Day 59 - The last dive day of not diving

Today is my last dive day, because I'm leaving on Thursday and I want my gear to be completely dry by then. But there's no diving today because of the stupid El Norte! What is wrong with this picture? Actually, the picture outside of my closed window is beautiful. It's only when you open the window, you are in trouble. The wind is blowing a huge ashtray all over the balcony as if were a sliver.


Oh well, now my gear will definitely dry out completely by Thursday. And I will take this "free" time to do more of nothing and post some beautiful pictures that Joe shared with me yesterday.




I mentioned Joe, Mark and Kim several times, but I never really described the characters. The first time Joe and I met was last summer, but apparently back then both of us were in this "sick-of-new-people" mode, because we didn't recognize each other when Sallye introduced us again two weeks ago. Only after a couple of hours of hanging out, we slowly but surely recognized each other. Joe is the nicest person on Earth. He works in the airplane propeller industry, but at heart he is a brilliant underwater photographer. He has a kick-ass camera with huge strobes and all possible lenses you can imagine. It is very heavy and on occasion he "lends" it to people in need of additional weight at the safety stop. I used this advanced weight system once, when during the dive a layer of air got in between my multiple wet-suits, making me so warm and cosy that I preferred to be bubbling up rather than letting go of this thermal protection. He tells me that every time he has a "bad" day, he thinks how he back-rolls from the boat, the captain hands him the camera, he goes down, unfolds it carefully, and starts chasing after the fish hunting for a great picture. Rarely do you see people so accepting of what life has to offer, able to turn every experience into an opportunity, enjoying every ray of sun and every drop of rain.

Mark is Joe's friend from high-school. Their relationship is endearing. Just one example will show it all. Five years ago, Joe mentioned to Mark that it would be nice if Mark got scuba-sertified, too. He could do it while they were vacationing together in Cozumel, because it is super-convenient here. Mark said "sure", but decided to get certified at home prior to the upcoming vacation, "to surprise Joe, and to make it possible to dive together from day one of the trip".

Kim is Joe's wife. Here's another interesting story. They have been together for 18 years, and have been married for 2. The reason they decided to get married is because one time, while passing by a jewelry store, Kim mentioned that she liked a certain ring. So Joe decided to buy it for her. And what is a better way of presenting a ring if not a good old-fashion proposal? So he proposed to her, right here, under the Villa Aldora's palapa, next to the ocean.