Snorkel gear in hand, we join the boys to witness the final dive of their training. With a group of around 15, we motored of the beach at Stone Town in a modified dhow – a wooden boat featuring a mix of old and new. Motor and sail. Carved wooden trunk holding scuba gear. Nylon rope affixed to a tree-trunk mast. We cruise to Bawi Island (privately owned, a beach lined with thatched huts). The group aboard cheers as our divers drop backward off the rail. They head for deeper water. We don our masks and wetsuits (to help ward of stings from jellyfish) and take the plunge ourselves. We are required to stay near our guide who heads us in the opposite direction from our divers. No underwater pictures for them. Bummer. The water is bathtub warm. Most fish I see look familiar but the coral is like none we see in Hawaii. Amorphous shapes and 50’s colors. Line green, baby blue, soft orange. We are quickly joined by ‘buddy’ fish. Bright yellow fish with black bands. Strangely attracted to us. Seeking protection beneath our dark suited shapes. They share our entire experience. Brian and I each ‘have’ one. Back aboard, we motor south to a tiny sandy atoll. A dream. A scene from someone else’s movie.
Turquoise water breaking white against pure sugar sand. The boat is run aground purposely to allow for an easy splash to shore. We disembark to a tropical lunch served on platters in the sand. Mangos and bananas. Samosas and egg rolls. Delectable fish cakes. Too much! The luxury is embarrassing. We play in the waves. Bill and Will board the boat which leaves us to take them on their last dive. Snorkel from the windward side. It’s a bit choppy but we enjoy ourselves. Kristin spots a Hawksbill Turtle. A young one that flippers away along the sandy bottom. We watch it go. Brian, Kristin and I are the last ones out of the water. The others in the group are lounging in the sun. The boat returns with smiling faces. The divers have completed their final dive and are now just a signature away from being certified. A celebratory cannonball off the side as the boat glides to shore. They did it! Once again Will has ‘experiencing face’.
We eat our afternoon meal at Armoire Mia – a restaurant complete with smiling Italian sitting by the front door to greet us and usher us in. Great tuna penne. Wine secretly poured into Sprite bottles and brought to our table. The waiter shares that the buildings owner is Muslim and does not condone drinking on his property. We can’t image Italian food without wine so we join in the deception, drinking our wine out of water glasses. A pristine view from our table on the terrace. The Indian Ocean. Dhows drifting by. A toast to the newest PADI-certified divers.
We spend the evening on the terrace at The Clove. Drinking Safari and Kilimanjaro Beer. Reminiscing. Speculating. Processing. Will checks ‘My space’ on Bill’s laptop and discovers Tira is logged on. Happy day! I have no idea when he went to bed. He was still typing away when the rest of us said goodnight.
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