Video
This is a somewhat low resolution copy of video Heidi took, mostly on the last day. The higher resolution images give a much beter impression of the majesty and scope of the mountainside we are visiting. It extends down to the ocean floor over 25,000 feet! Much of this video is shot between 90 and 100 feet below the surface. It is incredibly beautiful, breathtaking. The file is still large.
Friday, August 6th...
Up and at 'em early for the morning flight out of Port Columbus. American Airlines is really great, but they are more postured to dealing with problems inmediatly pressing rather than those down the road. Understandable, but challenging when I cannot speak loud and clear in the moment. I wrote letters for check-in and gate personnel hoping to offer solutions to problems I anticipated and it worked out pretty well, sort of...
Before the flight out at the gate in Columbus the baggage handlers scoffed at the suggestion they use our portable ramp to help load the chair on the baggage lift belt. Right up to the point where they hefted the full weight of the chair while trying to load it. They ended up using the ramp.
It took quite a long time to get me off the plane in Miami and we nearly missed the next flight; actually they held it for us. They kinda beat up the chair loading it by sheer grunt work, and I walked to the seat from the aircraft door. They said just plop in 1st class instead of walking any further, I guess I worried them, and me. Four burly guys took me off the plane in Georgetown in an aisle chair.
Andy's Car Rental pulled both rear seats from the van when Heidi picked it up, so we had to go back and get the middle one put back in for Ruth. The ramp took a little getting used to, but Heidi handled it well. We went to the Sunshine Grill for a late lunch. Heidi had a 'kitchen sink' burger, Ruth had a grouper BLT and I had the Thai Wrap. All served with a mixture of fries and spicy veggies. Heidi and I had beer for dinner - Caybrew. We went grocery shopping when we left Andy's after the seat was replaced.
Saturday, August 7th
We had the complimentary breakfast at the Sunshine Grill at 7:00 a.m. sitting by the pool, enjoying the food, the warm sea air and sunshine, and anticipating our first day of diving. I had a few fried potatoes and sausage with my bagel and orange juice. Ruth and Heidi ate more - eggs, cereal, yogurt, fruit. It is a nice buffett.
We met Keith and the Neptune's Divers crew at 8:30 at dock C in the yacht club, after we drove by the entrance the first time. Drive on the left side of the road in Grand Cayman; Heidi drove and I didn't tell her when to turn until it was too late. We made it on time, anyway. Keith and Danielli took one of my arms over each shoulder and the three of us walked down the ramp and to the boat.
The trip out was nice if a little bumpy.
Our first dive started at 9:28. The water temperature was 84°F as we slid into the water at Morgan's Wall, part of the north wall off Grand Cayman Island. I bought a new B-C for the trip this year and did get in the pool at the dive shop to work out weight and trim before the trip. Adjusting for salt water I weighted 10 pounds in the quick release pockets and 4 pounds in the shoulder trim pockets.
Unfortunately, a summer of limited exercise resulted in physiological changes rendering trim and weighting preparations very, very wrong. I could not get my feet down to get into a stable, sustainable posture. I was underweighted and trimmed with a heavy head. Even after adding weight I couldn't get my feet down. Jorge tried to help, but I wore myelf out fighting it and aborted the dive after about 3 minutes. I did make it down 26'! Heidi and Jorge made that dive with me.
The bouncing of the boat and Heidi's concern over me probably caused her little bout with motion sickness. She lost breakfast after the first dive, along with her partial plate and tooth. I'll admit sitting on the boat for an hour was rather hard on my stomaqch once or twice.
At 10:30 we again entered the water at Blue Peter on the North Wall. After adding weight between dives we hit the water and I got my orientation and trim sorted out before taking the underwater scooter and starting the dive. Again I had Jorge and Heidi with me. The water temperature was about 82°F and we hit a maximum depth of 51'. We spent 53 minutes enjoying the sights including a school of baracuda, a turtle, and an eagle ray. I was still way out of trim, but managed to make the dive and had an exhausting good time.
The fact that I struggled with adjustments that first dive isn't a big deal; the first dive after many months off is usually dedicated to making those adjustments. It's just that my body is changing a bit quicker as I get older, and I was dealing with a major change in equipment at the same time. Next year the first dive will go a bit slower and it'll work out just fine. And, hey - on land I'm realy a hazard. I tore up a toe in the parking lot and burnt a big blister on the botom of my left foot 'walking' back to the van.
