Day 5: Chuyo Maru & Jellyfish Lake

Today started off with breakfast at Coconut Terrace, then off to class we went. Mike focused mainly on the history of Micronesia and the transitions of rule or government that happened over the course of being discovered by Magellan, up through World War I. It really is a fascinating subject.

When 9:00am came around, our group was off in NECO Marine’s bus to take us to the marina for another day of diving. Today was more of a slow pace day which I believe everyone enjoyed because we are all starting to feel a little run down.

Our first stop for diving was Chuyo Maru, a Japanese Army cargo ship that was sunk upright. The deck of the ship sits at a depth of 90’ with coral covering it and fish enjoying a nice place to live. The superstructures were covered with corals, clams and anemones where the dusky anemonefish like to dwell. I enjoyed the presence of bubble coral on the ship as well; I think it is so cool looking.

After our return to our boat, Ray drove us to Jelly Fish Lake. After a semi-difficult climb up and over the tree covered hill, we arrived at a brackish lake filled with they say up to 10 million of these gentle jellyfish. The Golden Mastigias have a sting so slight, you don’t feel it. No diving, scuba or free, is allowed in this lake because noxious gases accumulate at a depth of approximately 40’ (but the depth is known to shift). Diving is not necessary to enjoy this lake; just snorkel on the surface with a gentle kick of your fins so as not to injure these delicate creatures and you will experience all the magic you need.

When our time at the lake was through we continued our surface interval by enjoying our lunches on a nearby beach. A picnic area had been built just for this purpose. What I found most interesting about the site, other than its beauty, was the abundant number of wild chickens hanging around the area. Smaller than our common chicken, they are quite colorful and pretty.

After lunch, it was back to the boat and onward to our final dive of the day, “Nurong Inside Passage”. An interesting site, it is alongside an island that looks like it would be an awesome place to build a resort, but in the middle of the island is a swamp with tons of mosquitoes – not so nice. The reef adjacent to the island drops off to a large sand channel. While diving here, our second divemaster for the day, Valentine, found a cuttlefish. I would say he was no bigger than 2 feet and was a mottled brown and white fish. Another awesome moment on this trip – my first cuttlefish!! In the meantime, Burt was off on a hunt to find us a leaf fish, and so he did. What a successful dive.

Another boat ride back to NECO and a bus ride to PPR, we were left with a couple of hours to relax and rejuvenate before leaving for our Thai dinner in town. The Surigoya restaurant was a pleasant place to have an inexpensive dinner with delicious food. The meal over, the bus took us back to PPR where Rod and I enjoyed a little dessert with Mike & Vicki Musto of Cardonna Dive Adventures and Lee Bergstrom from Aqua Dive Academy in Portland, Maine. When we all finished our desserts, we bid each other a good night and we went back to our rooms for another good night’s sleep. Sounds like something I should do right now. SWEET DREAMS!