by Greg
We have been hanging out with a few guys from two different boats in the marina. For whatever reason boaters typically look out for each-other and these guys are no exception. Tony, AJ and Ryan are hooking us up with everything from fresh fish caught 2 hours ago (the yellow eyed red snapper grilled with a little blackened spice and lemon was marvelous) boating tips on where to explore and best of all a guided tour of some local snorkeling spots. As I am negotiating on the docks to rent a 17′ dingy for $500 so we can get to some shallow areas Ryan comes to the rescue. He overheard the conversation and dropped in to tell me not to rent a boat because he has his own 20′ dingy that goes along with the 82′ sport fish boat he is on.
We pack up the snorkel gear, a cooler and head out to Thunderball Grotto. Famous for the spot in the James Bond movie Thunderball where Sean Connery had an underwater fight scene. Ryan tells us to wait until high tide which means the entrance is underwater so you dive down underneath the rocks and swim for about 40 feet (lungs don’t fail me now) to pop up in a cave with air pockets so we can breathe good old fashion island air. A tad bit scary because from the outside all you see is an island so if you swim too far left or right you can’t pop up into the Grotto. Without question the best snorkeling experience we have ever had, great fish, coral and then exploring in and out of small cave formations where sometimes you dive under to get to a new section while other times you float and maneuver around jagged rocks and corals in S formations to find one area of the Grotto more beautiful than the next. We closed the day on the water with another visit to see the swimming pigs. Linda tells me this needs to be a daily visit and she wants to bring a veterinarian back with us.
Of course, Ryan’s drinks are on the Diamond’s tab tonight. We ate dinner at the local watering hole old school style ~ 7:30PM sharp the dinner bell rings and everyone sits down together and devours a four course meal of conch soup, fresh salad, your choice of ribs or daily catch followed by home-made pecan pie. Mmmmm, mmmmm good. Off to watch the Miami heat game and listen to the locals finish their argument from last night about who is the best NBA player ever; Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or LeBron James.