Mantas and puppies and wobbegongs, OH MY!!!

The only word for today is WOW.  It was my first day back at the boat, and I was excited to do some proper diving (ie NOT the Rocks in Bundy).  I was excited to see all of the crew again, and got busy catching up on the “goss” right away.  As I was walking to the boat, chatting away, a little blck speck caught my eye and stopped me dead in my tracks.  Six teeny tiny cocker spaniel puppies, all solid black, were rolling around in a heap in the grass and it was all I could do to tear myself away without hiding one in my tote bag.  Pretty sure I pierced Rachel’s eardrum with the squealing.  So that was a fun start to the day!!!

The ride out was not quite so lovely, especially when enhanced by last night’s tequila shots.  Hmmmm.  Great plan, that.  I figured I’d feel better after jumping the water, but sadly, bc of some crew drama, the only person available to drive the boat for the morning dive was not rescue certified, so I had to stay on the boat to do surface watch.  Right before the divers surfaced, though, we were treated to the amazing sight of a big manta ray coming to the surface.  Very cool to see.
During our afternoon dive in the lagoon, I was excited to notice the instructor point into a small cave and give the sign for shark.  I swam over and positioned myself in front of the opening to look for the telltale fin, but couldn’t see anything swimming around.  I shot a quizzical look in her direction, and she pointed down.  Aha!  Not just any shark, but a wobbegong!!!  It’s a funny name for a quite funny looking shark.  Very unusual and the first time I’ve seen one, so exciting stuff for me. 
On the way home, the boat slowed down and we heard screams from the upper deck.  As everyone rushed to the windows and decks, one of the crew announced over the microphone that they had spotted humpback whales and we would be stopping to watch – and, obviously, take about a zillion photos.  It turned out to be one adult and a calf.  The pair seemed delighted to have an audience, and repeatedly flipped their tails and waved their flukes at us.  Everyone on the boat oohed and ahhed in unison, cameras clicking away.  It was quite a spectacular sight, especially since they were very close to the boat.  I was completely captivated by the sheer size of the magnificent creatures.  We had a false alarm when we saw two more fins a little later, but they turned out to be dolphins.  You know it’s been a pretty awesome day when you see fins pop out of the water and think, oh, it’s just dolphins; no big deal.  WOW.