Ben Oostdam's |
 page 60 |
Hawaii I I I - oh! Maui, La Perouse Bay March, 1963 |
March 16: we pick up Eva who is blessed with bo- as well as di -vine features. Come and think of it, the ancient Greeks had 2 epitheta ornans for ladies eyes: "glaukopis" or owl-eyed, and "boiopis" or cow-eyed.
We had been invited to go diving with the USCGS crew, who were astounded when Eva undressed and dived in without a stitch. That evening, one of them came over to visit us and drank too much. He was a mid-West farmboy and told us exciting tales about their experiences with various animals, including a sad story about the jealousy his brother displayed when his cow was unfaithful, and the embarrasment when a sew backed up on him, etc. We were spell-bound and when he asked Eva to take him back to camp late that night, her nursing instincts spurred her to do so; but she was back in a few minutes. "What happened?" "Nothing." "Why?" "If he had not told these stories, I would surely have let him, because he is such a nice guy, but now I felt that he would be comparing me with donkeys and cows and that just turned me off!"
Sunday March 17: more dives from the USCG launch: we teach the guys to use SCUBA gear, and Eva got seasick which dampened excitements all around.
March 18: Ricky takes the BW filled with coral around to Lahaina while I drive the jeep and follow his progress as a dot against the horizon in the jeep, dropping off Eve at the airport and taking our bottles to Lahaina to fill
March 19 and 20: principally deep dives with Rick from Lahaina, including "Stone Wall" dives.
Thursday Mar 21: some intuition takes me to airport even though schedule said Doak Cox only due Friday....when I find him it is a ghost-like experience. We spent all day at La Perouse and snorkel around entire flow just about. He is very interested, helpful and excited. On my date with Rose that evening, I am still exhausted!
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March 22: did some office work and rested, spent afternoon with Anderson diving for mushroom corals (Fungia scutaria). |
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March 23, Saturday: visit with complaints from Tavaris (although most of party people were his friends...), wash fungia in chlorox, go out on CGS launch, teach diving, and set sediment traps at AXE and KLM, rough wet trip back, drive to Wailuku for pump, nope; to Lahaina, Rick, nothing sold yet, 3 maitais in Whale's Tail
March 24: Because of continued trailer problems, Ricky decides to leave his trailer here; he disappears and comes back with a borrowed trailer, on which we load the boat and take it to the Kahului dock for shipping to Honolulu; we fly there and are picked up by his pregnant wife Sandra; after a nice steak dinner, Ricky drops me in the dark at Eve's rented place in Ohua for a stressful reunion with her and the two kids who are happier to see me than she is. (and >< = "conversely)