Days: 177
Total distance travelled: 38,081.5 kilometres (23,653.11 miles)
As we sailed to Little Corn under dark skies and on horridly rough seas, we wondered if our plans to dive during our time on the island were little more than a pipe dream.
Thankfully, the seas calmed and the sun did emerge, so a few days later we found ourselves on board a small boat headed for south of the island and the dive site known as Yellowtail (for the abundance of Yellowtail Snapper at the site).
To learn that this was the first time they’d been able to dive there in a month made us feel a little special, so we were genuinely excited by the prospect of getting ourselves into the water.
Our Divemaster on this particular day was Jen, and another couple (I believe they were Canadian) brought our party up to five.
Given the recent weather conditions, we were surprised at how good visibility was, and it wasn’t long into the dive before we were met with several of the locals, plenty of Squirrelfish and some decent sized schools of Barracuda lurked as well.
Hanging out with a Dusky Squirrelfish
It also wasn’t long before we discovered that one half the Canadian couple was also a diver lacking in either confidence or ability (or possibly both), and before long it became apparent through his frantic, erratic actions, that he wasn’t likely to last very long due to what we imagined was some fairly rapid, panicked air consumption.
At times it got so bad that he’d begin kicking randomly & clutching onto the nearest diver he could find (usually 1 of us) which was by no means a fun experience.
Not a stunning reef, but fish aplenty…
This ultimately proved the case (his rapid air consumption), so after a quick safety stop so we could allow him to surface, we again made our descent, now able to enjoy our dive without the likelihood of further problems, and comfortable knowing he was now safely on the surface.
The occasional sighting of a Black Durgon (or Black Triggerfish) was nice, and eventually after the odd swim through and plenty of Yellowtail, it was time for us to call an end to the dive.
A couple of locals that help give the site its name
The 18m depth meant a mandatory safety stop (in this case, our second) as we made our final ascent back to the surface, and it was as we hovered at the 5m required, Yellowtail provided a final highlight.
A curious Remora felt it the perfect time to come and investigate this strange and motley crew, and his probing investigations, as well as the odd nibble at a weight belt here and there, provided plenty of entertainment.
The last minutes of the dive providing a standout highlight!
Notes:
* We chose to dive with Dolphin Dive who offer a starting rate of $35.00 US per tank (although have cheaper rates the more dives you do) with only a single tank at a time.
* Our Divemaster Jen (a US native from Boston) was great, however the condition of the equipment could have been better…
