Scuba Diving

Bonaire. That’s me in my new yellow, custom made wetsuit. Now when they leave me behind they can’t claim they just didn’t see me. – Visibility was rather poor compared to the first time I was here – 120 foot visibility then. – Belize. In addition to seeing all the beautiful fish and coral, we…

Cayman Br
Underwatr
June 2003
Here I am on the transom as Rich gets ready to give me a close-up view of Davy Jones Locker. If you look closely in the lower left corner, you can see Jill the Divasaurus.After Rich adjusts my mask, he dumps me into the deep blue.Would you trust this guy?These fish were a real pleasure to watch. they are called Flying Gurnard. Flying Gurnards are easily recognized by their large, wing-like pectoral fins. Contrary to their name, they do not actually fly. Their large fins help them to swim low over the sand as they search for food. We saw three of them feeding.Eagle rays seem to love cruising along the walls and drop-offs in Cayman. The eagle rays feed on mollusks and crustaceans. They may also be seen sometimes in the sandy shallows throughout Cayman when they go to grub with their flexible snout in the sand bottom for food. One ray with a 6 foot wingspan stopped right in front of us to feed. They also have heavy dental plates with which they crush their food. Eagle rays can reach up to 8 feet across and are said to sometimes leap out of the water like other large rays, such as the manta. Eagle rays generally have long, thin whip-like tails with long spines near the base.That’s me and a Divasaurus.Me with Chad.We saw some huge coral formations.Me and “Marathon Man” Davin.That’s Kyle above me.We found some great swim-through’s.Gosh that was fun.That’s me and Chad going through a swim-through above; on the wreck below.Me and the Dav-meister explore this Russian frigate.This strange looking fish is known as a JohnJack.Sherrie.A trunk fish just below Chad.
I believe that’s Jill and Sherrie posing with a dolphin statue. No trouble getting close up pictures of Cayman Brac dolphins and stingrays these days thanks to the work of sculptor Dale Evers. In January a bronze sculpture of two dolphins and four stingrays was set on the bottom of the sea just off the coast of Cayman Brac. The statue weighing 3500 lbs. was created by sculptor and diver Dale Evers as a joint effort by Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Oceanic and the Sister Islands District Administration. The statue was sunk at a shallow dive site called Radar Reef on the north shore of the island. Sitting at 45 feet on a sandy bottom, the dolphins and stingrays are surrounded by spurs of colourful coral.
The following pictures were taken by Kiran.
Hawksbill Turtle.Joe likes to swim upside down.Porcupine Fish.That’s me between Blond and Blonder (Sherrie & Jill).

Bonaire

A group of people sitting on a motorcycle — That’s me in my new yellow, custom made wetsuit. Now when they leave me behind they can’t claim they just didn’t see me.

Belize

In addition to seeing all the beautiful fish and coral, we also had the opportunity to dive through a wreck and caverns.

a person swimming through the doorway of a wrecked ship — That’s me in the top right picture, being pushed through the wreck.

A close up of people scuba diving among baby sharks — Our guide put chum on the deck of the sunken wreck. That brought sharks close enough to touch. I don’t recommend it though.
Never touch wild animals. You may be doing them harm even though you can’t see it immediately.

Roatan

June 2-10, 2001

A person swimming in scuba gears front of a underwatercorals — .

You can see me in my custom made wetsuit. It has zippers on the arms and legs which makes it very easy to get on or off. Email me for details on how to get one.
Notice the light colored strap over my shoulder, across my chest. My weight belt kept falling down past my slender waist so Chad used an auxiliary belt to hold up my weight belt.

two people swimming through a narrow path underwater — Here we are at Hole-in-the-wall dive site. It had plenty of caves and canyons to explore.

My dive buddies, Chad and Patsy, noticed a couple of huge sharks coming towards us. They swam off to get help while the photographer (God rest her soul), and I fought off the shark.

3 people scuba diving — Here I am dragging Chad and Patsy around.

Cayman Brac

A man riding on the back of a boat — I’m sitting on the transom, ready to take the big plunge

The picture above, is of my friend Chris, was taken in an area designated as Elkhorn Forest. There were many tunnels and swim-throughs in this area.

One of the best known sites in Cayman Brac is the 300 foot wreck of a Russian Destroyer. It was brought to Cayman Brac and scuttled in September of 1996

I am easy to identify in the photos – I’m the only one without fins. I also tend to hold my arms close to my chest.

This shows me and my dive buddies near the bow of the destroyer.

2 people in a wrecked ship — This picture is the only one, taken inside the wreck, because of the, otherwise, insuffient light. That is Max the divemaster, beside me. I had to haul his sorry butt all through the wreck.

gene swimming next to a fish — Hey, where did my dive buddies go? Fine, I’ll just dive by myself.

gene swimming underwater — Hey look, I can walk.

2 people holding on to gene diving underwater — That’s me, Karl, and Davin looking for mermaids.

a group of people posing for a picture underwater — Here I am showing other divers how to solo.

Cayman Brac 2

Underwater

June 2003

If I have my pictures right, the above is Iglesia de San Francisco (construction began in 1549) with its arresting blend of mestizo and Spanish styles. Behind the church is the Witches’ Market where you can buy a bizarre assortment of goods including amulets, potions, delicately crafted silver jewelry, sweets and dried llama fetuses.

Around La Paz is the aptly named Valle de la Luna, which is an eroded hillside maze of miniature canyons and pinnacles 11km (7mi) east of the city.

This is the historical ceremonial center of Tiahuanaco, 70km (43mi) west of the city, which is Bolivia’s most important archaeological site.

It is unkown as how these huge stones were quarried and moved to this site.

A group of people in front of a building — If I have my pictures right, the above is Iglesia de San Francisco (construction began in 1549) with its arresting blend of mestizo and Spanish styles. Behind the church is the Witches’ Market where you can buy a bizarre assortment of goods including amulets, potions, delicately crafted silver jewelry, sweets and dried llama fetuses.

A man swimming in a body of water — Around La Paz is the aptly named Valle de la Luna, which is an eroded hillside maze of miniature canyons and pinnacles 11km (7mi) east of the city.

A man swimming underwater — This is the historical ceremonial center of Tiahuanaco, 70km (43mi) west of the city, which is Bolivia’s most important archaeological site.

Gene scuba diving in front of an underwater coral — It is unkown as how these huge stones were quarried and moved to this site.

A man holding a gun — This is the historical ceremonial center of Tiahuanaco, 70km (43mi) west of the city, which is Bolivia’s most important archaeological site.

A person swimming behind a water cannon — It is unkown as how these huge stones were quarried and moved to this site.

WE TOOK A BOAT FROM PERU, ACROSS LAKE TITICACA TO GET TO BOLIVIA

2 people holding gene swimming underwater