Friday fever and festivities.

I woke to a splashing kerfuffle right outside the side hatch of my tiny coffin berth. It sounded like a struggle. At first I wondered if skipper Romesie was futzing with the anchor. No. I heard no breathing, and certainly no swearing. I started recording video on my phone and stuck my hand out the small opening to extend my view. A boiling roiling mayhem. A showdown. A bait ball. Right beneath our boat. Bait ball is a term to describe a dense example of the marine food chain in action. Small fish school. Larger fish come in and prey on them. Sometimes even larger fish can come prey on them. When it happens at the surface of the water, sea birds get involved. It’s a free for all and this morning it happened right beneath us and woke at least Margon and I up. I didn’t mind. If I was at home it would be two cats waking me and they wouldn’t wait for the sun.

The action was visible from nearly everywhere on the boat. Questions were asked, videos were made. How many people can claim to have been near such a thing? The melee died down and we focused on breakfast.

Miriam and Alina blinged my buoy on account of this being my 75th SwimVacation. I’m being spoiled.

We jumped in for our morning swim at Anse Lazio. We planned to just put our heads down and have a real swimmie swim. Let’s not stop for anything, we said. Let’s just crank out a mile or so, we said.

Seychelles had other plans, as it often does. 

First, yes, the sea lice were zapping in earnest. Not fun. We powered through across most of the bay and got nearly to the rocks before we stopped to compare notes. Hey ummm, how’s everyone feeling? You getting zapped? Should we stay or should we go? No one wanted to get out. Ok let’s keep swimming and not stop for anything.

Suddenly Simon is screaming at me. 

HEATHER!!! 

WHAT?! I screamed back.

He had 12 spotted eagle rays beneath him, and they were headed my way. Spotted eagle rays are my favorite animal in the sea. Ok on all of Earth. I literally squeal like a child when I see one. One. But 12??? I’ve never. I’ve seen three together once, two more than a few times. But 12?? I just now looked up what you call a group of spotted eagle rays. It’s called a fever. I’ll say. I was delirious. In graceful formation they came. I dove down as quietly and unassumingly as I could. First dive, they scattered then regrouped. Second, third and fourth (fifth? Sixth? I couldn’t stop!) dives, they seemed to get that hey, I mean no harm. Just your biggest fan here, rays, tryna get a little souvenir video. I held my breath for I don’t know how long, trying to get some footage. Oh who are we kidding - trying to become one of them. I succeeded at one, failed at the other. If only I could get my gill mod unlocked. Someday. The encounter was utterly thrilling, regardless.

Well that was exciting and that excitement completely distracted us from feeling the zaps. Looking feverishly for our next distraction, we swam to the gorgeous little beach that looks like a movie set. I know, I know we said we wouldn’t stop but that’s already blown so let’s explore the beach. Alina and Simon each went a short way up the path marked with an arrow (last time, our whole group just followed the arrow and walked up the path with zero knowledge about what would be up there). Simon insisted there were no spiders in the trees. I know that he is wrong.

Most of us noodled around on the beach where we met a local guy named Edly. Edly told us about how he climbs coconut trees, drops the highest quality coconuts and then slices them open for people to enjoy. Of course having swum there, we had no cash and so we did not get to enjoy any of Edly’s coconuts. We did enjoy his company and stories for a short while however, and he wished us well as we made our way back into the sea.

We swam some more, but stayed inside the rocky zones which seemed to be less licey. We came upon a turtle enjoying a breakfast of algae. He glanced at us but really didn’t seem to mind us watching him munching away. 

Time to turn around meant once more into the breach. Everyone gathered up and put their heads down and we made it to the boat in short order. Thankfully, the lice were not near our boat so we could loll about and stay cool in the water while waiting in line for the fresh water rinse.

Lunch was Lou Lou’s first ever taco meal, but this one had a Seychelles twist. It had cheese and beans and prawns and a limey dressing and I say Lou Lou, add it to the repertoire, it’s a hit.

We’ve fallen into a nice routine of resting in quiet cool places on the boat after lunch. The hours between about 11 and 3 are unbelievably bright, and the UV index has been well over 10 mid day each day. I’d be lying if I said the phrase “white hot hellscape” hasn’t come from my mouth as I’ve walked across our decks at noon. Sheesh. This is science fiction hot. It’s almost impossible to believe I was cold at home a little over a week ago. So our guests nap and I edit photos and we keep the AC on and just stay out of the sun’s way for a few hours.

Romesie and Margon yanked the anchor and we sailed just a short hop off the western shore of Praslin to Cousin Island. Cousin was once a privately owned coconut plantation, but is now considered a “Special Reserve”  by the Seychelles. There have been many projects to restore all natural flora to the island. Its indigenous forest is now home to and has bolstered the populations of several species of endemic Seychelles birds. We knew that walking the shoreline would be off limits, but also knew we could swim along her edges and see what we could see.

Interestingly, I thought the corals right up near the shoreline were not looking so great. Not sure why it seems so different just a few kilometers away from Praslin. I will also report that given our nearly flat sea, the top 6 inches of water were incredibly hot. Like maybe 87 or 88. Just an arm’s length below and it felt cool at maybe 85. The lack of wind has prevented mixing, and so we swim along in these thermoclines which even create heat waves in my eyes. We swam around the sandy corner of the island, and came across a huge expanse of algae. I have a feeling this is an invasive marine plant but can’t be certain. What’s interesting is that the water temps over the green stretches were much cooler than the water over white sandy bottom. This sun is a force and white bounces it back at us. We spent an hour or so swimming Cousin’s shores - turtles and another spotted eagle ray below, frigates and fairy terns above -  before returning to the boat and a midwater school of the curious spadefish we see at our ladder every day. I think they like the shadow of the boat for shade. I think the potential of the scrap bucket is also of interest to them.

We moved back to Anse Lazio for the night where Lou Lou announced:

“There’s a camembert on the bow”

How many jobs have you worked where you get to hear that?! And how is it that even in this unthinkable heat, I still love hot cheese??

Romesie grilled steaks in the absolute beating sun. That’s hot!

While the ladies enjoyed the bow camembert along with some GnTs, I continued to edit and even started writing this blog post. Somehow, on a 52 foot catamaran, everyone managed to set up a little surprise party for me without me knowing it. I noticed that everyone seemed a little extra dolled up and got a little insecure. I noticed people whispering and then I noticed Margon in blingy earrings that I never imagined her wearing but looked pretty none the less. I complimented her and she said simply “Thank you” and scooted away. When I walked out to the cockpit for dinner, EVERYONE was wearing diamond bling bits, lights were hung and the table was set extra special for an occasion. They were celebrating that this is my 75th (diamond) trip and it was too much and so very lovely and appreciated. I cried a little (or a lot?) telling them all just how much they mean to me, just how much this job means to me, how when I get to witness our guests being brave, immersing in water and leaning into corners of themselves they never knew, I feel so honored and lucky to be their guide. They listened to me rattle on with stories from 16 years of trips, and they indulged me as I threw gratitude at my fellow guides and crew, and of course Hopper, who started this whole nutty thing and is the best project partner a girl could ask for. The whole evening was really pretty amazing, as are the other 12 souls on board who planned it and pulled it off.

Thank you, all of you. I really love what I do, and it’s because of you all and the sea that brings us together.

So now I’m in my little coffin berth, tapping away at my laptop in a bit of an afterglow from a lovely evening with people who are brave and kind and make me feel like I’m right where I should be. 

Delirious indeed.

Love,

Heather