Robsons-Adventures_Holiday Reports(w2)-Diary

13/5 Yes it was raining! but the good news was the sea was fairly calm, therefore the diving was on. Despite the amount of recent rain (river wash) the visibility was pretty good. Following an afternoon massage (not very good) at a different place I relaxed and wrote my post cards. I also did some of my English studies as it was still raining slightly and generally chilled out. The show at night was better than some of the others, it was Dominican night and there was a live band also playing. Still raining when I went to bed.
14/5 Up early again today for a 07:20 departure to go to Paradise Island. http://www.cayoparaiso.com Our lovely old bus broke down an hour into the journey, but they did manage to get a replacement to us reasonably quickly. Once at Punta Rusia we took a high speed speedboat (400bhp) to Paradise Island and the sun was shining! The island had a beautiful coral reef round it and the snorkeling was very nice and I also fed the fish with a banana, getting a slight nip for my efforts. After a good long swim, it was time to hit the rum and cokes - very nice. The journey back included the obligatory shopping stop, but they were making cigars which was interesting to see. Hollywood show tonight, but I didn't think it was as good as some of the other nights.
15/5 Sun shining this morning - happy days! and there were 8 of us diving today. The afternoon was spent around the pool until it clouded over at around 16:00 and a few spots of rain. Diner tonight was in the Sea Escape restaurant and I had really tender calamari which was very nice. There was a great deal of excitement tonight as there seemed to be 2 sharks feeding under the spot lights just of the beach. Quite a crowd developed to watch.
16/5 Another lovely sunny morning, the weather was really improving now. For our first dive we went looking for the sharks? but alas couldn't find them. The afternoon was spent by the pool before going for a walk into the town and some shopping in a supermarket. I also took a walk in the opposite direction from the beach and discovered a good deal more to the town, with some lively bars. At night we were on shark watch and again they appeared.
17/5 Some nice diving this morning, seeing a lovely free swimming green moray. It was very hot today and to avoid the max heat time I went for a massage with Maria who provided the best and cheapest massage. Later in the afternoon, the waves were very good so I went for a swim in the sea, but again it clouded over again at about 16:00, but no rain today. The sharks were again visible tonight, but a local fisherman said they were not sharks but indeed a fresh water fish that sometimes comes into the sea and feeds in the shallows, a bit like a silver coloured pike, which made a great deal of sense as I didn't really think they were sharks. The show tonight was 'Tropical Cocktail' some of which was very good.
18/5 A lot of people diving today, but only 3 in our group and we did a boat entry with a shore exit, quite nice. During this dive my American buddy somehow managed to drop his weight belt when at 22m, thankfully for him I realized what had happened and went to his rescue - I mostly probably saved his life, or certainly from getting the bends if he had shot to the surface! Despite this event, it was a lovely dive seeing a massive lobster and some lovely moray eels. The rest of the day was spent on either the beach or the pool playing volleyball. Dinner was in the Italian restaurant tonight which was very good, after which a number of us headed to the Voodo Lounge in the town, which was good until they started the karaoke - which I detest! At this point I left to head back to the hotel with a couple of Chinese Canadians whom I had met and we just chatted on the beach until the wee small hours.
19/5 Hovered between the pool and the beach most of the day before going to the Sosua beach for the sunset, which was lovely. After dinner and after the 'Cupid' show I headed out to the newly discovered bar area, enjoying a nice massage and a few drinks, wish I had discovered this area earlier in the holiday.
20/5 Departure day with check out time of 12:00, which was perfect really as pick up time was 12:35. I was therefore able to spend some time at the pool and get some final shopping before having to vacate my room. I was the last pick up from the hotels therefor it was not long before we were at the airport. Despite the rain of the first week and the wish to return home at that stage, I was actually sorry to now be leaving this Caribbean island.