A bunch of us in Gainesville signed up for scuba lessons back in the summer of 98. While the rest went on to finish their certification over the next couple of months, I kept putting it off for one reason or another. Finally, with the trip only two months away, I scheduled my pool sessions and planned a weekend in Key Largo to do the check-out dives. I figured might as well get some experience in the ocean since the trip involved up to six dives in open water.

I asked Trav, an old friend from high school, to see if he was interested and as it turned out he hadn't been diving in quite some time so he was up for it. We planned the dives for the weekend of May 22 and I set up an appointment with Conch Republic Divers in Tavernier. Things went pretty well during the dives except I was not able to equalize for the deeper dive (50-60 ft). So I got my certification by doing 5 20-25 ft. dives near coral reefs. That same weekend I picked up a shorty wetsuit but decided against buying a BC and regulator until later because I was running short on funds.

The week before the trip money started to find its way out of my wallet like I couldn't even tell you. First, there were the main necessities such as drinks, snacks, lotion, air mattresses (for laying on the deck), flip-flops, hats, film, etc. - we each spent between $50-$100 on all this stuff. Then I figured a zoom lens would complement my current setup, so there went another $250. I also needed a dive watch but, after researching models and cost, decided against the fancy stuff with pressure gauges, etc. Instead I found a Casio G-Shock with temperature logging and stopwatch. This watch can log up to 30 temperature changes in intervals varying from 1 minute to 3 hours and displays the last five or six on a little column graph which looks really cool. This is, of course, a completely useless feature except for those times when you show your technically-inclined friends. Anyways, there went another $75.

The last things I needed were a BC and regulator which I borrowed from my friend Chuck. Trav also agreed to lend me his tank (Wayne had suggested we each bring three or four with the possibility of stopping in Chub to refill on Tuesday and offered some for rent for $20 each - not bad for a whole week). Still, Linda had a friend who let her borrow seven tanks, and she had told Laurel she would only use a couple giving Laurel and I three each.

Images

• Playing with Cleo while we're getting ready. (59K)
• The view from Billy's apartment. (44K)
• Laurel poses in the balcony. (52K)
• The usual awful shot of myself. (42K)
• Laurel admires the view. (47K)
• Laurel and Billy. (44 K)
• Relaxing after loading the boat. (59K)
• Downtown Miami a few hours before we leave. (49K)

The last item I needed was something to keep a log of the trip. This was taken care of with my friend Mike's Palm Pilot which had been collecting dust at the office for quite some time. Laurel then got our friend Ryan to watch her dobie, Cleo, for the week and, with that, we were set to go. She had also arranged for us to stay Friday night at her cousin Bill's in North Miami Beach.

On the 4th, we departed Gainesville around 3 pm, picked up Trav's on the way and made it to Billy's place a little after 9. His place was nothing short of amazing - ocean view, right off Collins ave. Bill's partner Marcus arrived about an hour later and we made plans to go out to a nearby italian restaurant. However, it turned out to be closed - along with almost every place around there even though it was Friday night before 10pm (go figure) - so we ended up driving a few miles to a Thai / sushi place. Once back at their place, we chatted until around 1am and called it a night.

Saturday morning we really got to appreciate the view. I took a few snapshots and realized I should have picked up a polarizing filter for the zoom lens. Marcus recommended a good place on the way to Laurel's grandparents where we were invited for lunch and would meet up with Linda. Right before we left, Laurel's uncle and aunt, John and Linda from Washington, stopped by and after a few minutes we were on our way.

Laurel's grandparents are a riot. Her grandfather, John, played the trumpet in Miami Beach in the 50's for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. It was very amusing hearing stories of how she can tell when he makes the tiniest mistake while practicing. It was also very amusing realizing that everyone in Laurel's family is either named John, Linda, or Bill. Anyways, her grandparents generously offered to let me keep my car at their place for the week. And so with all our stuff in Linda's car we left for the marina around 5:30 pm.

Once there we loaded our stuff into the boat after helping Wayne and the rest with the food and supplies. Laurel and I were assigned our own cabin and Linda was placed near the bow. Afterwards we started to hang out and mingle with the crowd. The group consisted of Wayne, Marion, and their son Ryan, a sophomore at UF; Greg, an engineer from Raytheon in St. Petersburg, and his son Luke along with Luke's buddy, John; J.B., another Raytheon engineer friend of Greg's; Tina and her son Ryan and daughter Danielle - also from St. Pete.; Margaret, a friend and co-worker of Tina's; Isabel who has organized this kind of trips for nearly twenty years; and Joe, the captain.

After some pizza, a small group went off to pick up some last minute things from a nearby Eckerd's. Around 11 pm, we moved the boat by the fuel pump and Joe briefed everyone on rules and things we should be expecting during the trip. He mentioned there was a thunderstorm warning somewhere in the Caribbean and he suspected it might affect us by Monday night. The entire group was paired up in 1½ hour watch shifts for the crossing and one day of galley duty. With that, we departed Miami a few minutes after midnight. Laurel and I stayed above deck for a bit enjoying the breeze and called it a night before 12:30. The seas didn't feel too rough then but that was sure to change.