Key Largo, Day 4

The day started out as expected. We woke up and got breakfast around 0700 since I had to be at the scuba spot around 0730 (thankfully it was 2 mins down the road). Once we got there, my grandfather and I had to fill out some forms and go through a safety brief. Unfortunately grandpa didn’t pass the medical questionnaire which stunk a little, but it was okay. We knew it was a possibility and instead grandpa got to hang around the hotel with grandma and my husband. After my safety brief, we went into the pool down the road to practice my ocean skills and go through some other safety precautions that I will later be tested on. After that, I got picked up for lunch (Starbucks) and discussed the evening plans with my grandparents. We decided to meet for dinner after my dives at Sundowners, which happened to be next door to the resort we were all staying at. After lunch, I headed back out to a charter boat where I met my instructor and other fellow divers. The waves were about 5+ feet in height, so a little rough driving the 40 minutes out. Once at the Banana Reef area we were diving in, we got our gear situated and checked before putting it on and heading out into the water. The place the captain drove us to was known to have Manta Rays as they have been seeing them frequently in the last few weeks. We descended and didn’t have luck at first. My instructor (being the smart woman she is) had us surface to do some “topside” skills (thus counting the first descent as a full dive) before descending again. This is where we got to see several Manta Rays (they flew right past us!), a juvenile green sea turtle, and a reef shark. I’ve never seen so many interesting creatures in such a short span of time. Our second dive was about 30 mins before we resurfaced (right as a storm was coming in nice and strong), and we hopped into the boat and dissemble our gear and cleaned it so we could pack it up quickly when we returned. We gathered the rest of the divers as best as we could as the waves started to swell beyond 5 feet as the lightning closed in. The captain even mentioned he has never had such a close call with lightning and we agreed it was best to end our diving for the day. After we got back, I had my grandmother pick me up as I had gotten notice that my husband had to make a quick trip to Miami to pick up a master cylinder for the Jeep since that was the brake component that was no longer working and was vital for our continuing adventure. Once grandma brought me back to the hotel, we were able to relax for about an hour before getting ready to head over to Sundowners. Sundowners had very nice food and we got to see the sunset over the water as we were seated outside. When the bill came, grandpa insisted on paying, but I was given the task to pay on behalf of their children as a belated birthday present to them. We almost got beat, but then my husband handed the waitress our card (without the check) and she swooped in to take it and get it scanned. The look on their faces was priceless, but I know my father and their other children appreciate our ability to take care of it as they deserve a free meal every once in a while. After dinner, my husband went to work on the Jeep and after an hour, I was summoned down to help bleed the brakes while he finished whatever he needed to do. After that, the brakes were like brand new again! Despite our small hiccup the last few days, we prevailed and are excited to continue our trip for a few more days with less stress. Tomorrow is more diving (hopefully, weather dependent) before we start our multi-stop descent back up north.