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CORALREPUBLIC Bahamas,
2006
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Trip
dates: |
27 December 2006 to 7 January 2007 |
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Boat
/ resort: |
Port Lucaya
Resort, Grand Bahama (now permanently closed) |
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Dive
centre: |
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Photo-friendly?: |
Day boats, and I was only carrying my
Olympus 5050 with no external strobes this time. But I felt I would have been
just as comfortable had I had my heavier gear. |
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Number
of dives: |
Only 8 – We could not go out the two first days of our stay in
Freeport due to choppy seas |
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Diving
conditions: |
Very windy. Clear skies, clear waters, about 24oC
temperatures, no currents. |
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Comments: |
This was the first dive trip together with Paul and he was going
to do his certification dives there. They had to wait because of choppy seas.
For two days, we would get up in the morning, walk down to UNEXSO and find
out they were not taking the boats out. We spent New Year’s Eve partying till
late and then, on 1st January, we finally got our break. But Paul
went out without me, I had a bit of a hangover. I
joined in the afternoon dives and actually got to certify him the day after.
The divemaster/instructor was really a pet and let
me do it so that my name could be on his C-card. All the people in UNEXSO
were lovely, competent and available. I still remember Cristina Zenato, the
shark researcher and teacher, very well. I have seen her in TV documentaries
a couple of times since then. She’s passionate about the important work she
is doing there. It is important to let people come close to sharks and
overcome the stereotypes. They need help! Shark dives have to be the best way to start your logbook after
getting certified. Paul had a real blast and so did I. I will only regret not
being able to carry my heavier gear for this trip (I think this is a
non-starter if I am supposed to keep an eye on my newly-certified better
half). I dove with a different group to go down to Theo’s Wreck (too deep for
novices) and I loved the dive. All dives were really good, and the shark
dives with Cristina were exhilarating, fun and safe. In Grand Bahama you can combine sharks and dolphins easily with
UNEXSO. We had planned to go out with semi-captive dolphins for a dive, but
again, no luck with the choppy seas and had to be happy with an encounter in
their research centre. All the same, it was great. Christmas in Bahamas is a
lot of fun, but you will want to go in a less windy season for best dive
conditions. |
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