Salt Pier

Salt Pier, Bonaire			N 12° 5.0', W 68° 16.9'
Dive Number 213		Buddy Shawn	Surface temp 27°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 59ft	Visibility great	Time 62m	Water temp 25°C	Ending pressure 1200psi
Notes:	Setting up this dive, I did a few things that I almost never do. In the staging area this morning before boarding the Sea Gypsy for the Invisibles and Punt Vierkant, I spoke to one of the divers from the other group and asked her about how her diving was going. Not a big deal for a normal human, but I am usually shy about talking to people and have to make an effort to not avoid making eye contact and appear distant or aloof like an idiot. My effort was rewarded - Jody was one of the organizers of the Aquarius group of divers from California which was at Divi Flamingo at the same time as us. She knew that some members of her group were planning an excursion to the Salt Pier at the Southern end of the West coast that afternoon, and I hinted at how I'd like an invite and she said come along! I asked Shawn if he'd like to come along so I would have a buddy who I knew and he was down so we hitched a ride from the resort with Jake and Claudia to the pier! The salt pier is interesting because of the superstructure of the factory and conveyor belts that appear to send freshly refined salt to ships for export. The pier has lots of wildlife and also there is industrial detritus everywhere that has become fish and marine habitat. There had been some discussion among our group about organizing an excursion here, but a time had not yet been chosen and who knew if it would actually happen. No boats are permitted to moor near the pier, and the entry would not be easy for divers who used chairs or who had mobility issues. This was the only dive where I saw turtles and they were also uncharacteristically tame. It's hard not to wonder if the prohibition of fishing or harming marine life has made the local fauna more docile. I also saw a queen angel - not a new species for me, but the first one I had seen on this trip. Also there was an adorable tiny drum! (we would go on to see more of these). We got to see another two turtles in the shallows before getting out and drying off as much in the Caribbean sun to avoid wetting the back of Jake's pickup. As we were leaving an alarm sounded on the pier - it looked like the conveyor was changing position and we learned later that a salk tanker was to arrive within the day where it would stay and prevent divers from visiting this site for the rest of the week - if I had not inquired, we would have missed this opportunity! Is it possible that I'm not as shy as I seem to think?