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BAHAMAS - FIELD UPDATES - WEEK 6
The Week That Was- Week 7, Phase 23 2007 - 4th to 11th June
Ryan Robinson
Two words sum up the special event of this week. It was also a show like no other, unrivaled in its brilliance and entertainment value throughout the Bahamas.
No it wasn’t Eurovision, that wouldn’t make sense for a number of reasons.
I’m talking of course, about the one and only Crab Feast. El Crabbo. The Big Crab Party. The Crab Social. Whatever you want to call it (though you really should call it Crab Fest, since that is actually what it was called) it was a great weekend…
But first, the week started on Tuesday. Not actually true of course, but at the moment, I can’t really think of anything interesting to talk about on Monday. So Tuesday it is then. Still, the only thing I can recall right now is that Roxy and Sean were circled by a pretty big manta ray on one of their dives, which is something most divers never ever get to experience. We all clapped for them, even though each one of us was ready to kill them and take their place next time, especially Roxy, since she always sees cool stuff it seems.
I can’t remember much about Wednesday either, so lets jump to Thursday.
Thursday gave us the chance to have a fun dive, since Saturday would be spent getting crabby with it (I’d promise that that was the last crab related phrase, but I’d be lying to you.), so instead the dive was moved on up. So off to Amphitheatre we went. I tried to get Kate to film us kitting up on the boat and rolling in, but later inspection of the tape showed that we either kitted up and entered the water in the blink of an eye, or Kate doesn’t know how to use the camcorder.
I’m not a betting man, but I know which one I’d put money on, especially since I don’t remember Joe’s head being the main part of kitting up.
Anyway, the dive was cool, though me and Joe came up a little too early. I know the reason for this, and that’s because I was trying out my new and improved (though I later had to revise that last part) underwater propulsion system.
N.I.A.S.A (New, Improved Advanced Swimming Arms)
The idea behind it was, that if fins were so good on your feet, then they’d be even better on your hands, what with the opposable thumbs and all. If they were so good for the apes millions of years ago, they’d be good enough for me.
Turns out they weren’t.
N.I.A.S.A. seems to use up a bit more air than the conventional swimming style. Plus, after Joe decided to grab one of my fins off my hands and chuck it down, another problem appeared. Even though I’ve seen starfish move faster than it descended to the seabed, I couldn’t catch it ‘one handed’ as it were. I’d still adamant that it has some merits however, though I can now admit that the ‘Improved’ part may need to be taken out. I didn’t want to push the idea with Joe however, because he has the habit of finding my brilliant ideas/idiotic rambling (it depends on your opinions and your blood alcohol level on what you think of them) very irritating. He had already pulled a weapon out on me earlier on the dive, when he had somehow managed to smuggle a water pistol down.
Gun crime is a serious crime kids, especial at 18m under the sea.
Plus, I realized after taking out ‘Improved’ from my acronym, I was left with the already taken name of a certain US space agency. Perhaps it was wise to drop the whole thing after all.
After the dive through, it was time to get our crab on. It was time to prepare for Crab Fest! We got picked up eventually, all wearing our Greenforce tops, and taken to the park in Fresh Creek. It was one of the biggest events in the whole of the Bahamas, and the population of Andros explodes from 9000 to about double that over the weekends as people fly over from all over the place, including the USA, to come to Andros and party, celebrating everything that is good about crabs.
I think everything means eating in this case.
Anyway, we thought that we would have our own Greenforce table to show off on, but that wasn’t to be sadly, instead we helped out at the BNT (Bahamas National Trust) corner, and generally explained a lot of the marine conservational work that both we and them were doing. We also set up a few kits of scuba gear, and let people have a few goes. It was about trying to improve our reputation in the local community, and just to get ourselves known more. While at the same time, trying to educate a few more folk about the importance of the sea and how to protect it.
Yes of course, we also had a great time eating all the great food that was there (from conch and crab fritters to hot dogs. Mac and cheese to chicken and rice. And guava bread! You got to try it people!), and enjoying the party atmosphere and music that was going on. The live performances were fun, even if the Bahamians only seem to have about 10 songs that they listen to, and Marvin, the lovable island drunk, provided his own familiar unique brand of entertainment. And yes, three of us got noticed dancing in the crowed by the singer on stage. And yes, we went up there in front of all the people and got our groove on. And yes, I had my booty vibrating as fast as I can make it and gyrating it as much as I can. But after seeing the girls Roxy and Erin do it on stage next to me, what kind of man would I be if I didn’t?
Probably one who if going to be a bit less embarrassed after the video of it starts showing at home to my friends, that’s for sure. But anyway, I think we managed to get Greenforce’s name in peoples minds, since barely several hours afterwards when a few of our staff were being picked up hitching a lift much further south on the island after a training day at Nassau, they were asked how it felt to be ‘up on stage’. They didn’t have much a clue what was meant by that until they got back to camp and asked us what the Bahamians had meant…
So all in all, a great time, and a welcome break from camp life, even if it was expensive buying all the food! All the time we were there, from half way through Thursday to the early hours of Sunday, the crowd was well behaved and friendly, and I just wish we could have something like crab fest at home……
Fish and chip festival anyone?
Sunday was a MUCH slower day, thankfully. Clothes washing was done, which was probably the most exciting thing that happened.
Monday, today, meant we could get back to diving, which was all good! A few of us visited the Tongue of the Ocean, the big drop off to the depths. What we lost in dive time being so deep, we made up in seeing something really cool. Another one of us passed our fish tests, which is always good. Really close to surveying now. Probably Wednesday I reckon.
Anyway, I better stop rambling about the week now. I’m sure more stuff happened, so sorry for forgetting it. Ele wants the computer and the Sand Change of the dining area is happening all around me. It's all forcing me off the computer!
It’s a conspiracy I say.
Ryan
