Cruising Ch. 04

Tuesday

I enjoyed waking up slow and easy at my own pace. After a leisurely shower and breakfast I came back to the room to prepare for the days outing.

Leaving the ship was a simple transaction; just swiping the room key took care of all the passport entry into the Cayman Islands making me a legal visitor. Walking with the crowds to the terminal I found the bus to the scuba trip easily. It was one of the little school buses painted blue. I waited for the bus to fill up instead of sitting in cramped quarters any more than I needed to. Allegedly the trips were limited to 10 people but there was closer to twenty getting on the bus, plus I saw two other little busses waiting. Once the bus was nearly filled I showed the driver my reservation and climbed aboard.

The bus had seen better days. Every seat I saw the vinyl was split or cracked, some of the worst spots were patched with duct tape. The only empty seat I saw was next to a skinny girl about 13 or 14 years old. I moved to the seat and asked, "Hi, would you mind if I sat here?"

She looked at me and shrugged looking back out the window. I sat down with my backpack in my lap making sure I didn't make any incidental contact with her.

"Are you going diving by yourself?" I asked her.

She turned and looked at me and shook her head no. From behind me a voice stated, "Our daughter is diving with us."

I turned and faced a late thirties couple looking at me concerned. I half turned in my seat and stuck out my hand introducing myself. I found out that the girls name was Ashley. She looked very nervous.

"Ashley, Is this your first time scuba diving?" I asked.

Without looking away from the window she shook her head yes.

"Are you nervous about it?" I asked.

She looked at me and said in a weak voice, "Yes."

"Can you swim?" I asked.

Ashley nodded yes and her mother added, "Better than a fish."

"Can you breathe?"

Ashley snorted a laugh and said indignantly, "Yes!"

"Well, that's all scuba diving is. There is nothing to it." I said.

"That's what I said to her but she doesn't believe me." Her father said.

"You've seen movies or TV with people scuba diving, right? Are they doing anything but swimming and breathing?" I asked.

Ashley pondered this for a moment, "No, I guess not."

"What are you concerned about?" I asked.

"Sharks. Barracuda. Morey eels. Fire coral. Sea anemones. Rip tides. Running out of air. The boat leaving without me. Getting lost. Storms and a whole lot more." She said.

"Well, you have studied up on this. Haven't you? I am a very experienced diver. I became certified when I was eighteen. I have never had any issues like you mentioned. The dive company will not let anything happen to you or they know your parents will sue them into oblivion." I said.

"Damn right." Her dad chimed in.

"What about carrying the tank around? It's so heavy." Ashley said.

"It's true, it is heavy. It's a big piece of steel. Do you carry your school books in a backpack?" I asked.

"Yes." She said.

"It probably weighs a little more than your backpack but I can tell you it's not as comfortable. But, once you're in the water you'll forget that you have a tank on in a couple of minutes." I explained.

"But what about flipping off the boat into the water on your back with the tank on?" Ashley asked.

"What about it?" I asked.

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"No, not really. The tank hits the water first and you kind of fall in after it. The only thing you have to remember is to hold your mask on as you go in the water. Why do you want to do that?" I asked.

"I thought that's how you have to go in." She said.

"No, that's one way of entering the water. You don't have to do it that way. You can walk off the back of the boat or climb down a ladder. I have inflated the BC and thrown my tank in the water and got into the harness while it was floating."

"What's a BC?" Ashley asked.

"Sorry, a BC is a buoyancy compensator. It helps to keep you from sinking or rising in the water by adding or removing air." I explained.

The whole time the parents were watching me like hawks. I would be the same way around my daughter at that age. Gradually they seemed to feel comfortable that I wasn't a child molester. Ashley seemed to warm up to me over time.

Turning in my seat I faced the parents, "I tried to explain all this to Ash but she was still scared. I showed her some movies involving diving but she wasn't getting it." Ashley's dad said.

"I would imagine it would depend on what movies you were showing her. Jaws or navy seals movies would not be my first choice." I said.

"Yeah dad!" Ashley spoke up.

"Have you two scuba dove before?" I asked the parents.

"I have. Melissa has snorkeled but not used scuba yet."

