Archive for June, 2008
Lions and Tigers at 30M – A Birthday Present for Stasya
Saturday, June 7th, 2008
Woo-Hoo! It’s been a year since my last birthday. Not in Africa yet, but I’m already surrounded by tigers and lions. Who even needs to go any further? Ok, so they are only sand tiger sharks and lion-fish, but I’ve managed to get bitten, nevertheless. So far, during this trip, it’s been Shurik who ended up being nibbled on the ass by a San Bernard or electrocuted by a cattle fence, but this was my day. Desperately fighting the current and stabilizing myself with one finger on a sunken German submarine, I was getting into position to take a picture of a shy lion fish when something jabbed painfully at my head. “Shurik!” I thought to myself. “What am I doing wrong now? Is the strobe not positioned correctly? Are my settings off base? And even if so! Does he have to knock on my head so violently to get my attention? There are other ways!” I waved him off, but he kept at it. Finally, angry and frustrated I abandoned the shot, pushed off the U-boat, and lifted my head. At eye level, a curious triggerfish, his sharp beak slightly parted, was preparing for its next go at my head. It looked like it had no intentions of singing Happy Birthday.
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FL-NY Roadtrip (Surface Interval part #1)
Friday, June 6th, 2008
Who has ever heard about fierce world travelers who come back to see mommy every few month? Feeling guilty for depriving our parents of potential grandchildren and children that stay put instead of gallivanting all over the world, we must. Just as divers can’t stay under forever, even if they have both air and will, and must come up to release excess nitrogen from their blood, so we too must emerge to rid of excess guilt. We will spend this time being on our best behavior, and lending ourselves as faithful slaves fulfilling their every wish and/or desire hoping it will buy us some more time and freedom at our next remote and hazardous destination.
In diving, the longer your surface interval (the time between dives) is, the longer and deeper you can potentially go on your next submersion. By that logic, our next chapter will be faraway and lengthy.
Not that visiting our families isn’t wild, but we still felt like mixing in some wildlife amid our stopover in the US. One side of the family being in Florida and the other in New York we had plenty of time to stretch our legs in the local forests and nature parks on the way from one to the other. A friend, Vova (Vladimir), joined this ride – his travel and zoological experience will be a great asset to our little team both here and in Africa. Our nights of sleep were short though cozy all huddled up in one tent, or even without it under a blanket of stars. In the heat of the day we drove, tearing ourselves from the comforts of an air-conditioned car only for a quick bite, or to save a snapping turtle from a hot a sticky death on the asphalt. Blissfully cool dusks full of nocturnal creatures like curious armadillos, and early mornings abundant with loud birds, were left for us to explore nature undisturbed. We did, of course, had to break a few park rules and ignore a few closed gates, but it was all with the best of intentions.
( Roadtrip. Photos w/commentary )
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