Wetsuit Popsicle

Boy I got really grumpy last night.  I’ll try not to be so grumpy today.

So we have a full diving today and tomorrow but only two dives on Friday.  I’ll have to look up when my flight out on Saturday is.  I’m sure I can do the two regardless.  Woo Hoo!

The wetsuit trick came off without a hitch.  Well, with a bit of a hitch.  We dunked the wetsuit in the rinse tank and put it in a garbage bag before putting it in the deep freezer.  Then I put a hanger in it.  In the morning, I couldn’t get the top off the freezer so I had to enlist some of the crew to help me out.  We finally got it out but then I had to sneak it by Jim and hang it up.  He went in for a cup of coffee but it didn’t take long enough.  So once I got it out, I hid it behind my back and sort of danced around him while he was freaking out looking for his wetsuit.  While he was looking the other way I was able to hang it up.  He thought it was pretty funny and decided to go in just his shorts like his buddy Alan always does.

Well, while we were underwater, I was shooting the anchor and all of the sudden, there was a butt in my face.   I got mooned twice underwater, which is easy to do since they were both diving in shorts.  I didn’t think to take pictures of them, but I wish I had!

I bought a big pink sweatshirt at the “Boat-ique” yesterday.  It is very warm thank God!

The night dive brought me ANOTHER NUDIBRANCH!!!  That’s three now.  Awesome.  That’s three more than I thought I’d find.  I must have take 100 pictures of it.  The rest of the guests were in shock wondering what the hell could be so exciting.  After I was done I showed them what I was so excited about.  It was a few of their first nudibranch.  Pretty cool. 

It seems like this is the Paleo jubatus.  Also known as the White-Speckled Nudibranch.

After dinner, Alan showed me some of his pictures.  He and Jim are both scientists.  Alan teaches at a marine academy in Maine and Jim at a school in Seattle.  Jim takes his top students to Dumaguete every year to study… hold your hats, this is exciting… sea cucumbers!!!  No really.  Sea Cucumbers.  He is fascinated by them.  As crazy as I am for the nudibranch, he is for the sea cucumber.  I’m not sure he photographs them as much as can discuss their scientific properties, but it totally cracks me up.

I asked him one morning what makes them special.  Here is what he said:

•       breathe through their butt
•       eat crap
•    puke when they are attacked
•       1400 species
•    nobody cares about them