"They usually team us up in pairs. I am solo today. Would you mind if I joined up with your family?" I asked.

"Sure. Nice to have someone experienced with us. I haven't been below 30 feet or so. I was told the first dive is a hundred feet." Jake said.

"It's all the same thing just coming up from 100 foot down you need to decompress and come up slow. I guarantee the instructors will explain everything and take us up in gradual increments. It's really nothing to worry about." I said.

We chatted some more and Ashley seem to relax but Melissa seemed to get more tense about the dives. I felt a tap on my arm from behind me. Sitting next to Jake were two larger ladies that looked familiar. The white woman sitting on the aisle was reaching forward to get my attention.

"Where's your girlfriend?" She asked.

"What girlfriend?"

"When you registered for the event aboard ship you were with a woman and a couple. Is she your girlfriend, wife, fiancée or what?" she asked.

"Neither, just a friend." I replied.

"Oh? A bang buddy?" she pressed on.

"That is none of your business." I said turning to face forward.

After what seemed like an exceedingly long bus trip we arrived at the dive shop and dock. Everyone seemed anxious to get off the stuffy bus. As the day grew warmer the bus seemed to get exponentially hotter. We unloaded and were shuffled to the dive shop to gear up. Before reaching the shop door the two larger ladies stopped me.

"I am sorry, that was rude of me. I was asking questions I didn't have the right to ask. We were just curious if you were available." The white girl said.

"Why would you like to know?" I pried.

"Well, we like you. If you're taken we will not bother you but if you not we'd like to talk." She said.

"All right, just be a little more careful about how you talk to people in public. Why don't we talk on the dive boat?" I said.

They agreed and we went into the shop. The shop staff was busy throwing things at the people. Masks, snorkels, fins and backpacks were handed out. Weight belts took a little time since there were calculations involved. Everyone received a webbed bag and threw their gear in the bag. I was handed a plain hard plastic back tank backpack that connected with the same material straps found on airline seats. I was not happy. I grabbed one of the staff and asked about a BC. He motioned me to the side of the shop and explained that my package includes the basic equipment but for an extra fee the better equipment was available. First I asked about the BC. He pulled one off a hook and handed it over. It was well used but serviceable. I put that aside for the moment and asked about an octopus rig (a larger tank connection with extra hoses for the tank pressure gauge, depth gauge, BC fill hose and an extra regulator (breathing device) for emergencies. He went in back to search for one. I noticed a much newer BC behind the front row of used BC's and quickly swapped for the new model while no one was looking. The shop worker returned with the rig and placed it on the BC with no thought. I inspected the rig for cracked hoses and everything thing was in good shape. I asked him what the charge was. He looked around the shop and whispered 'twenty dollars American'. I pressed a twenty into his hand which quickly disappeared into his pocket. He told me to wait a minute. Shortly he returned with a different rig that looked right out of the box and a Spare Air tank (a separate emergency air supply). He pressed the spare air tank into the BC pocket and helped me pack my gear with a big smile. He was eating and drinking well tonight on me.

Once geared up we were herded outside and everyone was handed one towel. I stood next to Ashley and her family. Some semi intelligent looking shop worker came down the line forming groups. There were twenty people from out ship and another little blue bus just pulled up and began unloading behind us. We were split into two groups of ten. The two big girls were on the other boat but the quickly changed places with a couple who didn't care which boat they were on. We were led down to the dock and placed aboard a 35 foot converted fishing boat. The "captain" had the lines released and gunned the engine shot across the bay to open water. It was hot and sunny so I tried to stay under the cover as much as possible.

A crewman started the scuba diving 101 class for all the new comers. It was all the usual safety rules. Jake and I knew it although a refresher was always a good idea. There was a small cabin under the foredeck with cubby holes for everyone to store their gear. While everyone was tied up in class I took the opportunity to change into my bathing suit, get my waterproof camera ready and apply sun screen. Once I emerged and Jake saw me he followed suit and changed his clothes.

