Episode IX - El capitán resfriado

Canción del día: A mis Cuarenta y Diez - Joaquín Sabina (19 Días y 500 Noches)

Although I am desperately tempted to write this post using my beloved Spanish language, I shall abide the rules of political correctness and employ Shakespeare's speech. 

This young man, captain of no army, has no great news. Suffering of a mild cold, I could not afford to spend this day diving, so I have stayed and reviewed all the theory for my Rescue Diver Course. Needless to say it is a tiresome quarrel, and extensively tedious, but it concerns important knowledge. Now you are safe to come diving with me: nobody will drown on my watch. 

A sun cycle ago we went diving at Sibuan island again. This time was definitely the best. 

As good Christians, on Sunday morning we went to Church Reef. Dave brought a bag of crisps with us, to show the effect of pressure at 25 meters depth. Interestingly, the air becomes totally compressed, and the bag wrinkly. Then we opened it and tried eating them chips, but they were buoyant and would float up very quickly - I wasted half of my air tank struggling to catch some while laughing my ass off. Apart from that, we found some nice creatures both there and around Frogfish Corner - just another dive site.

There were four of these together.
One of them gave a few runs around my hand!

Very adequately, this one's named
Orangutan Crab.

It's not a squid! It's a cuttlefish  

Yes, that is a fish. Two frogfish, actually.

The one in the video is a juvenile harlequin sweetlips. They are born with natural buoyancy, so they have to swim frantically to avoid shooting up to the surface!

Our next dive would be a new challenge: we ventured into the sea, and dropped at an unexplored spot. As we finned through the reef's valleys and hills, admiring its virginal beauty, I though of a name to give it. Later, when I presented it to the rest of the group, it was unanimously decided: we'd call this dive site The Shire.

But unfortunately, there is no Eastfarthing Pipe Weed around these parts to alleviate my sickness, so I've had to give up diving for today, as you already know. And the rest is history.

May your dreams be placid and warm. I shall go and get lost in an oneiric world of guitars, fish and sunny islands.

PS: My most sincere congratulations to a very brave woman who, after six long years of fighting and struggling, is now enjoying a new-found freedom!

PSS: ¡Y una ferviente felicitación a todos mis compatriotas españoles, por habernos librado de una de las arpías más insolentes de nuestro decadente Gobierno!