Under da sea

Had my scuba open water test yesterday and today. Yesterday we went to Hawthorne Pond in Barnstable, MA. The weather was gorgeous and the upper few feet of water were really warm, but then it got quite cold deep down, as is expected early in the season. Unfortunately the water was really really murky and so we could barely see anything at all. We did get to swim around in a sunken boat, though, which was pretty awesome. Since visibility was so low (more because of darkness down there) any holes in the boat looked like infinite black chasms. As sebs lowered himself down in the water he didn't realize we were standing around one such opening on the top of the boat, and he was coming right down in the middle of it. When he looked down he freaked out and flailed around, it was pretty hilarious. There's also supposedly a car and a tractor somewhere in the pond, as well as an eel or two, but we didn't get to see any of those.

Today we went to Sandwich Beach (also on the Cape) and went in the Atlantic Ocean! It was pretty awesome, very cold but the wet suit really does wonders in keeping you warm. We got to see a bunch of lobsters, a crab, some flounder--which lie flat on the bottom and have both eyes facing up, weird--and tons of tiny hermit crabs, among other random things. The visibility wasn't great there either, though, but relative to the pond it felt like we could see for miles. The second of our two dives today was the first time I felt totally comfortable, really like we were just floating around in the water and enjoying myself. I want to grab a lobster but it's a little freaky I have to admit, they have big claws and really do run around with their claws up in self-defense; you have to grab them from behind over the tail where their claws can't reach.

Off to Malte's tonight for one final hoorah with Sebs :( burrito time...