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Another road trip began on Friday, March 21 as we departed Smithville, Texas heading east. Some long driving days laid ahead as we travel to Florida. Karen has an appointment for her one year post-op hip replacement examination in the Jacksonville, Florida area on Tuesday, March 25. This was the route on Interstate 10 we are taking to Jacksonville, Florida. Friday we spent about six hours driving 333 miles, stopping for fuel and a wonderful meal of crawfish etouffe over angel hair pasta and grilled shrimp before arriving in Lafayette, Louisiana. We parked in the Cracker Barrel restaurant back parking lot for the night. The next morning was Karen's birthday and she enjoyed a relaxing morning. Saturday we drove the 217 miles in about 4 hours to Shepard State Park in Gautier, MS for the night. Shepard State Park has 395 acres abounding with trees and wild flowers, bike and nature trails, 38 developed campsites, restrooms and bathhouses, tent camping and picnicking and an 18-hole disc golf course. The park is nestled in the heart of Singing River (Pascagoula River) country, where legend has it that members of the Pascagoula Indian nation linked hands and walked into the Pascagoula River rather than be taken captive by hostile Indian tribes. The mournful death chant they sang as they walked earned the Pascagoula River the nickname “Singing River”. Tales of the heroic exploits of French and Spanish settlers and romantic legends of the Pascagoula and Biloxi Indians are standard fare in the scenic coastal area surrounding Shepard State Park. Sunday, March 23 we drove 254 miles into the Florida panhandle and about 4 hours later we arrived at the Eastbank Campgound in Bainbridge, GA. Eastbank Campground is located on Lake Seminole on the Georgia-Florida state line and in the eastern time zone. The lake and surrounding area provide a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities for fishing, camping, boating, picnicking, hiking, biking and birding. Eastbank Campground is a beautifully appointed Army Corps of Engineers facility and a definite do over. This water-front campsite is $14 a night with our America the Beautiful Senior Lifetime pass. Monday afternoon we arrived at Blu By U Farms, a Harvest Host site. for two days just outside of Jacksonville, Florida. This will be one of our two base camps while we are in the area for Karen's appointment. The farm, formerly Veterans Farm, was started in 2010 with the Blueberry bushes in 20 gallon containers and wide rows so the Veterans could maintain them easier in their wheelchairs and scooters, etc. Blu By U purchased the farm in August 2015 off of Craigslist. Blu By U farm located at Long Branch Road has a Jacksonville address and is located in Clay County with the post office in Baldwin, FL and the town of Maxville just at the end of the road. Blu By U Farm has 8 acres surrounded by an 8ft tall fence around the perimeter, to keep the deer and other animals out, with the Blueberry field on 3 acres within the 8 acres. The farm has expanded its property lines over the years up to 20.5 acres including a wooded area that they are looking into putting cabins in the woods for campers. The farm also consists of a 1/4 acre pond, two 70ft long greenhouses, 2 deep wells for irrigation and a house/office that was built between 1870 and 1905 which was moved to the location in the 1950’s. Modern conveniences have been added including a kitchen, 2 bathrooms and storage room. ​Blu By U Blueberry Farm opens every year during April and May for about 4 to 5 weeks, so anybody can come and pick their own blueberries. They also sell Blueberry plants in 1 gallon containers and 3 gallon containers, local honey from Apiaries located on the west side of Jacksonville, FL. The bees are brought out to the farm for pollination before the picking season. The farm also sells locally made soy candles and goats milk soap bars provided by Inspired by Light which works with Teen Challenge. I purchased some Blueberry cobbler and jam to enjoy. They also have Blueberry recipe books, other snacks and drinks for sale. The RV sites are spacious, located between rows of newly planted fruit trees. Will, the manager here, told us that they are adding more electricity, water and an eventual dump station to the venue. Monday night was quiet, only interrupted by periodic braying of one of the donkeys on the farm. Tuesday morning we were awakened by the distant sound of one of the property's roosters. This is a very affordable and comfortable place to stay in the Jacksonville area which we will take advantage of again in the future. Billy was very friendly and loved our attention. He followed us around the entire corral enclosure supervising our encounter.