I was very tired after diving so we returned to Sunshine Suites for cold cut sandwiches and chips in the room. Then back into the water as we spent a couple hours in the pool. The only problem with that was when I scraped my knee and shin getting from the pool to the chair. We showered in the room and got ready for church before Ruth came down for a visit. We did her computing stuff and talked while Heidi napped. Ruth decided to rest while Heidi and I went to church.
After church Ruth didn't want to go out to dinner, but did want ear-dri so Heidi and I made the short drive to Fosters, then came back to the room and split a carry-out order of 'sliders' from the Grill - yum! Naturally, Heidi and I are both sun-burnt. At 10:30 p.m. it's time for bed; we're going diving in the morning.
Sunday, August 8th
We woke early and I sent Uncle Tom a happy birthday wish by e-mail. We had breakfast by the pool again, and found Ruth was suffering from an irritated and inflamed ear canal. Prudence won out and she wasn't going diving. We left her. I tried wearing flip-flops from the van to the boat; they fell off after one step. We got on the boat and were headed out at 8:30. The crew dropped a 10' weighted line and I dropped down hand over hand and got my bouyancy and trim adjusted. 14 pounds in the B-C pockets and two 1 pound ankle weights. Keith got the scooter, but it wouldn't work, so we left it sitting on the bottom and Keith towed me around the reef; grab your partner and do-si-do!
Click on the small image to display it in the large pane.
 |
| |||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |
It was a great dive even if I did catch heck for kicking a bit, Keith wanted to 'lead' this dance. Starting at 9:15 a.m. we spent 41 minutes in the 86°F water reaching a maximum depth pf 86' on the north wall. I missed the name of the dive site amid all the bustle on the deck. Heidi got pictures including nice shots of some eagle rays.
Between dives Keith pulled the cover off the scooter to discover I forgot to put the plug in the scooter's battery compartment after charging. Duh! Don't service your dive gear when you are beyond exhaustion.
Our second dive was at Lemon Drop-off, just off Lemon Reef, with a very nice reef system at 57' on top of the wall. We took some pictures, left some bubbles and came up after 44 minutes. On the 'walk' back to the van I managed to burn a second blister under the first on the bottom of my foot, both about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Tomorrow we will have to find a way to get the chair on the dock; the crew's feet are taking a beating as they go slow helping me, too.
 |
| |||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
We headed back to the room and showered, then headed to Cassanova's for lunch. They were closed, so we went next door to Hammerhead's and sat on the deck by the harbor. Lunch was good. Spent the afternoon making the drive halfway around the island to a pharmacy near Boddentown for antibiotics to treat Ruth's ear. That turned out to be a tour of the south western part of the island. It was nice. We returned to Casanova's for dinner with a view of the sunset.
It's a nice place. Glass walls facing west over the oceanside deck offer a fine view of the Gulf and the setting sun. We sat right by the dessert display case. The waiter took our picture for us. Ruth really likes their grouper.
 |
| |||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
Monday, August 9th
Breakfast at the Sunshine Grill in the morning is a daily routine. Ruth's ear was much improved and she was ready to go. We decided the wheelchair was a necessity to get to the boat. The blisters pulled off my foot with the fins after the last dive yesterday and the wound looked like a raw hamburger patty.
The folding 7' aluminum ramp was working out really well. At 45 pounds it is not an easy solution, but it is quite workable. Heidi can lift and deploy it handily. It is a good thing she is fit and no fading violet. Working on the assembly line at Honda has developed her arms and grip. So she is stuck with all the lifting and toting. But it is lifting and toting on Grand Cayman Island, so...
The chair is maneuvered up and down the ramp fairly easily. The hardest part seems to be turning it aound in the back of the van, and remembering to take the headrest off before loading. However, there is an area at the top of the fixed ramp down to the docks blocked by parking turtles in a square to keep folks from parking there. We figured the ramp could bridge across the blocked area and allow Heidi to roll the chair from the van right onto the dock ramp.
I did warn her twice to be sure our portable ramp was sitting on the concrete quay and not on the fixed aluminum ramp down to the dock. Unfortunately she didn't think I meant it. So the bottom of our ramp sat on the top of the other aluminum ramp. And when the chair hit the ramp the ramp slipped and hit the ground, followed closely by the 250 pound wheelchair. Fortunately, the combination of the ramp and the turtles resulted more in a slide than a drop and no one was hurt and no damage was done.
