Returning back to the hotel, which is only a 75 yard walk from the Dive shop, we skipped lunch and spent the remainder of the afternoon soaking up the sun between dips in the pool. The pool water had the temperature of warm bath water due to the heating effect of the sun.

There was just enough time for a late afternoon siesta before showering and then dressing casually for dinner. The hotels French Verandah restaurant is renowned for it’s excellent food and in order to encourage visiting divers to eat at the hotel the owners have introduced a Diver’s Special menu. For the All Inclusive price of 30 American Dollars the Chef presents you with a choice of two appetisers, entrees and desserts which has been selected from the dishes on the A la carte menu. Also included is a drink of your choice from the bar. For the Diver who wants to keep the costs down this is excellent value for money and with the dishes on the Special changing each night there was no worry about becoming bored with the food. On the very rare occasions that the dishes were not to our liking there was always the full a la Carte menu to choose from. Naturally the main topic of conversation that evening centred round the days diving with extensive discussions about the Critters we had seen.

With the first day of our vacation behind us we all departed early to our rooms in order to get a good nights sleep in preparation for the following day.

So it was that we slipped into a regular pattern of eating breakfast, diving, sunbathing, swimming in the hotel pool, taking a late afternoon siesta, dining and then departing early to bed. It may not appear to be the most exciting routine but it was incredibly satisfying and relaxing.

How was the diving for the remainder of the vacation? Well, a small number of the dive sites were affected during the first week either by the full moon or by the passage of the hurricane. Whichever it was, Bill was always able to find sites with little or no current. Currents are very rare on St Vincent’s dive sites, so this was rather unusual to say the least. As an underwater photographer I am always grateful when there is no current as it is much more difficult to focus on macro subjects when you are being moved around constantly. By the start of the second week the current had all but gone and we were able to access all of the sites.

Rather than bore you with an extensive list of the marine life that we saw I suggest that you check out my photo gallery and see for yourself. However, here are just a few of the more interesting moments or sightings.

Joyces Nursery and Chandlers
These are our favourite sites on St Vincent. They are classified as Muck Dives as the bottom is composed of a 10 to 12 inch layer of silty mud. Apart from an area, which is partly covered in Manatee grass, the site is barren. The two sites are definitely not for the novice diver who is still struggling with their buoyancy control. One wayward fin kick is enough to reduce the visibility to next to nothing and will ruin the dive. You may well ask what the appeal is. For one thing, you can almost guarantee that you will see at least one Long Arm Octopus, this, that. Blennys and Nudibranchs and Slugs are top of my favourites list, so when DJ (our Divemaster) found a Nudibranch and Marti spotted a Slug both of which I had never seen before, I was like a kid in a candy store. Back on the boat we identified them as a Mysterious Headshield Slug (see photo) which is only occasionally found in the Caribbean and a Fringe-back Nudibranch (see photo) which is uncommon. Both were great finds.

At the same sites later in the week not only did we find a small group of stunningly beautiful small orange fish about 2 inches in length but 9 different Pipefish, all of which are also unidentified and were not on the ReefNet CD. Again these have all been sent off for identification and possible inclusion in the next version of the CD.

Hans Reef
Hans Reef has always been known as the place to find Seahorses and this dive was no exception as on this occasion we found three. Seahorses are very camera shy and have an annoying habit of moving around to the other side of whatever they are attached to whenever you attempt to photograph. Luckily for me they seemed to be more co-operative than usual enabling me to get some decent shots.

The highlight of the dive was finding a Yellowthroat Pikeblenny that was conveniently poking his head out of a tube worm casing. I Inserted a piece of 6 x 4 inch mirrored stainless steel into the sand in front of the Blenny’s tube. I had brought the mirror with me for just such an occasion. We all gathered around and soon the fun began. After initially disappearing back into his home when I inserted the mirror it was not long before the Blennys head reappeared. At first the Blenny just looked at the intruder that he could see in the mirror but then he slowly emerged and raised his dorsal fin in an effort to scare off the intruder. When this warning did not appear to be having the desired effect, he opened his mouth wide and attacked the interloper. This territorial display is amazing to witness and because the Blennys attention was diverted from me I was able to capture a number of good images. Before the Blenny could become too agitated by the intruder I removed the mirror and the Blenny then returned happy and triumphant back into his tube having chased off the bigger Blenny.

There are many fish that I have struggled to get a decent shot of. Of these, the Green Razorfish has always proved very difficult with it’s tendency to dive into the sand when it feels threatened. In the past that has always happened when I have come within 3 to 4 feet of one. As film and air were both on the plus side I thought I would give it another go. This particular specimen was hovering by a small rope sponge and as a result it’s view of me may have been hindered thereby allowing me to creep in much closer than normal. I pressed the shutter when I was within a couple of feet and got a shot in the can. The fish still seemed unconcerned and allowed me to take yet another shot before finally deciding that there was something unusual about the bright flashing light and disappeared into the sand. Was the shot any good? The image is in the photo gallery, so judge for yourself  

The following images were all taken with a Subal housed Nikon F90x camera with 105mm F2.8D lens and AF/MF 105mm flat port. The strobe used was the Subtronic Alpha Pro Macro on an Ultralight arm.

Just one of the many beautifully coloured Porcelain Crabs found under a Sea Fan

Fringe Back Nudibranch found by DJ the Divemaster

The Mysterious Headshield Slug found by Marti (alias Sherlock Holmes)

The Yellowthroat Pikeblenny and his strange attacker!!!!

Dive trip to St Vincent & the Grenadines, Mariners Hotel - September 2004 (Part Three)