WEATHER-RESCUE CLASS-HOME SWEET HOME-NEW ANGEL BABY-JEFFREY-THIMBLES GALORE-LEAF FISH- - NEW BABIES-SCHOOL HOLIDAYS- KATHERINE-DIVEMASTER CLASS-GROCERY SHOPPING-IAN, KATE AND CHRISTINE-PHOTO PROJECT-RED CROSS FIRST AID/CPR-PROJECT PROJECTS-TREASURE HUNT- DOMINOES.

Hi, Everyone, The first month of the New Year has whizzed by in a whirl of classes and diving. With our busy season over, it was time for my crew and me to buckle down and get back to school. Great timing, as January has been the coolest, rainiest month I remember. Unlike last January, which featured brilliant sunny days and mirror calm seas, this Jan. honored us with sudden showers ( one's going on as I write this), some spectacular thunder and lightning shows which had both dogs in my lap, lots of cloud and not too much sun.

Visitors enjoyed the cool temps, but my divers were again begging for "Shivering, Starving Divers' Soup, which I made in great quantities.

Luckily, the water stayed flat and enticing, and we often snuck out when the sun did between showers for a treat.

My students finished their Rescue Course with a final exercise that started over at Male Male Island. In an effort to make the scenario as realistic as possible, we chose a popular charter site; in a total team effort, they had to surface a " non-breathing" diver, begin rescue breathing and continue while towing to the boat, and quickly get the victim onto the boat ( you should see that one- our gunwhale is high). Once our victim ( Broom) was onboard, rescuers switched to our dummy ( a stuffed wetsuit with hood to hold the head- a play ball- and fins under the chest and back for rigidity) and performed CPR all the way into Vuana, where they had to unload and transport patient to shore. At that point, our patient started breathing, and they put him on the big O2 tank; part of the team got crucial information and pretend phoned DAN Australia with particulars, with yours truly playing the DAN responder. It was quite a performance, and I am extremely proud of my A-team, as they proudly call themselves.

With few charters, we are back to our "home" dive site- Vuana Wall. It is just so easy, and so loaded with neat stuff. We were delighted to see old friends and meet new. Jeffrey, our white-saddled shrimpgoby we've been watching for 14 months now is still busy guarding his burrow, while his shrimp bulldozes the interior. 2 of "his" cousins (brothers? sisters? ) have moved in within 30 feet of his burrow. Ourfriendly lion "pride" has increased from 2 to 4;. our blue-spotted ray family is sporting several stuffed-toy looking babies. A dragon wrasse dances right up to us; 2 brown/red leaf fish challenge our critter finding skills.Nate' discovered a shy juvenile Semicircle Angel- our first. Have yet to see an adult. A tiny new anemone with a speck of a baby clown fish is growing beneath an outcropping.

An infant white-banded pygmy wrasse moved in this week- and this is all in our safety stop dive area- we're not even out on the wall yet. A sudden Sabbath wind had me running from computer to deck- to an unparalleled scene of thousands upon thousands of little thimble jellies rafting together and being blown inshore. They suddenly come- and as suddenly are gone. I surfaced amid them the next day with no stings- so I'm guessing they're pretty benign.

"All work and no play-----"- and it was off to Kicha for a picnic day and visit with all our "buddies"-sharks, thick schools of barracuda and jacks, our twin-spot lion and comet, to mention a few. There are no words to describe hanging off Kavachi Point amidst a kadzillion fish and sharks, while your body reverberates with the distant volcano's (35 mi. away) banging and booming.Giant shallow coral heads were absolutely shimmering with babies of all kinds. We arrived home happily tired and replete.

Another Sunday found us jumping in at a new spot off Madali Beach; the "weather" coast exposed to the ocean without protection features different terrains, corals and fish and critters from our home island sites.

Drifting down a colorful slope enjoying the new scenery, my serenity was interrupted by Viso grabbing my arm and excitedly pointing to a striking pair of what turned out to be rare Griffis Angels. Meyer's, Reticulated and the new Dotted butterflies rounded out our " rare -fish-of- the - day" list.

In the middle of a rainy class, Katherine Gilbert arrived from Wilderness, asking for a dive- she only had a few hours before returning to Honiara.

Why not?? We quickily geared up and introduced her to our front yard.

Katherine was enchanted with all our "characters" and hopes to return.

Divemaster class began in earnest with all passing their stamina tests ( including yours truly); we are presently reviewing the entire Open Water text in preparation for DM classwork, practising equipment presentations, reviewing tables. I marvel at how far they have all come in 16 months.

People frequently ask me about grocery shopping. Believe it or not, I do most of my shopping via E mail with a wholesaler in Honiara, who packs our goods and gets them to the next ship coming this way. Fresh fruits and veggies, fish and crayfish- now that's another story. 2 nights ago my guys came in with 2 Kilos ( 4.4 lbs.) of cray fish tails. Yesterday and today people arrived with battia ( bananas), ramoso (pineapple) and guavas to sell. Walking back with the pups from the village on our evening stroll, I stopped with perfect timing at my favorite fishing spot- under the giant tree where Corey's boat comes in- and came home with a yellowfin tuna ( whole) in one hand, and a huge wahoo filet in the other. It doesn't get much fresher. Sometimes its beans, sometimes scones- we always seem to find what we need. It's amazing- and it works.

After stamina tests in the lagoon yesterday, 4 of us did an 80 minute treasure hunt, as I call our muck dives. Beautiful scenery? Nope. Great vis? Nope. Countless "treasures" Yep! Try more mandarin fish than we could count, signal gobies, branching anemones with delicate shrimps, shrimpgobies, giant pink crayfish, a coralhead clouded with tiny cardinals, attended by 4 huge lions, nudibranchs, banded pipe fish, pajama cardinals -the list is endless. There are so many creatures that will live only in that environment, and nowhere else.

ODDS AND ENDS-----The U. of Queensland Marovo conservation group are back in the area, and we had the pleasure of introducing Ian Tibbetts, Christine Buckius and Kate Moore to our front yard. When people have only a few hours to spare, it's the perfect dive.----I am engaged in a massive photo sorting project, with the final goal having every fish/critter/ scene in its proper file---------Clement Manuri is here for the week, supposedly refreshing our First Aid and CPR skills, but in reality, he's chowing down on fresh crayfish. ----- In off class time, my students are busy finishing the Madali Beach Trail project, complete with signs, benches for relaxing and immersing oneself in the serenity of the sea, and planning a beginning marine science program for our school.

And the other afternoon, after reaching my limits on the computer, I went looking for diversion. No divers around, but I heard laughter and the clacking of tiles emanating from the library- and joined the fun. Where else in the world would you find 7 women and a few kids on the floor playing a highly competitive game of dominoes in 3 languages- at 4 in the afternoon?

With love and hugs to all, Lisa & the Whole Solomon Dive Adventures Crew P.S. My trave is almost confirmed- I arrive in Kona on March 18th and will depart somewhere around April 20- so look forward to seeing so many of you!

Lisa Choquette

SOLOMON DIVE ADVENTURES

Peava Village- Marovo Lagoon SOLOMON ISLANDS

lisa@solomondiveadventures.com

www.solomondiveadventures.com

"Lose yourself in the adventure-find yourself in the richness".