When I was younger I had an ever-lasting desire to go out
and explore the fields and forests behind my house. It always looked like it
went on for an eternity when in reality it was only ever a couple of miles or
so. I would set out on what I would call “an adventure” with my friend Dan. Hours
would fly by with the discovery of pathways through trees and the discovery of
the perimeter fence of the cement factory at the far end of the field. I would
proudly march home with a real sense of discovery and achievement, only to be
greeted by a concerned parent and a cold cup of tea.
My dad spent many happy years travelling and exploring the
waterways of Britain aboard The Alice May. He would do weekly trips for people
and turn the boat round every week, much the same as what I do now. It all has
an air of inevitability about it, a desire to discover the unknown and explore
new territories.
I suppose that hunger for discovery has never left me, im
always itching for the next perimeter fence. The main difference being that I
have a Boeing 747 at my disposal now so the options are endless. Im dedicated
to travelling a lot this coming year, not just in my work, but when I take
holidays. I have some big plans for the next 12 months and there is potential
for a new dive project to really take off next year, but that’s next year and
im still finding some paths in the forest for now.
“They say that every adventurer suffers from the conviction
that he was born too late” – Ed Viesturs
West Caicos:
The Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) are made up of a number
of different Islands and Cay’s. We visit just a few on our weekly itinerary.
West Caicos is a deserted island with only an empty, semi built resort to show
for human interaction. In the middle lays a large fresh water lake and we moor
on the west coast of this Island to dive the edge of the Caicos Bank. The
Diving is breath taking and I had never actually set foot on the island before
last week.
During my one hour break I grabbed my mask and swam over to
the rugged edges of the island. I hit land at what is known to the charts and
locals as “Boat Cut”. This is a small lagoon of turquoise water about 10 foot
deep with a slopping bank on one side where I climbed ashore. I walked around
for a few minutes and then couldn’t help but jump off the cliffs into the blue.
It was great to set foot on deserted land and great just to be off the boat for
a while.
The following week I did the same and Martin came along, one
of the other instructors. We took the GoPro along and got some shots, which
will eventually make it on here when I ever get time and a good internet
connection.
We have a pod of Dolphins that are starting to regularly
visit us, I will try and video them if I get a chance. The water temperature is
increasing which is always good.
The GoPro is
starting to get used a lot now so I have lots of video footage but no time to
upload it. All is well, I cant believe its been a month already, good times.
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