The Boat Trip

We stop off at the next pass and get in the water for a dive, the first proper one of the trip. Bjorn and Scott are on the fishing mission while I just go down as a spectator and 'catch carrier'. Once again I am overwhelmed by the sheer quantity, size and variety of fish around along with the reef flora, which is quite simply out of this world. We see a few reef sharks up close, but nothing of any real size and manta rays, gliding gloriously along the shallower sea shelves. The fishing expedition is once more a success, as both Scott and Bjorn come up with the goods for yet another feast.

As we sit over our fish 'rotis' (a type of pancake in which you wrap the fish and a curry sauce), we notice white caps out to sea. Although the swell is relatively small, we all rush out on deck to get our windsurf boards ready for their first day of action. On a reef, seemingly miles from anywhere, we have some really fun rides, one by one picking off the set waves as they come, just the four of us.

It is great to watch my friends' different styles at work on the smooth fun sized faces that this spot has given us: Scott with his fluid cat-like style is always placed in the most critical section of the wave, flowing through his turns with incredible ease; Bjorn, his powerful style now becoming so much more vertical and smooth is really hitting form on this trip; Vittorio, not so happy with the lightness of the wind, is nonetheless managing to get some power into his turns. He also definitely stays true to his sponsor 'Reef', getting that much better acquainted with the real thing, time and time again! Mind you, as hard as we try, none of us manage to avoid getting washed over the reef at least once. The trouble is that the wind is so light that if you do make mistakes, it's very difficult to get back out through the sets without getting pummeled over it and spat out into the channel.

The boat rocks all night at the mooring that we have chosen, as the wind whistles through its every part. I go out on deck at around 2am, to see the moon shining down on the water and feel the wind buffeting against my body. I'm pretty sure that tomorrow is going to be a really great day.

Sure enough, I am not to be disappointed, as we score a great little wind swell and are on the water by 7am. Wave after wave after wave, we just can't get enough. That feeling of wanting this to go on forever is still with me. On returning to the boat the decision is made to go ashore and have a barbecue this evening. First things first though, we need to ensure that we have the ingredients to make it a success.

We dive off the boat, spear guns in hand, and begin a new search. I find myself unable to concentrate seeing Scott disappear for up to 3 minutes underwater at a time, maybe more, diving down as deep as 70 feet, each time coming to the surface with a new fish. He is a true waterman of the kind you rarely meet and he certainly has my utter respect. I guess that being brought up in Oahu and having a father who is as taken by fishing and diving as Scott is himself, it is only natural that he has become that way. Fish a plenty, on getting to the beach we now search frantically for firewood with the little remaining light that there is. We stumble across our desert in the meantime, tree after tree, full of beautiful papayas.

Those jobs complete, we settle down around the fire watching its embers gently crackle and away, savouring the taste of the fresh fish and admiring the beautiful evening that we have been given. These kind of evenings, in terms of the quality of food, the atmosphere and the surroundings would beat any of the best restaurants in the world hands down. Maybe it's just me and that I appreciate the purer and simpler moments in life so much more than the sophisticated, manicured occasions. However, as I look around me, I get the impression that everyone is thinking pretty much the same thing, so it doesn't feel quite so strange. We even crack open a bottle of Jack Daniels to celebrate our good fortune. Eventually we leave Scott and Vittorio to sleep in tents on the beach and head back to the boat. Somehow the prankster in Scott mixed with the consumption of a considerable amount of Jack Daniels leaves me with the feeling that something is going to happen on the beach tonight. My feeling is in fact justified, as it turns out that Scott ends up putting a frog in Vittorio's tent and then spends the rest of the night hiding from the rage of the large Italian - quality entertainment!

As we near the end of the adventure, we try as hard as we can to fit every possible aquatic pursuit into the short time we have left. One day we started off the day riding waves on our windsurf boards, then headed off to go cave diving only to end the day with an evening surf. These kinds of days are unforgettable, but what stood out for me was the cave diving, it was truly amazing. The sheer beauty and complexity of the world underwater continues to blow my mind and it is assuredly one of my most treasured memories from the trip.