SCUBA and Fireworks

Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Kendwa, Unguja North Region, Tanzania
          I met Siea for my brief dive instruction and quick practice in the pool – probably 30 minutes total.  Maybe Africa isn’t the best spot to SCUBA for the first time (at lease if safety is a concern!).  All went well though and I dove with Massimo and his son Pietro from Italy.  The waves were super choppy and a good thing we had our shorty wetsuits on as we all got completely drenched in the little wooden long boat powered by a 40hp outboard motor.  There were five women from Denmark (who also just climbed Kilimanjaro) and five others (an Italian couple, a father and daughter from Germany, and a Polish guy) on the boat.  The dive was great and I got the hang of it quickly – no problem with my ears which was my main concern.  It did take me a bit to figure out the buoyancy.  I either felt like I was sinking or rising somewhat uncontrollably but finally got equalized properly.  The water was a little cloudy due to the big waves (probably 4-6 foot swells – as big as it gets here Siea said).  The highlights were a couple turtles, some colorful starfish and a lion fish!  Mostly, I just liked cruising around underwater for the first time.   I opted for a second tank and we explored the reef a bit further down.  The ssing back to the main island was just as bumpy and I was glad I took some Dramamine as three of the other passengers were green in the face and leaning over the side most of the trip – definitely NOT having fun.  The Polish guy and I were having a blast on the rollercoaster ride home!
          More drinks by the pool then napped for a bit so I could make it to midnight – it is New Year’s Eve after all!  A bit of a bummer to be alone on NYE but after a few beers I started socializing at the beach party put on by the hotel.  I met a group of twenty-somethings from Newport Beach of all places and hung at their table for a bit, then moved on and saw some of the Danes from the SCUBA trip.  They randomly had met another Danish family and we all hung from a few rounds before I called in a night (or a morning?) at 3:30am! 
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