After a busy three weeks in Chester, Texas we returned to our home base at the RVICS Village in Smithville on Friday, February 28. The next day, March 1, we were expecting the arrival of Jeff and Dana Guidi, our longtime friends from Santa Rosa, CA, flying into the Austin International to spend some time with us on a vacation together. Two years ago we traveled to Cozumel, Mexico and had a great time and last summer they joined us in Alaska and rented a RV for two weeks. We decided to do another trip together in March 2025, so we picked them up at the airport and drove back to the Village for a couple of days, showing them around our basecamp and some of the local hangouts. Sunday morning, we took them to the Colorado River Cowboy Church for a uniquely Texas experience. This is where the service ends with a hearty singing of "Happy Trails to you until we meet again" Yee Haw! On Monday, March 3 Jeff helped me install fiberglass insulation in the storage shed on our lot in preparation for the hot summer heat. Got the walls done in about three hours with his help. Now I just need to insulate the ceiling before we leave Texas and the job will be totally completed. Our vacation to the Caribbean officially began in the early morning hours of Tuesday March 4 when we left to drive to Houston Hobby Airport to fly together for a two week relaxing stay in the Turk and Caicos Islands (TCI). The two hour drive started at 2:30 AM so we could make a 6:00 AM flight to Orlando, Florida then after a four hour layover, it was off to Howard Hamilton International Airport (PLS) in Providenciales, TCI. Our first AirBnB in the Long Bay area of Providenciales, TCI during week one. We arrived on the island around 3:00 PM. None of us checked any bags, so we went straight to their customs/immigration line and waited for about 30 minutes. From there we got a rental car and proceeded to our first AirBnB in the Long Bay area of the island. It is nice accommodations for two couples; two bedrooms, one bathroom, gated property with a pool. We would stay here for seven days then move to a different AirBnB for the second week in the Blue Hills area. Before we wrapped up the first day we drove to a local grocery store for some needed provisions. Everything was expensive, but we figured preparing some of our own food and meals in house would be less expensive than eating out all the time. One of the adventures of getting around the island is driving a car with the steering wheel on the right side of the car and driving on the left side of the road. Sapodilla Beach where you can walk out 100 yards and still not have water over your head! Beach time was a high priority for all of us; we made our way to the main resort area and checked out the beaches there first. We looked for some familiar sights from our 2018 dive trip to TCI. Visited Da Conch Shack, Chalk Sound, Sapodilla Beach, Taylor Bay Beach and South Dock. On other days we would go to the north side of the island to Grace Bay. On the beach at the Seven Stars on Grace Bay on the north side of the island. When we were not on the beach we were exploring the island's eateries enjoying Conch Fritters, Grouper Tacos, or a Grouper Reuben at Hemmingway's, Omar's, and SharkBite restaurants to name a few. Another great find was the Turks Head Brewery where we had some awesome brick-oven pizzas and some unique beers with local names like; "I-AIN-GA-LIE" Lager, "I-SOON-REACH" Light Lager, "GON-TA-NORT" Amber Ale, "DOWN-DA-ROAD" IPA and "GON-TA-SOUT" Stout. Week two was spent at Sandy's place, our second AirBnB in the Blue Hills area not far from Da Couch Shack Restaurant and the airport. On Thursday, March 13 we were invited, by our AirBnB host's son DeAngelo to be his guests on a sunset cruise on the catamaran "Lady Grace" . He is a professional musician who works for the Ritz Carlson Resort playing the alto sax solo on their 48 foot reception cruising catamaran every Tuesday and Sunday evenings. We were entertained for an hour and a half, enjoying on-board champagne, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres as DeAngelo played soft jazz. It was a wonderful gift that DeAngelo offered to us at no charge and he even chauffeured us to the harbor in his limousine service. On Friday, March 14 Karen and I booked a day of scuba diving with Dive Provo on one of their three boats. We drove to the same harbor where we met the Turks and Caicos Explorer II back in 2018 and boarded the Provo Challenger for a trip out to West Caicos. We didn't bring our own equipment, so we rented theirs for the day. It was good to get in under the water, but honestly after Raja Ampat, Indonesia in January this year, the diving here was pretty unremarkable. It's been a great two weeks here, relaxing and spending time with our traveling buddies. The weather here has been amazing the entire time we've been on the island with highs in the 70's to mid 80's, relatively mild humidity with a gentle, cooling Caribbean breeze to keep us comfortable. Today, Tuesday, March 18 is our last day here and we have a 4 PM departure flight back to the states. So I'll wrap this post up so I can shower and pack. One last stop for a pizza and beer at the Turks Head Brewery before we return the rental car at the airport. "I-AIN-GA-LIE".

