In Reply to: all my dive buddy's posted by richard wonacott on February 12, 2022 at 09:55:48:

It's time to hang suits, put away gear and go for a dive in
the hottub. There is no south swell, so things stayed calm as we
left the island. People talk and then head for the bunks. After a
few hours they start to show up on deck again for the evenings
finale. The water is incredibly smooth and clear. Jellyfish can be
seen as we pass. Porpoises come flying towards the boat from the
sides and then go for a ride on the bow waves. Baitfish fly from
the water as the porpoise come upon them.

The club members are starting to get silly and try to take
group pictures of the club. I watch, always an outsider. No one
speaks of the regrets about the end of the trip or the creeping
hand of time that has changed us all through the years of diving
together. Still, the days diving has made us all so aware of our life
and memories of the past dives that have defined so much of our life,
that we cannot deny or ignore its passage. We will do this as long
as we can and we will remember this magic as long as we live.

The sun sets with a wonderous show of soft colors as we pass
the east end of Anacapa Island. The night falls gently. We all feel
cold in the wind of the boat's passage through the glassy water, but
no one wants to leave, for the moment and the beauty are something
special that will surely be gone before we can come back. Perhaps,
the cold was from more than the wind.