Τoday, Ascension seemed to be even hotter.
Thankfully, Caz Yon had invited me for a dive already at 9 am. Together with
Bill, a doctor at the Georgetown Hospital having half a day off, we rode her
RIB to Red Rock Cave, a spectacular dive site which Kostas Tsiamis and I had
already explored within the framework of last year’s SMSG Painted Shrimp
Expedition. An undersea tunnel connects the cave to the outside at approx. 10 m
depth, while the roof of the cave has collapsed, leaving a gaping hole through
which sunlight floods part of the interior, while the remainder is in darkness.
A great place to observe, fish, crayfish and other marine life, at any time of
the day (many animals would otherwise only get active at night). Awesome.
After a meeting with
Stedson Stroud, Director of the Ascension Island Conservation Department (which
had hosted our Painted Shrimp Expedition last year), Aldo and I took our rental
car for exploring Cross Hill overlooking Georgetown and the lower ranges of the
coastal desert around Comfortless Cove and the airport.
Life in Ascension is
tough, I would even say very tough at this time of the year: So hot! I was very
lucky to get an invitation for a 2nd dive today from 2 RAF folks, at
a site called Triangles (after a maritime marker). They went fishing with a
spear gun, I went fishing with my camera. Lucky again - once more, I met 2 more
green turtles. This really is their season in Ascension.
I was starving! A
dinner consisting of an extra large pizza shared by Aldo and myself at the
Volcano Club on the US Air Force Base followed (probably the only place in all
of Ascension outside the Obsidian Hotel to get a decent dinner).
PS - Explanation of
the title: My friend Rowena Stern had suggested renaming Ascension to “Bunny
Moon Island” when seeing images from last September’s Painted Shrimp
Expedition. Admittedly, a much more fitting name than “Ascension”: Much of the
island is a black moonscape, and there are plenty of rabbits…
Ascensions coastal desert from Cross Hill
Georgetown and Long Beach
View fr Cross Hill towards Comfortless Cove
Meeting at AIG Conservation Dept
Red Rock Cave
Red Rock Cave
Red Rock Cave
Red Rock Cave
Red Rock Cave
Crayfish in Red Rock Cave
Fish at Red Rock Cave
Caz and Bill exploring submarine arch
Submarine arch at Red Rock Cave
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