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セラ・カスタイン
itsacountry
07 October 2008 @ 10:58 pm
omg NIGHT DIVING  
So night scuba diving is AWESOME. And cuttlefish are AWESOMER. (Not a real word; don't care!) Tonight we did a night dive for our Advanced Open Water certification and we saw the following:
- Four cuttlefish, the largest of which was at least 14" and was changing colors all over the place
- A hermit crab, at least 10"
- Several sea snakes, the biggest of which was well into 5'. Apparently, if you shine your light at them they think it's the moon and will move towards it, thinking they're rising to the surface. This I learned at the end of the night, after being rather certain of my impending doom as I continued to shine my light on the snakes in order to keep my eye on them as they followed me.
- Some weird blue-green crab that was covered in algae or something
- Algae that flashes bioluminescent when you sweep it with your hand

So for the first time since I started this underwater journey, I really enjoyed myself. I can't wait to get a camera, but that's several hundred dollars down the road.
 
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ashley: sister blink[info]ashleysmooshie on October 7th, 2008 06:12 pm (UTC)
OH NO WAY. BIOLUMINESCENT!?

That is one of my life goals. No joke. All I want are mantas, whale sharks, and bioluminescent plankton.

I could die happy. From the way you describe this place it seems like an awesome place to dive. (it makes me want to take advantage of my cert a bit more...)
セラ・カスタイン[info]itsacountry on October 7th, 2008 09:27 pm (UTC)
I LOVE manta rays. Apparently another group saw one not far from where we're diving, so hopefully soon! And the dive shop up at Torii Station has a "Dive with whale sharks" trip, where they take you to this ginormous netted-in area in the ocean that has two whale sharks you can swim around with. I am most looking forward to the late winter, when the humpback whales migrate right through our area. Apparently you can hear whalesound on any divesite west of the island, but if you travel about 60 minutes out in a boat, you may actually SEE some while you're diving. YES. PLEASE. ME. WANT.

You totally need to be living here.
ashley: butt attack![info]ashleysmooshie on October 8th, 2008 02:46 am (UTC)
AIEEEE!!!!!!
Oh, I will find a way. One day. Somehow.

I have this weird fantasy that a manta larger than I am will come and let me hold on to it while we soar through the ocean. Yeah...not going to happen, but I can dream.
Bill the bold bosthoon[info]wcg on October 7th, 2008 08:11 pm (UTC)
It's beautiful, isn't it? I'll warn you that night diving off the California coast is nothing like it.
セラ・カスタイン[info]itsacountry on October 7th, 2008 09:21 pm (UTC)
I know... I still have over 2.5 years here and I am starting to miss it already. :D
Bill the bold bosthoon[info]wcg on October 7th, 2008 09:25 pm (UTC)
Even during my second tour of duty there, I didn't fully appreciate how good it was. Reading your posts brings up a lot of memories. I'm so pleased for you that you're taking full advantage of the place.

Oh, hey, while I'm thinking of it, if you want some really nice china, go check out the Noritake shops. That was one thing I did right.
セラ・カスタイン[info]itsacountry on October 7th, 2008 09:29 pm (UTC)
Ok first, do you EVER sleep? Whenever I post you seem to be online. :D

Noritake... is that a name brand, or just an artistic style? I know I want to get some glassware before I leave.
Bill the bold bosthoon[info]wcg on October 7th, 2008 09:37 pm (UTC)
No, I never sleep. I have this secret potion that I get from Dick Cheney's pharmicist...

Noritake is a name brand now. It was originally the name of a town in Japan where several artisans made very high quality ceramic wares. They marketed themselves to the western market as "Noritake china" and eventually became a single business. Some other superb Japanese brands are Mikasa, Nikko, and Nippon.

The Noritake shop that used to be near Iwakuni (I have no idea whether it is still there) also sold very nice Noritake crystal stemware. I still have most of the set of 80 that I bought in 1978. Beautiful stuff.