Just Got Off The Boat

I have literally JUST stepped off the boat and am dripping water all over the dive shop office. My cheeks and eyelashes are a little bit crusty with salt but I'm on a high right now because I just returned from the L.S.T! That's Landing Ship Tank for the non-maritime familiar including myself (I'm reading the info from a print-out). It is one of the best wrecks here in Subic, sunk in 1944 after a life of transporting military vehicles including tanks, trucks and marine vessels.The poor L.S.T. suffered it's demise at the hands of the US Navy for live fire exercises and is now one of the few wrecks that lies upright on the ocean floor.

Enough of the history lesson! The hard and soft coral has made a comfortable home of the deck of the L.S.T. along with the most fragile little nudibranch who perched himself (I really don't actually know if he was actually a he) on the edge of the deck.

nudibranch

We chased a trio of delicate little ghost pipefish into a waiting safety net of electric orange soft coral. Making our way along the top of the wreck at about 29m depth we met a local spotted eagle ray that took one look at us, turned his nose up and went back to dancing gracefully above the ship's deck and right in front of our faces.

Spotted Eagle Ray on the L.S.T.

The day keeps getting better. I just got a facebook message from my friend Emily saying she will be joining MY parents, my lifetime friend Erin and HER parents to Vietnam in June/July for our family holiday so she will be stuck with me for a whole month! Right now you can't wipe the smile off my face (insert corresponding emoticon reflecting Natalie's present emotional state here: Cheesy grin)