1/10/2023- Tuesday

 1/10/23

We made it to breakfast at around 0900 this morning and then we went on a scuba dive to the east of TR.  It was a fund dive and we found quite a few new and interesting critters.  I have put together a video of our previous two dives but it is nearly impossible to upload it because of the slow speed of our internet connection.  You will get to see them eventually, for sure.

This afternoon, we hired a small boat to take us out of the pass between Moso Island and Lalepa Island to see how the surf was.  There is still a significant swell and, consequently, we elected to wait one more day to let the surf subside.  That will give us Wednesday and Thursday nights to do our work and all we can do is hope that there will be some turtles there.

Disappointing but we are coping.  

We are hiking to sunset beach before dinner (some of the team are remaining behind and resting. 

The hike to and back from sunset beach took nearly two hours and was mostly through the "bush" and a little on the beach.  Below are some pictures of those that made the hike.

Ms Jim and Alden in "skull" cave which leads out to sunset beach.

Alden with some of the air roots of the banyan tree that is growning down into the cave.

The banyan tree that is growing above the cave and down into it.



Hunting for shells on the beach.

The "sunset" at sunset beach... a bit early but we didn't want to wait that long.

Helping support the banyan tree!

The three intrepid  hikers at skull cave.

After the hike we all gathered and went to dinner- stopped for a sunset picture.

The team at sunset just before dinner.

Enjoying a dinneer of pasta and garlic bread.

Ms Jim showing off her vegetarian pasta dish (see below).

Vegetarian pasta the Ms Jim said was delicious.

Some pictures today from our dive:

The anterior end of a beautiful little nudibranch.

A large mushroom coral and some soft coral.

Another species of mushroom coral.

Soft coral.



Another Elizabeth's nudibranch.

A tuberculate nudibranch.

Soft Coral polyps feeding



Showing the size of Elizabeth's nudibranch- what a beauty it is!



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