MikeBrum.com

Today was our first day diving. We’re spending the week with Stuart Cove. So far, they have a really nice operation with great staff.

The conditions on the water today couldn’t have been better. The seas were almost mirror-smooth. There was no swell. No wind. Barely any current to speak of. Really a perfect day for diving. Days like this open up access to sites that are otherwise inaccessible without pristine conditions.

Brief list of notable critters spotted:

• Sea Turtle (didn’t get a clear look at the head as he was hiding)
• Barracuda
• Sting Ray
• Lion Fish (unfortunately notable given the fact that they wreak havoc on the local marine ecology)
• Grouper

Add to the list the usual Caribbean suspects and you have a great first day diving. Hopefully the weather holds up and the sea conditions stay so great. On the ride over to the dive shop, we heard someone talking about the last few days being rather crappy; with lots of wind and poor sea conditions. Given the poor conditions of our last boat dives before today, I hope we’ve built up some good sea-going karma.

Tomorrow’s the first day I’ll be bringing my camera. It’s also the first day with the dome port I got shortly before the trip, so I hope that all goes smoothly. I watched a guy flood a camera today (luckily only a smaller point-and-shoot model!) and it just reminds you that housing floods *do* happen. While I would love an excuse to upgrade my equipment to house my 5D mark II, I would hate to lose my trusty 30D to something as devastating as a housing flood – especially since that’d take whatever lens I’m using with it. In tomorrow’s case, that’s the Sigma 15mm Fisheye. When I shoot macro, that’s the Canon 100mm Macro lens (easily my favorite lens out of the bunch).

So while I don’t expect to take any breathtaking shots tomorrow since it’ll be my first foray with the large dome port, I’m hoping to nab a few keepers. As I mentioned to someone at work before leaving, I’ll be happy if I walk away from the trip with 10 “good shots”. We’ll see how close I come to realizing those expectations.

But for now, it’s time to wrap things up and get to bed. Diving is for the early risers – whether it comes naturally or not.