The captain was hauling ass through the low swells I guess wanting to get his day over with as quickly as possible. After the class broke up one by one people went below to change. The only refreshment on the boat was a cooler of iced water. I took advantage of the clear rear deck and began connecting my gear up. I pulled on the BC and sized it properly confirming the spare air was charged and properly stored. I removed the BC and connected my first tank to the harness. Next, I connected the rig to the tank and cracked the seal to make sure I had a full load of air. Quick tests of the hoses and regulators told me I was good to go.

Apparently the speed and ease that I hooked up my gear impressed both the staff and passengers. The crew used me to help assemble the other passengers gear and the passengers asked me to help them with sizing adjustments. Two of the last people to emerge from the cabin were the two BBW's I was speaking with earlier. They were both in one piece conservative bathing suits. They held back and waited until everyone else had their gear ready before approaching me.

"Would you please help us with our equipment?"

One at a time I helped them mount the backpack on their backs and making large adjustments to the shoulder and waist straps to get a good fit. Each one made small rubs against my crotch in the fitting process followed by devilish grins. Once their packs were adjusted I helped them mount the tanks and adjust the regulator. Just was we were finished the boat motor slowed to idle. A crewman tossed out a bow anchor waiting to make sure it set then scurrying to the rear to throw out a stern anchor. Once anchored in place the captain came down to talk to us. The usual spiel about staying together, watch you buddy, if one is in trouble, both of you are in trouble and to surface together. The two crewmen had geared up and jumped into the water waiting for everyone to join them. I lifted Ashley's tank up and placed it on her shoulders. She tied herself in and I told her to sit on the side of the boat and wait for me. A BC is much easier to handle both in and out of the water and I was ready to go in no time. I told Ashley to do as I do to enter the water. Donning on the mask I stepped off the back of the boat holding the mask in place. When I resurfaced I watched Ashley step off the boat and she came right up. Jake and Mellissa did the same and we were all floating waiting for the others in the group. While we waited I showed Ashley how to spit into her mask to keep it from fogging up. I had her test the regulator so she could get comfortable breathing.

Once everyone was wet the two crew members waived us to follow them. I stayed back to watch Ashley. I saw two things wrong right away. I dove after her and got her attention. First I motioned her to slow down her breathing which she did. Next I showed her how to swim easier wearing fins. Keeping my arms at my side and using a bended knee kick I glided easily. Ashley had been trying to use her arms and legs like swimming on the surface which doesn't work very well under water. She adapted quickly and was soon literally swimming circles around her parents.

The guides took us down a wall to 90 feet of depth. Everyone was moving around looking at everything and taking some photographs with disposable underwater camera's they bought at the dive shop. Jake seemed to be having difficulties moving around with Melissa who was not getting it and was breathing quickly. I stayed with Ashley (my assigned dive buddy) like I was supposed enjoying the warm clear water. There are spots in the Cayman's that drop down over 5,000 feet. Looking down they are just black holes. Very few things that go down there ever come up.

I spotted the two big girls swimming around and having some difficulties staying down. Big bodies tend to be buoyant and need extra weight to hold them down. That's why I prefer to use a BC. I over weight myself and add air to the BC to counter it. They had to keep swimming downwards to maintain their level. But to their credit, they were very comfortable in the water. I don't know how experienced they were with scuba but they were handling the equipment well.

Soon I was bored of swimming around a wall. I'd photographed everything of interest. Looking at plants and fish wasn't much of a thrill for me. I motioned for Ashley to join her parents and I took a few photos of them together. It took a couple of tries to synchronize the breathing so no one's face was covered in bubbles but they soon understood. I pointed; everyone exhaled, waited for the bubbles to rise and took a picture. Then they began to do the standard under goofy photos like Jake hold his wife and daughter over his head one handed. The four of us had some laughs doing some funny stuff when the big black girl tapped my arm. She offered to take photographs of the four of us. We took a few shots and she handed the camera back.

The diving crew began corralling us back to the boat taking us up slowly to decompress. One crew led the way while the other pushed from the bottom. The two big girls held me back with them. Even with the mouth pieces in I could see them smiling. When we were semi alone they pointed at the camera and at them asking me to take pictures. They got together and I took a couple of photos. The crew member came over and pointed to join the others. The two ladies had taken their breasts out of the top of their suits and were pointing at me to take another photo. The crew member didn't seem to mind waiting for this delay. The girls covered up and swam up to the first decompress point.

