Keramas Dive: N Tokashiki

3rd dive of the day in the Keramas. We only had a little juice left in the camera battery (what we didnt' use on the first dive of the day), but it was enough to capture the turtle that another photographer was chasing right toward us.  The reptile was completely unafraid & came within 2-3 feet of the camera & I think he even grinned:

Other cool sightings & photos include a tiny (smaller than the width of Josh's gloved fingers) nudibranch that was floating midwater that Josh rescued & put back on some coral:

As well as a black lionfish under a ledge & a cool spotted yellow boxfish that fled back into a crevice to pose:

Then there were these guys: Anemone, Clark's Anemonefish, colorful Corals with Christmas Tree Worms, a juvenile Yellowtail Coris & a few other suspects:

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Keramas Dive: E Zamami-jima

This was the 2nd of 3 dives in the Kerama Islands on the day. The boat captain, Papa-san, swung around Zamami-jima from the north side to a bay on the eastern side. And it was a great dive. 

We saw a cool spotted dog-faced puffer & a black lion fish posing on top of a blue starfish, among other cool things. Towards the end, Betsy spotted a sea turtle & 2 hitchhikers (remora fish) swimming diagonally away from us (meanwhile I was distracted by photographing a large triggerfish resting on some coral). So we began to follow him, but he didn't have a strong desire let us get too close (& he wasn't even swimming as fast as he could like one of us was):

Photo Highlights:

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Keramas Dive: N Zamami-jima

Having been thoroughly thrilled & impressed by the dives we did in the Keramas in July, we got excited to see an ad that a fellow Okinawan diver (Australian teacher of English, Bradley) put online to gather a group of experienced divers to join 3-dive boat trips out to the Keramas. So we eagerly contacted him to get in on the action.

The first weekend that worked out for a trip included some amazing sea conditions (much like the last time we headed towards the Keramas for some diving!). These photos are from the first dive off Zamami Island's northern coast:

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Highlights:

Comida Salvadoreña

After a day of kayaking & getting sun-burned, we were treated to a delicious meal of El Salvadorean food with Ana & Tito. We arrived in time to get a lesson in making pasteles (de carne y papas) & pupusas (de queso y puerco). It was muy MUY deliciosoooo (como ves en esas fotos)!!

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Kayaking Hija-gawa

Ana & Tito joined us for a much anticipated kayaking adventure that began at the Kadena sea wall steps at "Mizugama Beach" & proceeded over the ocean's surface to the mouth of the Hija-gawa (Hija River), which forms the boundary between Yomitan-son & Kadena-cho. We paddled up the river past the fishing boat docks & under the "red bridge" (that you come to if you were to proceed directly out of Kadena Air Base's Gate 4, which is permanently closed). We only stopped when we could go no further, at the first dam rising out of the water (near the Hwy 58 bridge). So after a light snack to replenish our strength (or at least trick our bodies into thinking we had), we turned around & fought the incoming tide. It was quite hot (we went during the heat of the day, for some reason) & more than one of us got pretty sun-burned (especially the dork that decided a sleeve-less shirt would be a good idea), but it was fun!

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We spotted some mudskippers (fish that spend a lot of time out of, but still near, water) hopping about on the muddy banks:

We also spotted a heron milling about on the shore:

Araha sunset & restaurant alley

After our day viewing the southern half of Okinawa from 1000 feet in the air, Ana just us at our apartment. And the 4 of us (Betsy, Josh, Ana & Tito) had a delicious dinner at Kastamandap (yummy Nepalese curry), among the strip of restaurants just off Araha Beach in Hamby Town of Chatan-cho. Then we had a nice stroll along the beach & watched the ultimate players frolic against the gorgeous sunset.

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Southern Okinawa from 1000 feet

Betsy finally found time to deliver Josh's 31st birthday present (only 3 months late). We went flying over the southern half of Okinawa in a small aircraft, provided by Kadena's Aero Club. The 45-minute flight turned into about an hour & included Okinawa from Moon Beach in Onna-son down to the southern tip (both coasts). Josh got to sit up front with the pilot, Brian (who was great!) of the little 4-seater Cessna, which meant that Josh got to take over the controls (up/down & left/right) for about 5-10 min (over the Pacific near Tsuken & Kudaka Islands): Our friend Ana's brother Tito came along (visiting Okinawa & Asia for the first time). The weather was absolutely gorgeous. Aero Club pilot Brian touched the plane down as smoothly as silk on Kadena's runway just after an AV-8B Harrier did so on an adjacent runway: It was so nice we just might go again before we leave & check out the north!

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