Good Question. After returning from our Indonesia diving trip we've been getting prepared to hit the road again and go to our next RVICS project. After almost three months in Smithville, Texas we started the process of getting the RV ready for the road. Our time in "the village" has been great. Meeting old and new friends, playing games and eating out together has made the connecting process with like minded brothers and sisters in Christ a joy. We will miss the comaraderie but we will be back later in the year and pick up then. Our February project was Camp Takula in Chester, Texas about three and a half hours east of Smithville. We worked this time with two other couples from RVICS from February 10 to February 27. Kerry and Peggy Stover, from Indiana, whom we were on project with in Florida along with Hamp and Marilee Keahey from South Dakota, new workers to the RVICS ministry. Karen and I will be the acting as the liaisons between RVICS and the camp. We are not team leader qualified, but will take on some of those functions coordinating the different on-site projects and completing any paperwork for headquarters. Karen and I arrived on Thursday, February 6, a few days earlier than our team to connect with the camp management and set up our rig prior to the arrival of our team. We met with Rebeka Merwin and got the low down on what they wanted us to do for the next three weeks. The Stovers and Keaheys arrived on Saturday, February 8 and got their RV's set up and settled in before we met to have our first project meeting that night. Our Project - Camp Takula is an independent, rustic camp facility located in the Piney Woods of East Texas. The camp creates opportunities for Christ-centered ministries and other like-minded groups to use their facilities. It is an ideal venue for conferences and retreats for small church communities and home-school families to bring in their own programs and groups. The Merwin family manages the camp facility with the only other staff working during the summer camp season.   The Work - Our team of 6 accomplished much during our time here.  The men attacked five of the main dormitory cabins: removed the old cabin porch decks, stairs and handicap ramps on the structures; measured, cut, assembled the new dimensional lumber materials before nailing and screwing down the new materials. The ladies cleaned and painted the camp’s kitchen cabinets, painted window and door trim in one of the houses, painted the exterior of weathered cabin doors and removed landscaping.  Our team worked together efficiently and enjoyed working together; we accomplished this ambitious agenda despite heavy rain and freezing cold weather conditions, with sometimes warmer days. Devotions and Fellowship - We met together at 8 am each morning for devotions, prayer and singing, attended the local Chester Baptist Church on Wednesday evening for Bible study and Sunday services. We shared meals together after exploring the area’s local attractions and ran shopping errands to the local Walmart. Game nights we enjoyed hearty rounds of Four up/Four down or Five Crowns. Tours - Visited the Heritage Village Museum in Woodville, an 1800s recreated village including a Fried chicken lunch at their Picket House Restaurant. Drove to Lufkin to celebrate Stover’s wedding anniversary and go to the movies. Special Memories - Kerry’s pranks including his homemade wooden puzzles. Hanging with the Merwin family; Rebekah Merwin invited us over to their home for homemade gumbo and fellowship with their family. Some of the RVICS guys did some target shooting with the Merwin boys. Josh Merwin invited us to hunt on their property and Hamp shot a 120 pound wild hog which he butchered at the camp. On the last Tuesday of our project we enjoyed a “pig roast” feast together with the Merwins and our team. We left the camp after three weeks of work with new cabin deck porches, stairs, handicap ramps, painted kitchen cabinets, freshly painted doors and removed landscaping. Mission accomplished so we returned to Smithville to get ready for our next big adventure.

It's been one week since leaving Sorong, Indonesia. Our travels included four hours to Jakarta, five plus hours to Taipei, Taiwan, 10 plus hours to Seattle, Washington. Once we arrived in Washington, after picking up our luggage, we had to clear US Customs and Immigration. Fortunately we were able to take advantage of this time at SeaTac to complete our Global Entry interviews. Mission accomplished...for the next five years, we are classified as "Trusted Travelers" which means we get TSA Pre-check status when traveling and expedited Customs entry back into the country. Because our original Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Austin was changed to the next day, we checked into the Best Western Airport Hotel for the night and got a wonderful full night of sleep before our last flight leg home to Texas. That flight was four hours and, trust me, I was ready to stop traveling. After 24 hours, not including layovers, I was done...physically and mentally. Karen had the misfortune of having to travel with Mr. Pissy back to Texas. She still loves me, thankfully. We were picked up by Ed and Mary Compton from the RVICS village to give us a ride back home. Thank you both for being so available and generous! We arrived in Smithville just in time to join the "village people" at Dairy Queen for dinner. Honestly, the double burger, onion rings and Coke Zero tasted marvelous after two days of airplane food. When we got home we double checked all systems in the RV and prepared for snow that night. Yep, you read that right. The next morning we woke up to an inch of snow. The temperature before sunrise got down to 19ºF, but we didn't have any problems with our water pipes or keeping warm through the night. After unpacking our diving gear and doing laundry, we attempted to get back on a normal sleeping schedule. In the middle of the day I needed a nap because I couldn't stay awake. In the middle of the night I would wake up at 2 or 3 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. When I finally did fall asleep I wouldn't wake up again until 10 or 11 AM. We're both stuggling with getting back to a regular sleep schedule after the 14 hour time zone change. We are counting our blessings; we're safely home from a long journey, tired but in good health, and everything is good back in Texas after two plus weeks away. Best of all, we returned with wonderful memories of great times with friends, old and new, spent in places some can only dream about ever visiting. We're once again in awe of God's creation under the sea. We are blessed to experience the wonder and majesty of His creative imagination and we're privileged to see it with our own eyes up close and personal. WOW!

