After waiting to find out how to set up a liveaboard adventure for my 96-hour liberty, MWR managed to save the day and offered a tour with Dolphin Excursions. I was happy to not have to plan anything and I eagerly waited for sign-ups to open. Finally, I made the reservations just a few weeks before taking off. It was well timed, but not perfect. After the tour, I will still have slightly over two months left and having about one month would be better. So here is how the adventure goes.
Day 1 – 3/26/12
We started off boarding the M/Y Deli, an 85 foot wooden schooner with sails removed and a compressor set up on the deck. Not the best setup for diving, but when coupled with a pair of dinghies, it sets it up for a great mother ship liveaboard. The group anxiously awaited casting off and setting sail (or setting diesel power), and checked to ensure all equipment was on hand. Quarters were assigned, the broken toilet was ‘fixed’, and we set sail. For the next three and a half days it I would share the Deli with the crew of 5, Dapper Dan (Dolphin Excursion’s instructor), and 10 others mostly from CLUville.
Our first dive would be at Ras Eiro, between French Beach and Arta Beach. After anchoring the Deli, we boarded the skiffs and headed to the dive site. We descended to about 50 feet and cruised through the reef. I had feared that visibility would be terrible based on my trip to French Beach the day before, but it turned out to be much better than expected.
Most members of the group were adjusted to routine diving having been on many day trips while in Djibouti and others were still getting comfortable underwater. After 45 minutes, my buddy was low on air. Back to the skiffs we went.
We returned to the Deli and enjoyed a nice lunch. This would be the routine for the next few days…Dive, eat, dive, eat, dive….and throw in some sleep wherever you see fit.
I’ll talk more about the dives and post more photos over the next week (or possibly next few weeks).
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