Tuesday Afternoon at Tower 16

My mask had a small tear in it and leaked. It has been leaking for over a week. It's not impossible, mind you, but it is annoying. So I went to the shop and got a new mask before meeting Luis at the beach this afternoon. It was a warm and sunny this morning, so the beach was packed this afternoon. I found a parking spot just South of Tower 16 and the fellow in front of me left as soon as I got there. Luis showed up just as he was leaving. It all worked out well.

The wind had come up since this morning and the air felt cooler because of it. It was now in the 80's, so it really was warmer, but it did not feel warmer. We geared up and got it, swam to the swim buoys and descended. Then we headed due East to the Eastern edge of the reef. Along the way we saw patches of staghorn coral, some of which were quite developed and thick with fish. We also saw rocks and coral heads. There were lots of reef fish, but nothing spectacular or unusual.

The Eastern edge of the reef drops another 10 feet to 30 ft on the floor. We spent a little time on the floor, exploring the edge, but turned back after about ten minutes. I was doing well on air up to that point, but I started getting chilled as

we headed back. By the time we got to the beach, I was beginning to shiver. It felt good to get out into the warmer air.