We returned from our Christmas visit in Denver to prepare for our long awaited scuba diving trip to Indonesia on New Years Eve. We left the kid's home in Thornton, Colorado on Christmas Day after spending the morning watching the grandkids open their presents. We got on the road following breakfast and drove to Amarillo for the night. We had Christmas dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing and green beans at the Iron Skillet restaurant. Certainly not fancy but good old fashioned hearty, comfort food. On Thursday, December 26 we were back on the highway heading south for Smithville with a planned stop in Bastrop to pick up our new Mac laptop computers. Arrived home to the RV around 10PM and retired for the evening. On Friday, December 27 after unloading the truck from one trip, we began the process of preparing to repack our luggage all over again. We needed to get this done over the three remaining days we had to prepare. After unpacking cold weather clothes, doing the laundry and opening mail we systematically started the process of packing clothing for the tropical weather as well as selecting the needed diving gear, drone, underwater camera equipment and our Starlink Mini satellite antenna. All of these needed to be sorted and packed to meet the size and weight restrictions for the multiple airline carriers we would be using. New Year's Eve arrived and we loaded up our neighbor Nancy Harlow's Toyota at 3 PM for the trip to Austin International airport. Nancy graciously offered to drive us from the village so we didn't need to park and pay for airport parking for the twenty days we would be away. She was a real blessing to us for offering. We arrived early at the airport expecting delays checking in at the ticket counter with luggage and the TSA line. Neither was an issue. We got to our boarding gate two and a half hours early for our first flight leg to Seattle departing at 7:08 PM. This was a 4 hour 45 minute flight that turned out to be full and included some crying and unrulely children in front and behind us in our section of the plane. Fortunately I was prepared with industrial quality ear plugs for just such an occasion; a real lifesaver for me but I felt bad for the other passengers around me. The next leg of the journey was a 13 hour flight departing at 12:10 AM New Years Day. Our flight was on EVA airlines to Taipei, Taiwan. We had flown on EVA to the Phillipines in the past and knew we would have a good experience. Karen and I had an empty middle seat on this long flight with leg room, a nice reclining seat, pillows, blankets and even an complimentary eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste. We ordered specialty meals for this flight. Karen had a vegetarian entree and I choose the seafood entree. The flight was uneventful. Long flights like this are always challenging requiring getting up often to use the facilities and stretching. The service was wonderful and made this long journey relaxing. We arrived in Taipei after losing a day crossing the International Date Line on January 2 at 5:20 AM. We both were able to get some sleep on the flight but not the best kind of solid sleep our bodies needed. Our layover was 3 hours and 40 minutes, so we stretched our legs and looked for a comfortable place to hang out. We charged our devices and used the airport wi-fi to catch up on messages from our fellow travelers enroute. I discovered a unique Taiwanese wheel cake pastry in the airport, a small stuffed pancake. The batter is poured into a hollow cast iron pan whose hollows form relatively thick “wheels" with a different variety of fillings. Mine were filled with sesame custard and peanut butter; delicious! I was fascinated to find an amazing LEGO store in the airport with model kits of cars and art pieces like the Mona Lisa and Starry, Starry Night. Our next departure was delayed almost an hour. At 9;45 AM we departed Taipei for the 5 hour and 20 minute flight to Jakarta, Indonesia.on our third leg of the trip on EVA airlines. Once we arrived in Jakarta we had to get our Visa, clear Customs and pick up our luggage. We had arranged to stay at the local Fairfield by Marriotts before our final flight to Sorong. Our original layover was about 11 hours, but was shortened by our later arrival to Jakarta, but we still took advantage of a hot shower and got horizontal for a four hour nap. At 8;45 PM we met Bill and Mathias, two of our group who arrived from Singapore in the lobby of the hotel. We took the airport shuttle back to the terminal and checked in to Garudia Airlines for the final leg of the journey by air. We visited the local ATM to get some local currency; the Indonesian rupiah. $100 US is 1,617,035.62 IDR. We ended up getting 7,500,00.00 IDR for the first week of our trip (about $463 US dollars). With the largest denomination being 100,000 rupiah, we have a wad of cash in our wallets. The flight was at 12:10 AM on January 3rd and would take another 4 hours to travel west to Sorong, Indonesia arriving at 6:15 AM. The total flying time amounted to 27 hours not including the layovers! But at last we arrived. Kind of...just more different traveling to do. This time by a ferry boat to Waisai on the island of Waigeo to the PapuArts AlterNative Resort. We boarded the ferry at 9 AM, departed the dock at 9:20 and took three hours to get to the island that will be our home for the next 6 days. This resort is rustic, includes 3 fresh, delicious meals a day and is in a beautiful setting with amazing snorkeling right off the pier! Drone views of PapuArts, our home in Raja Ampat before the dive live aboard trip. Karen sweeping sand off our front porch and our beach front view.