Once everyone was back on the boat there was the usual excited chatter of everyone speaking on how wonderful their underwater experiences were. The captain was racing to the second dive spot as soon as the passengers and anchors were aboard. The crewmember that had seen the breasts was hovering around the ladies either hoping for another viewing or something more. Jake thanked me for helping with Ashley who was beaming at acing her first scuba experience. Melissa wasn't as thrilled with the experience as Ashley was and decided that she wasn't going to use her second tank. Either snorkel on the surface or just get some sun on the boat. Ashley opted to swim with her dad for the next drive. I offered to email Jake the photographs when I got home and he was very grateful.

We arrived at the second spot and everyone went to work. Anchors were set, tanks switched out, gear reset and once everything was set I realized that I didn't have a dive buddy. The crewman was still working the ladies but I stepped over. We talked about their buoyancy issues and suggested they added more weight which they did. I asked if I could join them but the crewman not wanting to miss an opportunity denied the option insisting that everything worked in pairs. He would partner with the black girl (he was black) and I would have the white girl as my buddy. Since this dive was in about 35 feet of water there was no issue with decompression. Everyone entered the water (Ashley was first) and we went under.

This area was full of corral outcroppings, some of which reached up to only a few feet below the water level. There were big balls of coral and then long pieces forming walls with separations between different pieces. The sand at the bottom was very white and it was all very beautiful. Being close to the surface the sunlight lit everything and the colors were amazing. The two girls, the crewman and I patrolled around. The crewman was following the black girl like a puppy looking for a meal. He came up behind her and placed his hand on her calf and moved upwards. She freaked not knowing what was touching her. She spun around and shook her head no. I had the camera out taking photos and switched over to video mode. I filmed them and he moved in for another grope, this time grabbing her full ass. Quickly she pulled away and waggled her finger at him making it clear that she didn't want to be touched. He was a persistent prick. While she was facing him he lunged forward and grabbed her breasts with both hands. She tried to push him away violently but he was holding on. I stopped recording and moved in grabbing his tank and pulling him back. He turned on me and looked pissed. I pointed to the surface making it clear we had to talk.

When he broke the surface he spit out his regulator and said, "What?"

"You want to leave her alone? She's made it clear that she doesn't want to be grabbed by you." I said calmly.

"That's bullshit. All these tourists want some local meat." He scoffed.

"Maybe, but she's not interested in you. So keep your hands to yourself."

"She showed me her tits, she wants it." He insisted.

"She was showing off for the camera, not to you. I'm asking you to stop harassing her." I said.

"Yeah? Or what? You going to show some pictures to my boss? He ain't gonna care." The crewman said confidently.

"Nope. First off, it's not photographs, its video. Second, I'm not going to show them to your boss or even to the people on the cruise ship. What I am going to do is to go online to the cruise website and on the page that offers this diving package and post this video with an explanation. Then I am going to find out what other cruise lines dock in the Caymans and offer this dive package and post the video on their websites as well." I said plainly.

The crewman started doing the math. First, cancelled reservations. Then visits from the cruise lines excursion bookers talking to the dive shop owner asking why passengers are getting groped. Then the cruise lines moving to other dive shops. Undoubtedly the first guy to lose his job will be this guy.

"If I leave her alone you ain't going to share the video?" he asked.

"If you leave her alone and you are a perfect gentleman for the rest of the day, we will see." I replied.

He knew as long as I had my camera I had him. He reinserted his regulator and dove back down. I did the same and located the girls. When they saw me return they looked around for the crewman and saw he was gone and relaxed.

To me looking at corral, plants and fish gets boring really quickly. I took several pictures or interesting and pretty items but I wanted more. I really enjoy wreck dives but there wasn't anything around. The girls and I paddled around and by dumb luck I spotted a wreck. It wasn't anything interesting or historical, just a fiberglass fishing boat that ripped out its hull on a shallow corral outcropping. I'd guess it had been underwater maybe three to five years since so little marine life had attached to the hull. It was something different at least and I went over and examined it. There was nothing notable but it broke up the monotony of fish and rocks. The girls weren't interested in the boat and continued to swim around the ship looking at plants.