Float Like a Cork - Sink like an Anchor!

Well I’m back at the Goose and Fin Internet shop, trying to concentrate while the local bill collector is

trying to get his money from the attendant in the front room.
Some of you have asked where Saipan is, so to answer Larry’s question: Saipan is part of the Northern Mariana Islands (there are no Southern Marianas that I can find). It’s a little closer to the equator than Hawaii and about mid way between Hawaii, the Philippines and Japan, about 5 hours flight from each, unless you fly Air Aviva, then it’s ten hours. It’s an American Commonwealth – like Puerto Rico. Saipan is about 85 square miles, a little bigger than Salt Spring Island and it was home to some of the most horrific battles in WWII . In the space of a week in July 1944, over 40,000.00 troops lost their lives (approx 30,000 Japanese and 8,000 Americans) – and that’s just one Island. Consider that when we look at the casualties in Iraq over a year, not that any deaths are warranted. The scars and memorials of the battles are everywhere here, both above and below the sea.

On Friday I went to Manahagaha Island. It’s prononounced Manya –ga-ha. Unfortnuately I sometimes put to many ha’s on, and get strange looks. The Island is a short little ferry ride (it’s only 2 miles off shore) and when I got there I realized I had made a mistake. The Island is populated entirely by young Japanese couples and their children under 4 years old. It reminded me of what Penticton was like some fifty years ago, except with Jewish families instead of Japanese. Since I was neither Japanese or have small children, you’d think I’d stick out. However it appears I was totally invisible! Nobody even noticed me. I was seriously thinking of taking my bathing suit off and wearing it on my head to see if anyone would notice! I left after a couple of hours. I was the only person on the little ferry coming back, and the crew asked me if I wanted to snorkel on a crashed Japanese zero. It only took me a 2nd to say yes, so they stopped the boat and let me snorkel above the wrecked plane. I was the only one there, and for a brief moment I thought they might leave me! It was really incredible gazing down on it.
On Saturday I went for my first dive day. It was an experience. The dive shop is run by Sasha, a Russian who has a chain of dive shops on the Islands and Russia. It appears that the immigration laws in the Marianas is more forgiving when it comes to Russians than the Americans. I dutifully brought my dive certification and log book. They seemed totally uninterested in it, which should have been a tip off! All they seemed interested in was the slip of paper that said I’d prepaid. I was suppose to do a simple “beach dive” to get re-acquainted, but they decided that it would be more economical if I went on a boat dive with the other customers. I asked how deep it would be and they said only 80 or 90 feet. I pointed out I was only certified to 60’.
“What’s another 20 feet?” Sasha asked.
“A hell of a long way, when you’re out of air.” I replied.

They did assign a dive master to be my buddy, so that made me feel a lot better. When we got to the dive site I started to go over the check out I’d been taught.
“What are you doing” Eric, the dive master asked.
“Going through my pre-dive check out.” I stated.
“Just get in the water!”

Once in the water I joined my buddy and we started our descent. Unfortunately I kept bobbing back to the surface. Finally in desperation, Dale, my dive buddy tried to DRAG me down. That’s when we learned I hadlost my weight belt when I got in the water. They eventually scrounged some weights and stuffed them into my dive suit and I sort of could descend.

The good news is that I did very well – if finishing up 1 hour of air up in 17 minutes. Something of a record, I’m told.On the way to the 2nd dive site a monsoon hit. Imagine being hit in the face by a fire hose of wet water, coming at you so hard, you have to put your hand over your mouth to breathe! I suggested that we just get dragged to the site underwater where it would be dryer. The 2nd site was shallower only about 25 feet and was a torpedoed Japanese Freigher. The decided to triple the weights I had from the first dive. It worked very well. I sank like an anchor when I jumped in. I did much better this time only using up all my air in 19 minutes!
While waiting the half hour for the others to return, I had a chance to talk to the crew about some of my experiences. I mentioned my encounter with the Japanese tour group the other day. They explained to me that the new generation of Japanese know hardly anything about WWII. It’s still considered a tremendous loss of face. We bombed Pearl Harbour. The US dropped to A bombs. The end. No details, hence their surprise about the battles on Saipan. (And you guys think I make all this up!). About this time the rest of the divers began to return.
“You left early”one told me, “You missed a 8 foot white tip shark.”
I told him I figured I left about the right time then, or I would have used up my air even quicker!

I’m suppose to do another 2 dives tomorrow (Monday), and I’m hoping to make it to 25 minutes on air consumption.
Today is Sunday, and I’m spending a relatively quiet day around the motel and visiting the few places I’ve missed, including a zoo that I could fit into my carport. The most impressive thing there was the fruit bat, which is about the size of a small cat. They're very rare as the Micronesian natives consider them a delicacy and eat them - every bit of them! They're now endangered, and the crops are suffering as these bats actually serve as bees fertilizing the trees


Hope you are all well, thanks to those who’ve written.