As our time on board was drawing to a close, we began cruising south. We would continue diving everyday, up to the last day, seeing and experiencing the most of what makes Raja Ampat such a mecca for serious scuba divers from around the world. Exploring the reef structures revealed more surprises in the coral shapes and textures. Fish and shell-less marine life varied from the sublime to the ornate. An amazing display of our Creator's imagination was present in every underwater setting. Jorunna funebris, commonly called the dotted or "Oreo" nudibranch, is a species of sea slug. It is a dorid nudibranch, which is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Discodorididae, which feed on a variety of sponges. The robust ghost pipefish ( Solenostomus cyanopterus ), also known as the blue-finned ghost pipefish , Racek's ghost pipefish , robust-snouted ghost pipefish, or the squaretail ghost-pipefish , is a species of false pipefish belonging to the family Solenostomidae . Its appearance can vary greatly due to its ability to change colors over several hours, but the general body shape and fin shapes allow it to mimic a piece of seagrass. Our last night aboard, before heading back into port, was spent up on the sun deck. The ship's captain and members of the crew serenaded us with local music as we enjoyed an amazing buffet dinner, prepared by the onboard chef, that we enjoyed under the evening canopy. Some of our group's bolder members even climbed up the ratlines of the mast aloft for a more dramatic view below. Captain Arisman on guitar and Boat Engineer and lead vocal Saldi, provided the tunes. Chef Burhan and Chef's Helper Kipli put on an extensive spread and variety of delicious foods to enjoy during our outdoor buffet. Saturday January 18 morning eventually arrived and we got in two final morning dives before the three to four hour trip across the channel back to Sorong. The crew washed all our dive gear down with fresh water and hung up everything to dry for us. We used the travel time to re-pack our clothing, take one more short nap or hang out together and re-live the week. Once we dropped anchor in the Sorong harbor, the return to the marina commenced in earnest. A final farewell cheer was rendered by the crew and we returned the gesture from the dinghies as we motored away. One last look the lovely lady, Jelajahi Laut , a beautiful Phinisi-style boat constructed in 2021. For centuries, the Phinisi  yachts, also called Sulawesi Schooners, have been cruising throughout the Indonesian archipelago. The Phinisi reflects a rich maritime heritage that has been an integral part of Indonesia’s culture and history. Phinisis are made from tropical ironwood and teak. Their design includes a distinctive curved stern and bow. Phinisis are highly valued for their aesthetic qualities. The boats are often adorned with intricate carvings and brightly painted motifs, which reflect the individual style and personality of the owner. We arrived at the dock and waited for our luggage to come from the boat. While waiting, we met the four drivers who would take us to the Aston Hotel for our remaining days before flying home. One last look from the dock shows the numerous vessels tied up in this busy harbor.

Sunrise in the North Papua islands This is a 360º aerial drone view of the good ship Jelajahi Laut at anchor on the morning of day three. Mikumba Diving really came through for us as we escaped to a whole new world and experienced the best of Indonesia underwater as we traveled on board the Boat Jelajahi Laut. After only two days we all were amazed at the service and quality of the crew. The diving conditions regarding the visibility could have been better but that is out of anyone's control. On the count of three it is over the side and into the deep for at least three dives per day! Here are some additional photography highlights from our diving adventures during the week: Pygmy Seahorse Some of the smallest creatures in this aquatic world have amazing camouflage abilities. Hidden in this coral structure called Muricella, our dive guide pointed out a solitary Pygmy Seahorse. This is a Bargibant’s pygmy (Hippocampus bargibanti). This species only lives in and around Muricella gorgonian fans. The seahorse is are covered in tiny bumps that mimic the gorgonian’s polyps, which is actually how they were accidentally discovered by researcher Georges Bargibant around 1970. One of the many challenges of underwater photography is positioning yourself at the proper distance to focus and light the subject with a correct exposure while holding still in the current or surge to capture your subject. Using my Olympus TG4 camera's microscope mode and Sea & Sea electronic underwater strobe system, I captured this image. I found this in my researching Wikipedia, "One of the most incredible things about pygmy seahorses is their mating and parenting behavior. Firstly, they are thought to be monogamous, and it is actually the males that carry the eggs which are transferred from the female during mating. The eggs are fertilized in a pouch on the underside of his belly that can carry around 10-20 eggs at a time. The gestation period is about 2 weeks, after which the minute babies hatch out of his pouch. There aren’t many super dads like this in nature!" Pygmy seahorses thrive in Raja Ampat thanks to the plentiful food and pristine habitats. It takes sharp eyes and determination to see them but it’s incredible when you do! Finding Nemo The Clownfish was made known to many by the popular animated movie with the same name. These brightly colored Anemonefish are just one of a number of species we observed diving in Raja Ampat. Nemo didn't like me hanging around to close to his home. The darting around movement in and out of the Anemone makes getting a good image of the fish a challenge. Again from Wikipedia: "Anemonefish and sea anemones have a symbiotic, mutualistic relationship, each providing many benefits to the other. The individual species are generally highly host specific. The sea anemone protects the anemonefish from predators, as well as providing food through the scraps left from the anemone's meals and occasional dead anemone tentacles, and functions as a safe nest site. In return, the anemonefish defends the anemone from its predators and parasites. The anemone also picks up nutrients from the anemonefish's excrement. The nitrogen excreted from anemonefish increases the number of algae incorporated into the tissue of their hosts, which aids the anemone in tissue growth and regeneration The activity of the anemonefish results in greater water circulation around the sea anemone and it has been suggested that their bright coloring might lure small fish to the anemone, which then catches them. Studies on anemonefish have found that they alter the flow of water around sea anemone tentacles by certain behaviors and movements such as "wedging" and "switching". Aeration of the host anemone tentacles allows for benefits to the metabolism of both partners, mainly by increasing anemone body size and both anemonefish and anemone respiration." The Wobbegong Wobbegongs are bottom-dwelling sharks, spending much of their time resting on the sea floor. Most species have a maximum length of about 4 feet, but two of the largest, the Spotted Wobbegong (Orectolobus Maculatus) and Banded Wobbegong (Orectolobus Halei), can reach about 9 feet in length. The word Wobbegong is believed to come from an Australian Aboriginal language, meaning "shaggy beard", referring to the growths around the mouth of the shark of the western Pacific. Do you see me??? From Wikipedia, "Wobbegongs are well camouflaged with a symmetrical pattern of bold markings which resembles a carpet. Because of this striking pattern, wobbegongs and their close relatives are often referred to as carpet sharks. The camouflage is improved by the presence of small weed-like whisker lobes surrounding the wobbegong's jaw, which help to camouflage it and act as sensory barbs. Wobbegongs make use of their camouflage to hide among rocks and catch smaller fish which swim too close, typical of ambush predators. Wobbegongs also have a powerful jaw with needle-like teeth that assist in catching reef fish and other sharks for food." Wobbegongs are generally not considered dangerous to humans, but have attacked swimmers, snorkelers, and scuba divers who inadvertently come close to them. We respectfully kept our distance during diving encounters. In the eight days and seven nights we were on board we had a wonderful time doing what we all love to do under the sea. By the end of our trip, some in our group including Karen, visited and dove 23 different dive sites, took a hike to a picturesque island top for scenic views, floated down a spring-fed blue river and took an easy hike to a beautiful waterfall and lagoon. I completed all but one night dive, a total of 22 dives on this trip,and skipped the hikes but instead flew my DJI Mini 2 drone to capture some aerial views of where we visited. A close up view of a non-native species in Indonesian waters; this image of the white-whiskered Johnigong was captured during our diving excursions!