Captain Keith was able to lift the chair back onto the ramp and they got it situated at the top of the ramp down to the dock. Then they helped me 'walk' back to the rear of the van and into the chair for the ride down to the boat. Keith had a blast driving it back to the van and they got it loaded up without further incident. And we headed out to our first dive of the day.
We hit the water at Tarpon Tunnel on the north wall at 9:19 a.m. The water was about 83°F and dead calm. I decided to dive without fins; my foot was bandaged and I wasn't using them much. Heidi had cleaned up the scooter battery compartment and charged the battery. It was working again! Through the tunnel and down the wall, we hit a maximum depth of 100' and admired the coral, the fish, the eagle rays... And the awe inspiring depths that fade away below us, down the undersea mountainside. We returned to the boat after 42 minutes of undersea joy.
 |
|
||||||
 |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
I dive wearing a full-body Petzl mountain climbing harness under my gear. I put it on before I leave the hotel and it afords the guys helping me move around, from the van, onto the boat and around the boat, secure grips which allow them to lift and control my movement without tearing my arms off. Hopefully it protects them from unnecessary strain, as well.
At the end of a dive I hand off the scooter to Heidi or one of the crew. They remove the ankle weights and then my B-C. After those are handed off to crew on the boat I back up to the dive platform and two of the crew guys grab a shoulder strap each and lift me up onto the platform. I scoot myself inboard and then two guys grab the harness at shoulder and hip and lift me onto the bench.
I cannot adequately express my appreciation for all of the help offered by Heidi and Ruth, Keith, Casey, Dannielli and Jorge. With good friends and family it is indeed possible to focus on the 'able' part of disabled. But why do this? Aside from the obvious, challenge, adventure and the absolute glory of the underwater environment, I find that I feel a great deal better after a typical dive.
Sunday morning when I woke I felt terrible. Aches, pain and fatigue that made movement difficult. Heidi asked if I wanted to skip the day of diving, knowing it had to be bad if I was that grumpy. I told her I would certainly feel better after the first dive. And I did, indeed. Keith laughed at me after that first dive, saying my face looked like it would break if I grinned any bigger. I really felt great!
Well, I missed the name of the second dive site on Monday, although it was on the north wall not far from Tarpon Tunnel. We rolled into the 83°F water at 10:48 a.m. We reached a maximum depth of 65' and returned to the boat after 40 minutes of reef crawling. We be having some fun now!
Back at the hotel we showered and relaxed. Sandwiches and chips made a nice stay-at-home lunch. We did a little shopping during the afternoon and then returned to the room. Again Heidi and I split an order of sliders from the Sunshine Grill in the room for dinner. The french fries mixed with spicy battered veggies and deep fried are just so good. I think Ruth had her favorite - grouper sandwich.
Tuesday, August 10th
We originally planned on a two day respite from diving during the middle of the week. Things were going so well we added another day of diving, but Tuesday would be our day off. We drove south through Georgetown, then east along the south shore, then north along the east shore and finally west along the north east shore to Rum Point. We considered stopping a few places for lunch, but ended up crossing the middle of the island and then returning back to Seven Mile Beach.
 |
| |||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 |
||||||
We had lunch at a nice little Mexican place around the corner from Fidel Murphy's Pub. Then we stopped at the Care Pharmacy by the Pub to get bandages and supplies for my foot. The parmacist, Martin Bures, wouldn't hear of that. He took a look at the burn and insisted on dressing it before we left. He did a good job, too. We didn't have the heart to tell him we were experienced first aid instructors... We did leave with supplies for the rest of the week.
After all the driving and sightseeing and shopping we were tired. We had sandwiches in the room for dinner and relaxed for the rest of the day.
Wednesday, August 11th
We started with breakfast by the pool, as usual. The landscaping at Sunshine Suites is just beautiful. The lawns look like a manicured golf green. The trees and floweers are wonderful. Along with purchasing a shower chair they built a ramp into the grill before we arrived. I dealt with Darren when making our arrangements this year. It turns out his family is local here in central Ohio, another Buckeye! We had a chance to speak with the manager on Saturday afternoon as we were leaving the pool. These folks represent the epitome of hospitality.
 |
| |||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
We headed out to the docks after breakfast. Keith took us to Main Street on the north wall. Casey and Danielli were crew while Jorge was off handling the duties on the Seven Mile Beach. We entered the water at 9:09 a.m., Casey accompanying Heidi and me. The water was about 83°F as we descended to 87' and cruised along the wall.
 |
| |||||
 |
||||||
During the dive Casey noticed a couple of the other divers having problems and briefly left us to assist them. Heidi and I just hung around enjoying the dive. It was really nice to just hang there and enjoy the beautiful wall. We headed back to the boat after 40 minutes.
