On Sat, 4 Sep 2004 02:08:52 -0500, John Nitrox <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>Mea culpa!

Senor Shumate, you must either have a slow feed, or overlooked my
posting "Diving Easter Island" in which I retracted nearly all of my
fins in mouth regarding your post.

>Until I read da Feeeeesh's post, I had no inkling that there was
>any land closer to Easter Island than Henderson Island or one of Chile's
>out islands,

We're at Pitcairn Island NOW.  It has a population of 50, descendants
of the Bounty days.   Obviously there isn't any dock suitable even
for the tenders.  So, in one single uncovered boat, about 80 percent
of the island's population came on board, with their wares, wood
carvings, T-shirts, Pitcairn postcards and stamps, and every thing
you can think of in the usual stands natives put up for the tourista
dallars.

In this case, the temporary "flea market" was on the 9th pool deck
and the 10th deck (in door louhge).  Only US dollars are accepted!
Business was so brisk from the land-and-memorabilia starved
cruise folks (having been at sea for 4 solid days) that possibly
more USDs changed hands in two hours than an entire week in the
largest Walmart.

I was sucked into the buying frenzy by snapping up the biggest FISH
(wood carving to be hung on a wall) which I believe exists only in
the imagination of the artist.  The next was another artist-signed
Great White.

As we were weighing anchor near the island this morning, we saw
the first whale on this trip, waving at the tourist on the
breakfast deck with her tail, and spouting what looked like a
big snorkel.  The announcer on the ship just said over the intercom
that the whales have been around for a couple of weeks, feeding near
the island.


>Am I eager to tell stories about da Feeeeesh.diving Easter Island;
>you bet I am.  If da Feeeeesh will handle the reality of Easter Island
>diving, I'll do my best with the myths.  Remember, Sr. Feeeeesh, just
>beneath my outer layer of adipose tissue is a solid core of b.s.

I'll do my best with my share of myths and b.s.!

Da Feeeesh.

On 6-hr stop at Pitcairn Island (UK).