to time. First few dives tend to be rough and awkward mixed with minor bouts of panic; I think I had a tank with bad air one day as the surfacing migraine was blinding, but this most recent day, two dives in two incredible spots, was just... *sigh*... splendid. Absolutely deeeeee-vine!!! Describing the fish, the coral, the living mountains and changing seas is just impossible. You see so much, it's all so beautiful, and the feeling of breathing under water will remain out of this world. So instead, I will comment on the strange one or two things that may stand out. And there were a couple. (of COURSE there were!)
First dive, I was asked to stay with a relatively new diver at a relatively shallower depth while the working DM took a couple of other divers a little deeper down to look for whatever they might find (they were mostly looking for rays). Sure, no problem, kinda fun to be a bit of a guide again, and my little diver buddy was more than competent. 10 minutes into the dive, levelled off at about 20m, I look up and... jackpot! I squeal, scream, scooch over to grab my diver, and point up, jabbing emphatically towards the reef about 10m above and in front of us. "Look! Look! Look! Do you see? Do you see? Do you see?!" (yes, I have mastered the art of conversation with my regulator in). A good sized eagle ray was gracefully making his rounds above our heads. Underwater dance, fist pumps, and high fives as I shook my head and giggled a bit. I looked at the divers down below who missed the whole show. Sorry 'bout your luck kids.
Second dive, hmmm... a little more challenging and interesting. There are no distinction between dive sites and fishing sites here. Food is scarce so the locals need to eat by whatever means necessary. This, of course, wreaks some havoc with the diving community for a few different reasons. One, they fish in excess, obviously taking more than they would ever need or could ever eat (most reef fish aren't edible), two, they have no consideration for the very fragile coral and reefs, so much damage is done in the process of gathering their regular slaughter, and finally, the methods they use to fish are barbaric and unsafe on so many different levels. Case in point... swimming along, amazing site, clear turquoise water, fantastic reefs, TONS to see, and shhh... listen... I can hear the faint whine of a speeding motor quickly closing in. Suddenly a boat flies by overhead, despite our dive boat making it clear that divers are below and our diving markers are visible in the water. Our DM for this dive is a bit of a speedy diver so he was way off ahead of us somewhere, and three divers and I were checking out some pretty cool fish in some pretty cool coral. Somehow, out of the corner of my eye, I catch a flash, a glimmer, a something that causes me to turn my head upwards. Holy crap. An enormous net, and I mean ENORMOUS net, is dropping fast, directly over our heads. I can see the dumb fishermen, and yes, they are dumb, in their snorkels and masks, looking down at us as they continue to untangle the net so it covers more scoop and grab area, Not the least bit concerned that we may be the catch of the day. I discovered that I have a previously unused motor. Whrrrrrrrr... I swim over to my closest diver, grab him by his BCD (jacket thingy for diving), pull his head out of the rock he was looking under, point up to the net, do my gesturing to fin like the devil off to the side and give him a good shove. Whrrrrrr... off to diver number two, repeat, then diver number three and me. Heart racing, somewhat out of breath (these were three big boys I had to shove around), I look back over my shoulder to see the net continuing its slow descent. Oh. My. Gosh.
I talked to Raf about it when we were back on the boat. He was diving behind us and saw what was happening. Wasn't sure if I was overreacting, maybe nets get dropped over divers all the time, I was just panicking??? But he said nope, hasn't happened to him before, he hates the fisherman around here, good call on my part. "Good call" nothing! It was just GULP! we're gonna get caught in a net - I don't want to be on the menu tonight - get the hell out of here - gut reaction. Good times, good times, good times. Even diving in Africa, there is always some kind of drama! :)
It has taken me almost three hours to write this... I have done FAR more than 17 different things in the middle of writing this blog. Far more.
That being said, my battery is low so I have to go recharge it. Remind me to tell you about my stroll into our nearby village. Finally got to see a bit of Africa...
The way they fish there, dynamite fishing aside, is one of the better forms of fishing. You should look into industrial fishing techniques, trawlers being the most destructive, and the size of the nets used by purse-seiners and drift netters. If you want barbaric, look at long-lining and shark finning. Parrotfish are not good to eat as they eat coral which contains toxins although the locals eat them anyway, but there are a lot of reef fish that are fine to eat. You'll have had snapper quite a few times by now. The problem in subsistence communities is that they also take immature fish before they have the chance to breed, rather than just taking larger ones.
ReplyDeleteThey barely take more than they can eat, otherwise they would not be living the way they do. Have you been to the villages yet? See any families rich from fishing?
There is nothing wrong, IMO, with guys taking more than they can eat and selling the surplus for profit to better their lives as long as it is done sustainably, unlike the fine example set by the Newfoundland cod fishery.
Why would they have any consideration for the reef? How are they to know how fragile it is? Most of the developed world is ignorant of the destruction to all things marine that our lifestyles lead to, despite the availability of education and information through all the media we have access to and are bombarded with. Yet few people know that 100 million plus sharks a year are killed. That of the coast of developed nations, including the UK and the US, certain shark populations have been depeleted by 97% and others are regionally extinct. Most destructive and unsustainable marine practices are driven by the developed world, not the guys in wooden boats doing everything by hand.
Anyway, we wont have worry about it for too much longer; we carry on fishing the way we are fishing, the oceans will be empty in our lifetime, with disastrous consequences on our air supply (80% of the planet's oxygen is produced by phytoplankton and we are royally screwing up the environment in which it lives through fishing alone, without mentioning climate change (that plenty of "educated" westerners refuse to believe is happening, or refusr to take responsible action to alter it).
Wow. Remind me to polish off the soapbox before I post another blog entry.
ReplyDeleteYou'd better put a chair on it for me and some refreshments for anyone who cares to listen...
ReplyDelete