Aquaman

I think Ryan must have been a fish in a past life. I have never met anyone who enjoys being in the water more than he does. It doesn't matter if the water is in a pool, or a river, or a lake, or the ocean, he has to be in it, and to stay in it until he is beyond pruney, and approaching the growing gills stage. He is happiest when he is scuba diving, which is to say when he is fully submerged. This trip was no different.

We had planned to do two days of diving on this trip, down from Ryan's original proposal of only coming up for food. However, when we arrived we discovered that the rain had stirred up the ocean, causing an algae bloom, and making visibility under water nearly nothing. The dive boat would not be going out unless it got better. This was not good news. Ryan went into a funk that is only rivaled by that of children promised puppies and candy, and then taken to the dentist. Luckily, the clouds parted, and Ryan started counting down the hours until we splashed.

There is nothing more wonderful than the moment that you start descending under the water and onto the ocean floor. However, there is nothing worse than the preparations that precede it. The boat ride out there usually isn't that bad, unless the seas are rough or the boat is overcrowded. But, there is really no way to gracefully put on a wet suit, or to walk with a forty pound rig on your back without looking like a hunchback. A pigeon-toed hunchback on account of the flippers. The feeling of ridiculousness was only intensified on this trip by appearance of our dive master Sebastian. Even under five millimeters of neoprene his six pack was rippling. And under 50 feet of water his hair stayed perfectly coiffed. Of course, like most pretty men, no one appreciated Sebastian's beauty more than Sebastian. When I tried to point out this out to Ryan, he had no time for my snark. It was time to get under water, and he was of only one mind. I had to save up all of my remarks for Tara when we returned home.

My friend Murphy always says he doesn't understand why we go diving because there are so many fish down there. But it's that feeling of seeing the strange that keeps us coming back. During our four dives on this trip we saw huge schools of angry looking jacks, fast swimming spiny lobsters, and turtles that seemed to be more interested in us than we were in them. And those are just some of the highlights. It's like a giant picture search down there. Look at one spot long enough and you WILL see something interesting. Small fish poking their heads out of barnacles, giant manta rays blocking the sun, or eels out searching for a meal, even though they are all almost blind as bats. Ryan always seems to find the most interesting stuff, and will come up from dives asking me if I saw the magnificent sites he did. Some times I have, but most of the time I have been completely oblivious. Thank god he has an underwater camera. Here are just some of the things we saw...

Much prettier without drawn butter.

Oh, so mean..

Pretty, but stinging. Like me.

Ben. The most dangerous fish of all.

Of course, diving wasn't the only way Ryan indulged in his passion for the water on the trip. That would be like me going to Italy and only having one glass of wine. Or me going anywhere and only having one glass of wine. He surfed, he boogie boarded, and he threw himself headlong into the waves like a lemming. He called it "body surfing," but I called it "forcing water up his nose." Ben and Kent also joined him in his pursuits, and every time they went out I have to admit I worried a bit. After all, I have seen that "Gilligan's Island" where the surfer accidentally catches a rogue wave and ends up with the castaways. While that might be Ryan's idea of the best thing that could ever happen (I think he'd go more for Mary Ann than for Ginger) I would miss him. He did look cute though heading out into the surf...

Before.

After.

Kent hits the waves.

Even though I don't share Ryan's extreme enthusiasm for the water I kept busy during our time in Mexico. Just wait until I tell you about the margarita the size of my head...