Welcome to my home

Welcome to my home

Monday, June 11, 2007

Last Day Before Work

Today was the last day I have had before we start our individual camps. The rest of the counselors and I got the day off, which was a much needed break from all of the meetings we've had to sit through since we've been here. I spent about 3 hours snorkeling in the lagoon (the largest lagoon in the world). In addition to the plethora of fish, coral, and crabs that I saw I was lucky enough to swim directly into the presence of a Stingray. This is the infamous creature that took Steve Irwin away from all of us. The beast was camaflouged with a layer of sand covering him on the sea floor. But as I swam down to it, it shook the sand free, flicked its tail, and bolted. It was quick, really quick. However, because it didn't take off until I was about four feet above it I had had plenty of time to check it out. From nose to stinger I would say it was about five feet long; its wingspan was about three feet; it was a gorgeous golden brown when free of the white sands of the floor. I was whole-heartedly impressed. When I got back on shore, one of the locals (whom I have become friends with) listened to my experience and then told me that he had never been able to see one that large and that close. He also told me I was lucky I didn't run into any trouble with the thing. So, I feel cool because I am already contributing original experiences to my new island community. However, I would be lying if I told you that my heart was not pounding.

Three hours was a lot of snorkeling, and I was pretty hungry. So, I grabbed some z's on the beach and then went to dinner. After dinner I went to this bar called the Snake Pit that sits on the ocean shoreline (everything sits on a shore here, it's just a question of whether it's lagoon side or ocean side) with my boss. We had a few Coronas and watched the ebb of the tide infront of us as the sun set behind us. I'm getting up early tomorrow to return to the same place so that I can see the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean.

For more information about Stingrays, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingray

2 comments:

Maggie said...

Coincidentally, I was just watching an episode of Oprah where they talked about what to do if you get stung by a stingray. Contrary to popular belief, urinating on yourself is NOT the best solution. Actually, vinegar is the best thing to put on a stingray sting. But pee is second best.

Unknown said...

In response to Maggie, whom I do not know:

Scott, if my wife is around (highly unlikely, but you never know), get her to pee on you because she is full of both piss and vinegar. Double up your chances. I never realized she was so handy to have around. Too bad we live really far from the ocean, where she is most useful.

Look, it's a cliche, I know; but it was pretty much a perfect setup. I couldn't resist.

Jeff Tibbetts