Our diving sites on day two would include Eagle Rock, just south of the equator, Black Rock and Figure Eight located just north of the Equator. Site#3 EAGLE ROCKS (Batu Elang) Location: 3 small islets S of Kawe Island GPS: S 00 08.219 E 130 07.416 (general location of 3 rocks) Photography: Wide angle and macro Dive Site Overview: During our dive briefing we were provided with, for first time in my diving experience, a reef hook and instructions for it's use. There are several dive sites around the Eagle Rock complex with strong currents and in the event that the currents were too strong to swim against we would be prepared and equipped. On this dive we would practice deploying our reef hooks and their recovery. We got in the water at 0727 and dove this site for 48 minutes with a maximum depth of 68 feet. The water tmperature was 84ºF and as it turned out, the current this day was manageable which helped us in doing the deployment and recovery of a reef hook in a controlled manner. While exploring this site we observed an abundance of soft and hard corals. When lit up with a light the colors were amazing! Suzy Wheat referred to one of them as "Aorta coral" due to it unique shape similar to an aorta, although I doubt a human aorta is purple and yellow in color. The variety of shapes, textures and sizes of the coral made for a wonderful visual experience as we looked for other creatures hidden in this aquatic world. Our guide found us a Leaf Scorpionfish on this dive. According to Wikipedia, "Taenianotus triacanthus is about 10 cm (3.9 in) long fully grown. Their color varies from green, red, pink, brown, ocher and yellowish to a ghostly white. The fish is almost as flat as a leaf and resembles a leaf in many other ways. The head and mouth are large. Through their eyes is a dark line. The large dorsal fin starts just behind the eyes and has 12 spines and eight to 11 soft rays. The anal fin has three spines and five or six soft rays. The venom of the leaf scorpionfish is considerably weaker than that of the lionfish and stonefish. The skin often has blotches that enhance a camouflage effect. This fish has appendages around the mouth, and sometimes real algae and hydroids grow on its skin". After our dive ended we were picked up by one of the two tender dinghies and we returned back to the dive boat for breakfast. During breakfast, the boat traveled to the next dive site and crossed the equator. It is a longstanding maritime tradition to initiate sailors who are crossing the equator for the first time. Those who have not yet crossed are known as “pollywogs.” After crossing the equator they become “shellbacks,” or trusted subjects of Neptune, the Roman god of water. Although there was no offical ceremony, Karen and I are now officially "Shellbacks"! Site#4 BLACK ROCK Location: W of Kawe Island GPS: N 00 01.300 E 130 08.450 Photography: Wide angle and macro Dive Site Overview: Described as an extensive and often very fishy site worth multiple dives. Begin at S-point, swim along sloping plateau, reef right (W-side of rocks) to N-point where the slope ends and Tubastrea-clad pinnacles begin. Look for mantas in the blue. We geared back up and re-entered the water at 1038 and dove this site for 57 minutes with a maximum depth of 71 feet. The water tmperature was now 86ºF and this is where we encountered our first reef manta rays. Manta rays are truly amazing creatures to behold. They are, in my opinion, the angels of the ocean. They move effortessly though the water and exhibit poetic movements. It's a ballet performed by these curious but shy giants of the deep. Every encounter I have ever had always leaves me in awe and wonder of their beauty and grace. We were fortunate enough to be visited by not one but two of these animals. They usually will only swim by a few times before leaving but these two individuals seemed very curious and just continued to circle us. I even think the first one waved to me in the second video. What do you think? The word “manta” means “blanket” or “cloak” in Spanish, and it’s quite accurately descriptive of these large, flat, diamond-shaped cold-blooded fish with eyes on the sides of their heads. Ending our second dive of the morning at 1135 we were once again recovered by one of the two tender dinghies and we returned back to the dive boat for lunch before our last dive of the day that afternoon. Site#5 FIGURE EIGHT ROCK Location: W Wayag GPS: N 00 10.379 E 130 00.373 Photography: Wide and Macro Dive Site Overview: Although connected underwater, from the surface this site appears to be two separate islands. It can be dived on a single tank by a non-photographer, but could easily be dived as two distinct sites by photographers or divers willing to spend more time looking for critters. We once again geared back up, re-entered the water this time at 1439 (2:39 PM) and dove this site for 50 minutes with a maximum depth of 80 feet. With the water temperature now 84ºF my 0.5 mm diving skin was more enough to keep me warm on these repetitive dives. This venue was known for the really small creatures known as Nudibranchs. Nudibranchs are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs that shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colors and striking forms, and they have been given colorful nicknames to match, such as "clown", "marigold", "splendid", "dancer", "dragon", and "sea rabbit". Currently, about 3,000 valid species of nudibranchs are known. This last dive of the day ended at 1529 (3:29 PM) and after returning to the boat to shower and get a snack we prepared to visit a special place in Palau Wayag. An hour later we were back on the dinghies for the 30 minute boat ride to Shark Beach. Shark Beach is where you can swim or snorkel with baby sharks. I'm not kidding!. I thought about it but wanted to get some drone video and couldn't do both. I got to dive with Bull Sharks in Fiji last year, so I flew the drone and Karen swam with the baby sharks. Everyone returned with all their fingers and toes. This is where we spent the second day of our live aboard dive trip. A long, wonderful day of diving ended with an amazing dinner on board the Jelajahi Laut with much more to come.

