Roam the wreck of the Rhone

4

Day 4,

Today was an early dive. We woke up and immediately went down to the marina to get a start on the R.M.S. Rhone dive, which I was looking forward to second most out of the entire trip. We ate breakfast while we took the boat ride there. We split it into two dives- the bow and the stern, starting with the bow. The visibility was amazing at around 90 feet. We went through the bow and saw all types of eel and large schools of squirrel fish. I was most excited about the different types of corals and sponges as well as the different reef worms, particularly Christmas tree worms, which I’ve fully decided I want to research in college especially after this trip. We dove a max depth of about 80 feet before coming up for lunch and an equalizing break on the boat. During that time, Casey told us all about the history of the Rhone and how it sank as well as a few ghost stories to go with it. We then dove down to the stern, where the compartments were. We went through the entire boat and rubbed “lucky porthole number 26” as we each passed, as well as seeing the silver spoon and marble that was in the boat which still could be seen because it was so pure. After the dive, we took the boat to cooper island where we had great fish and chips. The owner of cooper island gave us a tour of the resort which was one of the most energy efficient resorts in the world. They used solar power energy with over 90 panels of some of the most advanced panels. They ran entirely on rain water, and the “gray” water was re-used for the grounds. We then snorkeled nearby at a seagrass bed. There was a school of barracuda (about 8), a baby flounder, a hawksbill turtle, and many other, small fish. I’ve gotten a lot better at free diving, being able to hang around 30 or more feet for around 10 seconds before coming up. We went back to our resort for about an hour for a little nap before going to our favorite – mad dogs – for dinner. We logged our dives (and I’m only 8 more dives from becoming an advanced open water diver!) after dinner and Casey gave a little show/presentation over coral growth, spawning, disease, and plantation. I can’t wait for tomorrow, I’ve been looking forward to the implanting coral dives all week!

Photo accredited to doc

20120715-213904.jpg