Diving at Crashboat yesterday

Went diving at Crashboat yesterday. We wanted to dive Natural but it was just a little bit rough for a dive buddy with a gimpy knee. So we did Crashboat instead.

Crashboat is all sand bottom so it's an easy in and out. The "reef" is the reef that has formed on the pilings of the piers. And it's not a deep dive - 35-40 feet most of time (although one of our deepest local dives starts here).

There are usually lots of fish hanging around under the piers - sergeant majors, night majors, trumpetfish, filefish, and Spanish hogfish to name a few. It's also about the only place we see seahorses. I love the light around the piers too.

The Ola Lola lending library

Many travelers bring a book or two with them to read on the plane or in the airport. They may bring an extra book to read on the beach.

But what happens when you've read everything you brought with you? We regularly bemoan the lack of bookstores here on the island, even more so since the demise of Borders.

Despair not! Ola Lola's has a library of books! Bring us the ones you've already read and pick up some new reading material. This keeps new books circulating through on a regular basis.

So if you need something to read, even if you don't have a book to leave, stop and check out the Ola Lola Library!

Happy birthday, Zan!!

Ah, the rainy season

Looking out the window at the horse corral after a heavy all-night rain. In fact it's still raining. Got the pump running to pump out the yard. Then I'll pump out the corral. Hope this quits before we open for the night!

Flower "pot"

We're doing some work on the old restroom and had to take out the toilet. This pot of plants and flowers wound up on the seat making this an unusual flower "pot."

It's a dog's life

Amber and Jazz basking in the sunlight.

Another day of good swell at Wilderness

Check out our web site, www.PuertoRicoSurfPhoto.com, for more photos from yesterday and today.

The end of flatness

The flat went away and the surf is back. It was one of the best days of the season shooting at Wilderness today. It's really been a crappy surf season. The mild winter up north meant there weren't any big storms blasting off the East Coast into the Atlantic to drive waves on our North Shore. When there was a swell, it was one or maybe two days and out.

This was a fun late season swell though.

One more flat day

Elaine and I took advantage of an yet another flat day to gos snorkeling on our reef where we found his little guy. I really like this phase of blue tangs: they're almost all their adult blue color but still have just a little of the juvenile yellow, usually in the tail.

Another flat day

The ocean is still flat flat flat - summertime flat. Visibility still looks really good and all my dive buddies are working again. So, another day of snorkeling. That's one of the beauties about our little corner of la isla: there's pretty much always something to do in or around the water. If you can't dive, snorkel. If it's too rough to snorkel, you can probably find someplace to surf. Too windy? Kite surf. Or KAP. For me, since I don't surf or kite surf, I go look for photo opportunities. If nothing else, just watching the ocean is endlessly fascinating and mesmerizing.

Today was so flat and so clear I got to go into a corner of New Hole (the "hole" just east of Blue Hole for those who know our reef) that we almost never get into. Except on the calmest days (like today) the wave throw so many bubbles in the water it's almost impossible to see in this narrow little neck. But today was perfect and I followed this school of blue tangs and ocean surgeons into the corner. Very cool.

KTJ on the beach

We took advantage of the flat flat flat ocean to walk a very curious KTJ down on the beach. Mostly it was good but we took the dogs at the same time. That was just too much. Between the water and the people in the water and the dogs running under foot she was a little spooked. Elaine handled her well though, keeping her under control.

Tropical ocean "ice"

The ocean was flat flat flat this morning so I jumped in and went snorkeling at Shacks. This fan coral, white and blue in the blue-green water, reminded me of an ice formation, albeit in tropical waters.

It's flat and clear and I would love to go diving but all my usual dive buddies are working. Bummer.