We arrived at our first diving location in the late afternoon on Friday, January 1oth for an easy checkout dive with the diving staff aboard. This is standard operating procedure for most diving operators to evaluate the divers abilities with their gear and their diving techniques like air management and bouyancy control in the water. This is especially critical given the potentially challenging conditions we might encounter. Raja Ampat is known for strong current conditions at many of the dive sites, so strong swimming skills, good operating scuba equipment and the ability to stay calm in these diving conditions is critical to the safety of all divers. This was important because we had some relatively new scuba divers with us on this trip and we wanted them safe but we also wanted to be careful with the reef structures to do no harm or damage due to bad bouyancy control or fins position near the coral formations. Dive site#1 was called Saonek Kecil. The Saonek Kecil Island is a location close to the Waisai Harbour. I normally dive wearing a 0.5 mm wetsuit (or skin) in warm water (82º F to 86º F) using about 12 to 16 pounds of weight depending on the salinity of the water and whether the air tank is aluminum or steel. In this part of the world they use kilograms not pounds so some thinking had to go into determining the appropriate weight for diving in Raja Ampat. I started with 8 Kg or 17.6 pounds which I thought initially was too much. Later I adjusted to 6 Kg or 13.2 pounds which worked out better for my bouyancy control. With weight and wetsuit thickness dialed in after the first dive, we got back on board. Our second dive site was offshore the Sapokren Village near our PapuArts stay location. This was our first night dive on the trip and everyone was excited about seeing the underwater nightlife. This would be the first time using my new iPhone DiveVolk underwater housing with a Sealife 2500 lumen flood light. Karen was lovingly picked up by William and Maddie Severi while getting geared up for our dive. This was a good sign of the fun times ahead for our group as the joking and banter continued on the dive deck. With our torches (dive lights) attached and chemical glow sticks secured to our tanks we boarded the dinghies for a back flip entry into the abyss. The site did not disappoint us as we encountered a seahorse almost immediately as well as multiple cuttlefish during the dive. Raja Ampat is known for its Pygmy Seahorse but we encountered a more common seahorse on this dive. The Cuttlefish we encountered were on the smaller side but still quite colorful. Our last encounter was with a Leaf Scorpion Fish found by our guide Sahril. This diving location is referred to as a "Muck Dive" because of the sandy or muddy bottom contour. This was not the prettiest dive site but it was teaming with all kinds of creatures that generally only come out at night. We all returned safely to the speedboats and were ferried back to Jelajahi Laut to secure our diving equipment. Our next destination on day two would be enroute to the northern most Raja Ampat Islands. EAGLE ROCKS (Batu Elang) Location:  3 small islets south of Kawe Island GPS: S 00 08.219 E 130 07.416 (general location of 3 rocks) Photography: Wide angle and macro Dive Site#3 Preview: There are several dive sites around the Eagle Rock complex. Eagle Rock is also home to the largest population of manta rays that can be found in the northern part of Raja Ampat. Stay tuned for more scuba diving stories!

