Narcing out at 135ft
Up at 5 to catch the boat for the Blue Hole! We were preparing for the worst on the boat ride because once you get out of the barrier reef you hit open ocean and the waves can be rough. We sat in the back of the boat where the jerking was much less. It felt like a roller coaster ride! I had so much fun and I was laughing at everyone at the front of the boat who was holding on for dear life. Check out the link to the video.
A short dive brief later and we headed for the blue hole. We made sure we were not with Alex the idiot Dive Master so we opted for Omar instead. Andy and I stayed in the back of the group. We saw a large shark swiming in circles in the hole but that was the elast of my concerns. It was odd watching the rest of the divers sink into the black abyss. We hit a thermocline- the cold just added to the experience. I looked at my computer and it said 90ft. Within the next couple of seconds the nitrogen narcosis smacked me in the face. I was all of a sudden confused and a little scared. I grabbed Andy's hand which made me feel better but had to take it back so he could monitor his depth.
It's hard to explain the feeling except confusion. I didn't realize the stalagtites were so huge, I thought they would be small sticking out from the walls. I knew the blue hole was 500ft deep but I saw sand at the bottom- I didn't realize we were going to swim through a cave. There was no current so watching the divers swim through the cave w/ a little bit of light shining through made it look like they weren't in water but floating through air in space. I calmed myself and took a couple pics. Most of the pics didn't turn out because it was dark and the pressure at 135ft bends the camera case. It didn't hit Andy until we hit 132ft. He knew the feeling because he did this before so he just let it come over him and managed it. When we went back up the narcosis immediately left. We did a deep stop at at 60ft and another at 15ft.
We did another dive and saw a baracuda and eels. We saw along the reef and saw cool barrel coral and little fishes swiming in/around them. Afterwards we went to a beautiful island called Half Moon Key for lunch. We had spanish rice and chicken for dinner. My man cracked open a coconut for me because I wanted the water and meat inside. It was very manly. We walked to the bird sanctuary and saw frigates and red footed boobies. Back in the boat for the last dive.
We got home around 6 after a calm boat ride back. A quick shower later and we went for dinner at a new place. I had fish curry and Andy had fish. Mine was delish and a lot of food. We bought a gallon of white rum and some mixers for $25, not bad when we were paying US prices for coctails earlier. We sat at Bella's hostel and Andy made rum drinks for everyone- we chatted w/ others. I was beat and ready for bed around 1030 but everyone else was going out to the local I&I bar/club. I got a second wind and went out dancing. We saw Omar at the club and danced to reggae and top 40 music. At 12 the club closed and we passed out after an exhausting day.