I don't know what's with the 'missing the name of the dive site' problem. I guess my hearing really is that bad. But Heidi missed them, too. Ah, well. Our second dive was on the north wall. We were off the boat at 10:36 a.m. Heidi was shooting stills and video. At about 61' we were gliding along a ridge with Heidi shooting pictures of an eagle ray gliding by over the deeps.
 |
| |||||
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
Poor Captain Keith was suffering from split attention, trying to point out the ray out over the wall and the big old turtle swimming by behind us so Heidi could get pictures of both. Heidi was oblivious to the turtle only a few feet behind her. No problem, I used the scooter to maneuver ahead of him and herd him back towards her. She got some good pictures of him. We returned to the boat after a 38 minute dive.
We went back to Fidel Murphy's for lunch again. The food in that place is great, and economical! I wasn't thrilled by their 'world famous' Irish stew the previous year; it was good, but not great. But their pub grub, the roast beef, the shepherd's pie and their sandwiches are something I look forward to having next year. Heidi says the grouper is mighty fine. We had cold cut sandwiches and chips in the room for dinner.
Thursday, August 12th
We headed back out to Lemon Reef after lunch, Thursday. We scheduled an afternoon trip for this day to try a dive with different lighting and conditions. The water was still a comfortable 83°F as we entered at 1:18 p.m. Our maximum dsepth was 55' and we returned to the boat after a 50 minute dive with some nice pictures to take home.
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| |||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
We spent 36 minutes on the first dive reaching a depth of 99' on the wall. Heidi shot video of a good bit of our trek along the side of that underwater mountain. At one point in the video you can hear her yelling 92'. Hanging over the depths a bit off the wall and looking back at it can be just breathtaking.
 |
| |||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
When we returned to the boat there were still divers down, so Heidi, Keith, Ruth and I took off our gear, but stayed in the smooth water just floating around, talking. This is a part of diving I've missed since we stopped our annual trips with Blackbeard's. We used to hang around in the water off the stern of the Sea Explorer for hours every day. This is a part of the trip this year that I will remember and treasure. I love the ocean.
The water was so calm Keith told me to just sit on the dive platform as he moved the short distance to Lemon Reef for our second dive of the day. We entered the water again at 10:55 a.m. Our maximum depth was 51' and we returned to the stern after 54 minutes. We spent a little time hanging in the water off the stern, again, waiting for the rest of the divers to return. What a way to wrap up the diving for this trip!
 |
| |||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
Saturday, August 14th
We lazed around, resting, swimming in the pool and just enjoying being in the Carribbean on our last full day on Grand Cayman Island. Just hanging in the water in the pool, soaking up the sun and watching the birds flutter around the palm trees was a pleasure and remains a warm memory. Heidi had to run the van down to the rental place for them to check it. Someone had run into it in a parking lot and dinged it up pretty good. Happens a lot there, I was glad we got the insurance.
Late in the afternoon we showered and dressed, then headed to Mass at St. Ignatius. For dinner we headed to the north end of Seven Mile Beach and a little hole-in-the-wall which turned out to be quite a find. Island jerked chicken... spicy!
Sunday, August 15th
Our last breakfast of the trip at Sunshine Grill, we're ready to go home but will certainly miss this. Finish packing, load the van and head for the airport, Heidi's going to have to learn to drive on the right side of the road again. The van return went smoothly, thanks in part to getting it checked out Saturday.
The plane sat on the apron waiting for a maintenance certificate to be faxed - for over an hour. We arrived in Miami just ahead of a storm cell with severe lightning that trapped us on the apron there for another hour before we could deplane. And with the chair and assistance I needed it was inevitable we would miss our connection. Heidi was due back to work Monday and there was no way she could make it.
Monday, August 16th
We stayed overnight at the airport hotel, courtesy of American Airlines. They did their best to take care of us. I really didn't need the extra day away from home and my comfortable routine, but I survived it. Heidi called in and took an extra day of vacation. We made it home and now look forward to next year...