We returned to Sorong from PapuArts in Waisai, Waigeo Island on Thursday, January 9th to spend one night at the Aston Hotel before we boarded our dive boat. The hotel was very nicely appointed and included an extensive breakfast buffet with our room rate, We paid $1,572,000.00 Rupiah for the one night stay (the equivalent of $97 in US dollars). Friday morning, January 10 we were picked up at our hotel by Mikumba Diving and driven to our rallying point at the dock to meet the cruise directors, Eric and Cami from our dive boat, the Jelajahi Laut , which translates to "Explorer of the Sea". We shuttled our group from the dock to the vessel and were warmly greeted by the crew on board. Eric did his initial welcome briefing with us above the dive deck while the crew brought our gear aboard. This area would prove to be a favorite place to relax between our dives because of its shade protection from the sun and comfortable sea breeze. The boat can accommodate up to 12 guests total. We were fortunate to book the entire boat for this week with our group. A more comprehensive briefing took place in the main salon to cover safety issues and finished with a tour of our new home for the next week. Eric (standing) and Cami (seated to the right) were our cruise directors for this adventure on board Jelajahi Laut. This is the Sun Deck where the life rafts were stored and where I would place my Starlink antenna above our cabin during our stay on board. We had one of the two deluxe cabins with large picture windows off the port side and a private bathroom. This is our view outside our stern view balcony. The two boats in tow are our dive dinghies used to take us to and from our diving sites during the week. The dive deck is expansive with plenty of room for two tanks per diver with wet storage underneath each dive station. Oversized tanks (15 L) were available along with extra equipment and Nitrox. During our briefings the crew moved our luggage to our cabins then we removed our diving equipment to be rigged up on our assigned diving stations on the dive deck. Karen and I were assigned the "Turtle" cabin for stay on board. We were two decks above the dive deck on port side of the vessel's stern. Following the briefings and tour we enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the dining salon then relaxed enroute to the first dive site for our afternoon "checkout dive". Life aboard the  Jelajahi Laut is looking exceptional. Now, would the diving meet our expectations? Time would tell us soon enough.

According to Wikipedia, Raja Ampat, or the Four Kings, is an archipelago located off of the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula (on the island of New Guinea), Southwest Papua province, Indonesia. It comprises over 1,500 small islands, cays, and shoals around the four main islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta, and Waigeo, and the smaller island of Kofiau. The Raja Ampat archipelago straddles the equator and forms part of the Coral Triangle, an area of Southeast Asian seas containing the richest marine biodiversity on earth. The Coral Triangle itself is an approximate area west-southwest of the Philippines, east-northeast and southeast of the island of Borneo, and north, east and west of the island of New Guinea, including the seas in between. Thousands of species of marine organisms, from the tiniest cleaner shrimp and camouflaged pygmy seahorses to the majestic cetaceans and whale sharks, thrive in these waters. The high marine diversity in Raja Ampat is strongly influenced by its position between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as coral and fish larvae are more easily shared between the two oceans. Raja Ampat's coral diversity, resilience, and role as a source for larval dispersal make it a global priority for marine protection. Its location results in it being a biogeographic crossroads between Indonesia, Micronesia and the Arafura Sea. According to Conservation International, marine surveys suggest that the marine life diversity in the Raja Ampat area is the highest recorded on Earth. Diversity is considerably greater than any other area sampled in the Coral Triangle composed of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and East Timor. The Coral Triangle is the heart of the world's coral reef biodiversity, making Raja Ampat quite possibly the richest coral reef ecosystem in the world. The oceanic natural resources around Raja Ampat give the area significant potential as a tourist area, drawing divers, researchers and others with an interest in the marine life there. This is why Raja Ampat is perhaps considered the crown jewel of scuba diving venues in the international diving community, and the reason we decided to journey here. The remoteness of the location obviously requires a serious travel commitment of time and treasure, but we expect we won't be disappointed.

PapuArts Alter-Native Stay is a traditionally built home stay / dive lodge but with a modern touch. Located in Raja Ampat, West Papua, also named Last Paradise on Earth, a true heaven for Nature Lovers, above as well as below the water. They offer the choice between 3 different Papuan room types. We chose the ocean view room looking out at the four ocean view rooms over the water on the dock. They advertise and offer an eco/sustainable place to stay in the middle of world's biggest marine biodiversity and equatorial jungle. We were attracted to the PapuArts Alter Native Stay as a transitional venue after a long traveling segment. After resting up, it offered all kind of options around the island of Waigeo and beyond. After getting our energy back we enjoyed snorkeling out to the nearby reef and relaxing in the hammock outside our hut. I set up my Starlink antenna and have access to the internet for communication, research and entertainment. Our accommodations include a small loft with another bed and sitting area, a private bathroom and a queen size bed with mosquito netting. We are living a more rustic lifestyle of Raja Ampat camping without locking doors, open windows and no air conditioning. We are enjoying three wonderful, home cooked meals a day prepared and served by the lodge staff. The biggest challenges involve mitigating the mosquitoes and humidity, but frankly these are minor issues. We've made new friends staying at the PapuArts during our visit here. We met Conner from Ireland on the ferry ride over. Rohan and Sarah from Scotland were at the lodge when we arrived. Later we met Elias and Paul, two cousins traveling together from Austria and Christopher AKA Tique from Sweden who arrived on our third day. Two members of the Raja Ampat Rascals are staying here as well, Keely Martin and Suzy Wheat decided to hang out here for a few days too before going to the liveaboard. In addition to snorkeling around the facility, as a group we have explored the local village and took a day-long trip to the "Blue River" site across the island. Most of the time is spent relaxing as well as sharing stories and experiences with fellow like-minded travelers and scuba divers. Elias doing a back flip into the "Blue River" Another beautiful sunset at PapuArts Alter-Native Stay